The nuns at St. Emma Monastery don't make it a habit to set up a surveillance camera, but it took one to catch an alleged thief.
Karen Anne Ulishney, a 41-year-old failed monastery student, faces burglary and theft charges after authorities say she was caught on video stealing $2,229 from St. Emma Monastery in Hempfield Township.
Nuns at St. Emma set up a surveillance system after money from the monastery business office was found to be missing, according to court documents.
Ulishney, of 301 Hancock Ave., Apt. 3, Greensburg, was charged in April with four counts each of burglary, trespass, theft and receiving stolen property. She was scheduled to be arraigned in Westmoreland County court on Friday, but the hearing was postponed until next month.
Ulishney had worked and studied at the monastery for several years with hopes of joining the Benedictine order as a nun. She left in January after being told that she did not have a future at St. Emma.
"We thought that she was not called here. That's what we said to her," said Prioress Mother Mary Anne Noll. "Entering a religious community is always a mutual discernment."
Ulishney declined to comment on the allegations when contacted by phone yesterday, but she said she believes she's being harassed by the nuns from the monastery and she thought the case was a private matter.
Ulishney admitted to Westmoreland County detectives William Brown and Frank Galilei that she took the money to pay for gasoline and food, according to an arrest affidavit.
The detectives say Ulishney went into the monastery without permission on four occasions, each time stealing money. The affidavit alleges she took $307 on Feb. 26, $1,560 on March 13, $197 on March 20 and $165 on March 26.
Noll said she's unsure what time the thefts occurred but said she knows that at least one of the incidents happened when the nuns were conducting a church service.
In her 44 years at the monastery, Noll said she has never encountered such a problem.
"We're sorry that she has done this for her own account," she said. "People need to know there are consequences to their actions."
Court papers show Ulishney is seeking admittance to the county's Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program. ARD is a program for first-time, nonviolent offenders. It requires no admission of guilt. Those who successfully complete a probationary period can apply to have their public records expunged.
Ulishney remains free on recognizance bond.
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