More than 80 letters ask for leniency for Delray Beach priest in theft case: Former Delray pastor, convicted of grand theft, will be sentenced today.

Byline: Dianna Cahn

Mar. 20--To some, the Rev. John Skehan will go down as the disgraced pastor who betrayed his flock and admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Delray Beach church he led for more than 40 years. But to many others, Skehan, 81, was the longtime beloved leader of St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church with generosity of pocket and spirit even as he made some criminal mistakes. By the dozens, parishioners, colleagues and friends sent letters urging Circuit Judge Jeffrey Colbath to show leniency this afternoon when he sentences the retired pastor. "He ran the parish very much like they were run long ago back in Ireland, with much autonomy and good will. …