Two New England priests take different tacks against casino gambling

Published: 2004-01-29

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Two New England priests are confronting the growing issue of casino gambling in the region, but they're approaching the issue from different angles. Father Eugene J. McKenna, pastor of St. Lucy Church in Middletown, R.I., is a leader in the fight against the construction of a casino in Rhode Island and serves as president of Citizens Concerned About Casino Gambling. "It begins when you start playing on your lunch hour and then stop in on your way home after work," said Father McKenna, whose parish is located a short distance from a Newport sporting facility that offers video slot machines. Father Edmund S. Nadolny, pastor of St. Stanislaus Church in Meriden, Conn., who estimates that gamblers lose more than $1.3 billion each year at Mohegan Sun and Foxwood casinos in Connecticut, is just as opposed to gambling but is taking a more pragmatic approach. If Catholic gamblers would give just 10 percent of their losses to the church or a local Catholic school, they would become "instant winners," according to the message on dozens of billboards across the state financed by Father Nadolny and his supporters.

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