Father Jim Sichko’s book pulled over allegations of plagiarism

A book by a prominent Central Kentucky priest has been pulled from publication after allegations of plagiarism.

Father Jim Sichko’s book, “60 Seconds for Jesus,” was pulled by Loyola Press. The publishing house said in a Jan. 10 statement, the day after the book was scheduled for release, it launched a “detailed review” after receiving allegations about the devotional Jan. 6.

The review uncovered “missing attributions for certain statements in the book,” Loyola Press said in the statement.

“We have made the decision to pull the book from publication and all rights have been returned to the author,” the company said in its statement. “This decision was made as soon as practicable based on the events and our review.”

Sichko said in a statement posted on his website he was “saddened by this turn of events, but not disheartened.”

“In my mission, I often share and repost comments found on the internet, many of which are reposted and reshared several times before reaching me to inspire action,” he said.

“I apologize, sincerely, to anyone who did not receive proper acknowledgment for statements I made. My intention has, and always will be, to uplift and inspire. While I do not claim to be the originator of many quotes I share, I share in faith that words inspired by love will echo on, from one heart to the next.”

Father Matthew Schneider, an author and priest who is active on social media, published a Jan. 10 blog post in which he called Sichko a “habitual plagiarist.” He added Sichko “should not be invited to more speaking engagements.”

Schneider said In the post he had alerted Loyola Press to instances of plagiarism found during a review of the book that he undertook with the help of another unidentified person.

Schneider said they found “at least 16 cases of direct or probable plagiarism in the first 20 pages.”

“This is not a slight accident or mere coincidence but a systematic pattern of plagiarism,” Schneider wrote. “...Plagiarism was enough to bring down the presidents of Harvard and Stanford: We Catholics should have higher standards for honesty than them. (Father) Jim Sichko does not even pass some of the lowest bars you can set for plagiarism.“

Schneider also cited a now-inactive X.com (formerly Twitter) account with the handle @RevPlagiarism that purported to have found more than 300 tweets that Sichko was alleged to have copied from others.

In his statement, Sichko shared an email address where he said “creators” could contact him about attribution.

He said in an interview Saturday he had not received any responses to the email address.

“The majority things that I’ve used are from anonymous sources,” Sichko said.

He said the book went through “several rounds of editing with the publisher. This still occurred. ... It has given me great insight into internet copyright law.”

Sichko said the situation has been “a great learning experience” and “a whirlwind lesson.”

He said he’s also been the subject of “intense hate, and I would call it cyberbullying, that is taking place from strangers I don’t even know.”

“We can still be kind, even in pointing out other people’s weaknesses or difficulties,” Sichko said. “I’m saddened by this and I’m remorseful and I’m willing to learn.”

Regardless, he said, “I will continue my preaching. I will continue doing my random acts of kindness. I will continue learning.”

“The people of Lexington know me, and I think know where my heart is,” Sichko said.

The book would have been his third. Sichko’s other books are “Encountering God: As a Traveling Papal Missionary of Mercy” and “Among Friends: Stories from the Journey.”

Appointed one of 1,000 Missionaries of Mercy by Pope Francis in 2015, Sichko is widely known for his motivational speaking and acts of charitable giving.

He has his own brand of spaghetti sauce, Miss Marie’s, which Delta Airlines began offering in some of its Sky Clubs in 2021, and his own barrel pick bourbon from Willett Distillery in Bardstown.

His gifts of bourbon to the pope and travelers stuck in snowstorms have been the stuff of late-night comedy routines and magazine features.

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