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The trial of a 56yearold Georgetown area man who allegedly posed as Roman Catholic priest solicit funds began Monday in Mi Hon with intimations that the authority of so called renegade priests may become a central issue In the proceedings Wearing the black garb and clerical collar of the priesthood Dennis was brought before County Court Judge Alan Sprogue and a jury of six men and six women regional police charged Scallen with three counts of fraud last June after searching a metal sided Industrial building near I where he allegedly ran a convent for teenage girls training to be nuns Inside the single story shed police found an altar and the trappings of religious rituals to those seen in Roman Assistant Crown attorney Lorry Owen told the jury that Scallen defrauded two families of by pretending to be a Roman Catholic priest whose church was about to be closed because of his inability to pay the rent Mr Owen named three young women two of them members of a defrauded Brantford family who moved convent with the intention of becoming Roman Catholic The Fifth Line shed became known locally as the residency the of Mary maculate Owen Introduced Father Harvey of Hamilton who worked with police on their six month investigation of the to provide background to the crowns allegations that Scallen Is renegade priest legally ordained but contrary to Catholic law upholding doctrines that have been abandoned by the church According lo Owen Scallen and his alleged victims the McDonald family the Daniel Kennedy family and John Tonelli were among the Catholics upset by the Vatican i decision in the I960 to update the mass format to have the spoken in the languages rather than Latin Owen said that when inilnl attempts to lh priesthood in 192 were hi took steps thit resulted in his ordination by Antlochan rite which not recognised as a legUimitt part of the Roman alholic church by the Vatic in The ordination wis performed by Bishop Joseph a former Benedictine priest whose tics with official Catholicism following the ground breaking decisions of the second Vaetican Council in Scallen opted to join the splinter group of which Bishop Joseph was a member after visiting an American referred to by Owen as Vcr noica whose religious visions have failed to win Roman Catholic endorsement according Father Roach Owen said that to have communicated with the Virgin Mary through Veronica and was advised lo seek entry into the priesthood alternative i When Scallen a prayers for a second sign to confirm Ihc message went unanswered Owen said he assumed the advice was sound Mr Owen suggested that was aware of the in validity of his ordination early in 1975 when a monk friend of s wrote to him ex plaining that Bishop John holds no such authority within the proper church Nevertheless the shed where had lived and worked ai an agricultural technician became his convent during 1975 Owen said after Theresa McDonald 13 her sister 16 and moved In to begin their training as nuns The arrival of the latter girl In August 1970 followed Mr Scallen receipt of a donation TOGETHERNESS lift and tried nut hammock Monday night Items offered for sale ranged J furniture radios to dishes to trees to As for the 12 member steering committee which is trying to set up the ratepayers association Mr said the groups is to foster and en courage continuing interest in municipal affairs The group will contribute to the maintenance of the community maintain a political partisan position and try lo influence council to build town for nil the citizens he slid try to act as a forum for issues as they develop he The main concern is that a number of our people have felt that sometimes we need n information he said If the prcs was Informing the public rcplnd thai liic