Wichita ? A Roman Catholic parish and school that serves one of the poorest neighborhoods in the Wichita diocese is dealing with the suspected theft of almost $270,000 by a former employee.

The Rev. Pat Malone, priest of Holy Savior, said parish officials discovered the loss in October but didn’t inform police until Thursday, after completing an internal investigation.

Malone on Friday sent a letter to the parish’s 275 families and notified school and parish employees that the review indicated that $269,914 was missing. He said a former bookkeeper, who had worked at the parish for eight years but quit after the loss was discovered, is suspected of taking the money.

Police spokesman Gordon Bassham said a detective was assigned to the case Friday. No charges have been filed yet.

“I am truly sorry this has happened,” Malone said in his letter. “I pray to God that we can come together to build a stronger parish and school for the future. The loss is a devastating blow to our parish family, but such events can also unify us and make us stronger.”

Malone said the loss “won’t affect our operations” but would put a dent in the parish’s savings and could hamstring plans to build a new school. The lease on the current school property is up, and the parish is looking to move the students to a former public elementary school while officials consider building a new school, ideally next to the church.

Malone added that while the parish has insurance, “I’m sure it will not cover all of that.”

Malone, who didn’t name the suspected employee, said it appeared the money was taken in small amounts over three years. He said others had told him that the employee used the money to help other people and “didn’t take it to help themselves.”

Fred Solis, a spokesman for the diocese said 68 percent of the parish’s parochial school students qualified for free or reduced lunches.

“(The school) serves one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city,” Solis said.

Malone said the parish is taking steps to improve its financial security, including conducting background checks on employees, requiring two signatures on parish checks and conducting monthly and annual reviews of parish finances.