Bakersfield residents are reacting strongly to concerns that large donations raised by parishioners are at risk of being lost.
During Sunday services, Monsignor Perry Kavookjian of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church shared with the congregation that locally raised funds to expand the church could potentially be used to help pay settlements — specifically, sexual abuse claims against the Diocese of Fresno.
According to church leaders, the money had been held by the Diocese, which is facing financial obligations as part of its bankruptcy proceedings connected to the claims…