Our pastor
and those in neighboring towns refused to join the coup.
….to
be continued
1592 refuse to join coup
The
first thing officials in Rome likely noticed was that there are some 1,650
religious and diocesan priests in the Archdiocese of Boston; thus the
signatories represented about 3.5% of the Boston presbyterate. Not exactly a
landslide, that.
Letter from priests to Cardinal Law
The following is the text of the letter signed by 58 Boston-area
priests and sent to Cardinal Bernard F. Law on December 9, 2002:
Dear Cardinal
Law:
It is with a
heavy heart that we write to request your resignation as Archbishop of Boston.
We have valued the good work you have done here in Boston, including, but not
limited to: your advocacy for the homeless, your outreach to the Jewish
community, your opposition to capital punishment, and your leadership in
welcoming immigrant peoples. However, the events of recent months and, in
particular, of these last few days, make it clear to us that your position as
our bishop is so compromised that it is no longer possible for you to exercise
the spiritual leadership required for the church of Boston.
As leaders of
many parishes that make up this Archdiocese, we hear from the people their call
for a change in leadership. The revelations that have come to light a few days
ago challenge the credibility of your public statements. The people of this
Archdiocese are angry, hurt, and in need of authentic spiritual leadership. We
believe that despite your good work in the past you are no longer able to
provide that leadership.
While this is
obviously a difficult request, we believe in our hearts that this is a
necessary step that must be taken if healing is to come to the Archdiocese. The
priests and people of Boston have lost confidence in you as their spiritual
leader.
Sincerely,
Rev. Richard C.
Beaulieu, St. Mary, Winchester
Rev. James
Bertelli, St. Eulalia, Winchester
Rev. Paul W.
Berube, St. Mary, Chelmsford
Rev. Louis
Bourgeois, St. Paul, Hamilton
Rev. Emile R.
Boutin Jr., Immaculate Conception, Stoughton
Rev. Robert J.
Bowers, St. Catherine of Siena, Charlestown
Rev. James M.
Broderick, Sacred Hearts, Haverhill
Rev. Thomas J.
Buckley, Holy Family, Amesbury
Rev. Timothy
A. Butler, chaplain, U.S. Air Force
Rev. Robert
W. Bullock #, Our Lady
of Sorrows, Sharon LINK
Rev. Charles E.
Collins, St. John the Evangelist, Cambridge
Rev. Francis M.
Conroy, St. Ann, Wayland
Rev. Ronald D. Coyne,
St. Albert the Great, Weymouth
Rev. Richard
J. Craig #, St. John the Evangelist, North
Chelmsford
Rev. Walter
H. Cuenin #
** , Our Lady Help of Christians, Newton LINK
Rev. Francis
Daley, St. James of Apostle, Arlington
Rev. Phillip
B. Earley **, St. Thomas
of Villanova, Wilmington
Rev. Alfred J.
Ellis, O.S.A., St. Augustine, Andover
Rev. Harry J.
Erdlen, O.S.A., St. Augustine, Andover
Rev. Scott A.
Euvrard, St. Joseph, Needham
Rev. John P.
Fitzpatrick, Deaf Community Center
Rev. Austin
H. Fleming #, Our Lady
Help of Christians, Concord
Rev. John W.
Gentleman, Holy Family, Amesbury
Rev. Francis M.
Glynn, St. Anthony, Lowell
Rev. Ronald A.
Gomes, senior priest LINK
Rev. Richard
E. Gribble, C.S.C., Stonehill College
Rev. Msgr.
Michael F. Groden, St. Cecilia, Boston
Rev. Roger D.
Haight, S.J., Weston Jesuit School of Theology
Rev. Timothy A.
Harrison, St. Ann, Gloucester
Rev. David
Hollenbach, S.J., Boston College LINK
Rev. Roger N.
Jacques, St. Joseph, Waltham
Rev. Lawrence
A. Jerge, C.S.C. Bridgewater State College
Rev. Stephen S.
Josoma, St. Susanna, Dedham
Rev. William P.
Joy, St. Angela, Mattapan
Rev. Thomas A.
Kane, C.S.P., Weston Jesuit School of Theology
Rev. James F.
Keenan, S.J., Weston Jesuit School of Theology
Rev. Timothy J.
Kelleher, Blessed Sacrament, Walpole
Rev. Paul E.
Kilroy #, St. Bernard,
Newton
Rev. William
M. MacKenzie, senior priest
Rev. THomas A.
Mahoney, Sacred Heart, Middleborough
Rev. Francis X.
Mawn, St. James, Haverhill
Rev. Sean M.
