Tuesday, June 24, 2003

You may have heard about the recent death of a wide receiver for the University of Pittsburgh's football team, who fell to his death from a catwalk up high in a Catholic church in the wee hours of the morning.

Well, the sad plot thickens as the pastor of the church is suspended by the diocese and investigated by the authorities

Gaines, a University of Pittsburgh football player who had been living at the church with a teammate after their apartment was destroyed in a fire, died June 18 after falling through the rafters and hitting his head on the back of a pew.Authorities said they do not know what led Gaines into the upper reaches of St. Anne Church in Homestead at 2:30 a.m.Earlier that night, he drank alcohol at a cookout at the church, authorities said. His blood-alcohol level was 0.166 percent, or twice the legal limit for driving.

County Assistant Police Superintendent Jim Morton refused to say who supplied the alcohol. He would not comment on the Rev. Henry R. Krawczyk's role but said Krawczyk was the only person of legal drinking age at the cookout.Krawczyk was placed on administrative leave by the Pittsburgh Diocese, effective Monday. A telephone message left for a Henry Krawczyk in Pittsburgh was not returned Monday.The Rev. Ron Lengwin, diocese spokesman, said there have been two allegations concerning Krawczyk and alcohol in the past.