Priest Charged in Sexual Abuse
By Michael Luo, Staff Writer
Originally published in Newsday, May 8, 2001
An East Meadow priest, who distinguished himself with his gift for youth ministry, has been accused of molesting a boy over a one-and-a-half year period, beginning when the boy was 13 years old, Suffolk police said yesterday.
The Rev. Michael R. Hands, 34, was arrested Friday about 10 p.m. in the parking lot of St. Raphael's Roman Catholic Church, where he has been assigned as an associate pastor since June.
He worked previously for two years at St. Philip Neri's Church in Northport, where at least one of the alleged sexual encounters he had with the boy occurred, said Det. Lt. Edward Reilly, commander of Suffolk's sex crimes section. In Northport, Hands, who was also an associate pastor, was very popular and started the church's youth ministry, said the Rev. Peter Garry.
Hands has been charged with second-degree sexual abuse and second- and third-degree sodomy in three separate alleged encounters in Suffolk County, from August 1999 to spring 2001. He was arraigned Saturday and is being held at the county jail on $125,000 cash bail.
Police began investigating Hands recently, after the boy's family contacted the department, Reilly said. He described the boy, who is now 15, only as a Suffolk resident and said he is not a congregant at either St. Raphael's or St. Philip Neri's.
"They were known to each other," said Reilly, declining to elaborate further.
Leaders at St. Raphael's declined to comment yesterday, saying they knew little about the allegations. Hands has not been charged in any incidents at the church, but the Nassau Special Victims Unit is investigating.
At St. Philip Neri's, Garry spoke about his shock and pain after learning of the allegations.
"Was he clearly somebody who believed he had a special gift to work with the youth? Sure he was," Garry said. "That's the reason it's so shocking to the whole church community." Hands worked alongside Garry handling pastoral duties at the church, including preaching, teaching adult education and visiting parishioners. But he seemed to enjoy most his work with the youth group, Garry said.
He led various activities, including skateboarding to raise money for the poor, and pizza and movie nights, Garry said. The group grew to between 30 and 40 members, he said.
Hands also was active in the campus fellowship at St. Dominic's High School in Oyster Bay, visiting the campus and meeting with students once a week.
"He did terrific things there," Garry said. "This is the stuff that everybody knew about and everybody believed in." When church leaders transferred Hands to East Meadow as part of the downsizing of staff in the Northport parish, more than 500 congregants showed up for a going-away party, Garry said.
Garry said he must now consider how to handle the arrest with his congregation and how to begin a healing process.
"Unfortunately, whatever is going to come down legally … because he was a part of [the church] … they're hurting," he said. "They can be disappointed. They can be angry."