McCarthy, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Acton
Rev. Richard R.
Messina, St. Mary, Winchester
Rev. Richard S.
Moran, St. Bernard, Newton
Rev. Robert E.
Nee, chaplain, Children's Hospital
Rev. Scott C.
Ness, O.S.A., St. Ambrose Friary, Andover
Rev. Francis E.
O'Brien, St. George, Framingham
Rev. Francis P.
O'Brien, St. Matthias, Marlborough
Rev. David M.
O'Leary, chaplain, Tufts University
Rev. Leonard F.
O'Malley, St. Malachy, Burlington
Rev. Richard J.
Piatt, O.S.A., St. Augustine, Andover
Rev. Marc A.
Piche, Sacred Hearts, Haverhill
Rev. Daniel J.
Sheehan, St. Brigid, South Boston
Rev. Frank J.
Silva, St. Ann, Wayland
Rev. Williams F.
Waters, O.S.A., St. Mary-Immaculate Conception, Lawrence
Rev. James A.
Wenzel, O.S.A, St. Ambrose Friary, Andover
Rev. William G.
Williams, St. Mary of the Assumption, Hull
Rev. Walter
J. Woods # , St.
Elizabeth of Hungary, Acton
** Participated in Companions Mass 1999 [ info being gathered ]
# Member Priests’ Forum
Letter from
the May 10, 2002 Pilot Fr. Joseph Hennessey
The
speakers that the BPF listen to, never, in my experience, give the hierarchy
the benefit of the doubt.
It
was from Fr. Joseph Hennessey, then at Blessed Sacrament Church in Saugus and
now at St. Joseph's Church in Kingston. It is directed towards the
"Priest's Forum" priests.
'Sentire
cum ecclesia'
I
am disappointed in my brother priests who have formed the so-called Boston
Priests Forum. I say "so-called" because they do not represent the majority
of Boston priests. To use and old cliche, some of my best friends are members.
I think their actions are regrettable, though certainly well intentioned.
Do
they have the right to associate? Of course. But in the Church, all rights are
conditioned by prior obligations and I would point them to c.233 of the Code of
Canon Law, there the common good of the Church is the value by which the
exercise of their rights should be measured. And this is where I am sure we
disagree: That in the current moment, their actions could be perceived as
elitist and divisive. Others might say the division are already there, but such
an organization will deepen and harden the divisions.
Should
we discuss the issues? Absolutely; but we don't have to form separate cliques to
have good, animated discussions. In fact, the formation of such groups will
inhibit rather than contribute to the exchange of views.
In
these extremely difficult days, the watch-phrase should be "sentire cum
ecclesia", think/feel with the Church. Does this mean blind, unthinking
obedience? of course not. But it does mean sticking close with our bishops who
are near the heart of the Church, next to the center of the Church, which is
not a debating society, but the Body of Christ. The speakers that the BPF
listen to, never, in my experience, give the hierarchy the benefit of the
doubt.
Fr.
Joseph Hennessey
One priest
laments lack of leadership at the archdiocese
by
Peter Gelzinis
Thursday,
February 20, 2003
``A
strategy? I don't know,'' the priest sighed, ``I suppose one can claim they
have a strategy. And the strategy is to delay and delay . . . and then, delay
some more.''
He
has been a local priest long enough to know something about the individual
hubris that plunged his archdiocese into the current sexual abuse crisis.
When
he substitutes the pronoun ``they'' for the men who held sway at the chancery -
the superiors whose collective wisdom delivered the Archdiocese of Boston into
a scandal of near biblical proportion - it is no accident. He was well aware of
their egos, long before the rest of us saw them exposed in an endless series of
deposition videos.
So,
this priest was hardly surprised yesterday to hear the church's lawyers had
failed in yet another attempt to insulate the archdiocese against the outrage
of several hundred plaintiffs, who keep streaming out of the shadows with
personal stories of faith perverted.
``Lawyers
are calling the shots now,'' the priest said. ``The place is in chaos, really.''
Those
archdiocesan lawyers were unable to convince Superior Court Judge Constance
Sweeney to dismiss approximately 400 claims of sexual abuse by priests, on the
grounds that the First Amendment granted the church civil immunity from
intrusion by the secular courts.
What
yesterday's decision made all too clear for one priest is that in the aftermath
of Bernard Cardinal Law's exile to a convent in Maryland, the stone mansion on
Lake Street is an empty place indeed.
``Rich
Lennon is a nice guy,'' he said, ``but he's no leader. There's the sense we're
treading water right now . . . and not doing that very well. Nobody really
knows what he (Bishop Lennon) is doing.
``It's
not nearly enough to have him appear in those careful choreographed photo ops,
show him smoking a pipe and like I said, keep suggesting he's a nice guy.
``We're
in the middle of a trauma, the likes of which nobody around here has ever
experienced. We can't go on conceding things to lawyers like Wilson Rogers, or
that other guy . . . Owen Todd. They shouldn't be left to run the show.
``And
if they've got something in the way of a plan,'' the priest added, ``all it
seems to be is tie things up in court and hope that sooner or later the
plaintiffs lawyers will eventually dry up. Not much of a strategy, but there it
is.''
In
this period of indecision, legal stonewalling and treading water, speculation
has intensified on the subject of who will be selected to give direction to
this wounded, rudderless diocese.
``You
hear a lot of talk about the guy in St. Louis, (Archbishop Justin) Rigali,''
the priest said. ``He's very close to the pope, spent years in the Vatican, and
seems to be a likely choice to try and stop the bleeding here.''
Part
of that bleeding, in the view of this priest, has to do with the tango of
litigation. A true leader would have to transcend the court dance, perhaps by
trying to speed it toward some kind of equitable closure.
But
that is only the first step. Yesterday's court decision reiterated that ``Church
doctrine and cannon law do not conflict with civil law on the subject of sexual
abuse, particularly the sexual abuse of children.''
``The
whole thing is going to change,'' the priest said bluntly. ``It simply has to.
The relationship between bishops, cardinals and the people will change . . .
because it must.''
In
a year when the church's secret files were finally unearthed, when details of
hushed legal settlements were revealed and the nurturing of pedophile priests
was exposed, one cleric finds himself wondering about the place and the role of
the so-called ``Catholic gentry.''
``I'm
not talking about Voice of The Faithful, or people who infuse their parishes
with a deep sense of life and love,'' he said. ``I'm talking about the people
who fancy themselves as leaders . . . the elite, that circle of heavy hitters
who were called to the chancery a year ago for damage control.
``Instead
of crawling into the bunker, or trying to brainstorm new variations on damage
control and covering your backside,'' the priest said, ``the church could've
have used more leadership from them.
``In
truth, I think these so-called leaders are actually so far away from the people
of the church right now, it's sad in a way. It's as if they're infected by the
same virus of power that afflicts all those geniuses at the chancery who keep
losing their cases in court.''
It's
no way to run a church.
From
www.HIVstopswithme.org 10 March 03
I
would not be who I am today if it were not for my religious upbringing. And, no
I am not a recovering Catholic. I am a practicing Catholic. The very first
person I came out to was my parish priest when I was only 16 years old. At the
time, I have to admit I was expecting a miracle or a, "say ten-thousand
Hail Mary's and you'll be fine." Instead, Father Ronald Gomes of Saint
Anthony's Parish in Lowell, Massachusetts found the Boston Alliance of Gay and
Lesbian Youth for me to meet other young gays and lesbians. My story is not
unique. Unfortunately, it's been my experience that the gay community likes to
chastise and blame organized religion for their human experiences. Father Gomes
was a man who belonged to an order - a religion. But, first he was a man who
practiced a spirituality that allowed him to see past human prejudices and
offer the boy that I was guidance and support. No, Father Gomes was not gay,
nor did he ever touch me. My heart goes out to those who had a different
experience. Yet, I also want to acknowledge that their stories are more likely
to end up in print or on the news. Those of us who have our organized religions
to be thankful for almost end up harboring a shame or anger because we embrace
all that is good about our organized religion.
For
me and my community (Azorean, small group of islands off the coast of Morocco)
it was all we had. Organized religion meant feasts and a coming together of
people that I would never forfeit. We were a poor community of immigrants
struggling to learn the language spoken here in the United States and working
minimum wage jobs. My organized religion brought my family hope and meaning to
our lives. We didn't have money, so we didn't have the luxury to worry about
stupid shit like whether gays and lesbians should be allowed in our church. We
were there and my community, which revolved around our church, was there to
help us in our time of need.
So,
yes I believe organized religion is a perfect place to start when reaching
communities (not of color because racially some of us are white) that aren't
the majority. Don't go in with a list of demands...walk through those doors
with an open heart, mind and plenty of room to grow.
-Troix
Date Tue, 16 Dec 2003
22:05:26 -0500
From Alice Slattery
To Comments@FaithfulVoice.com
Subject co-leader of Priests Forum,Fr.Bob Bullock
I find it odd that none of the viewers
of the NECN documentary on Fr.
Paul
Shanley on Dec. 3rd and 4th, have asked the reporters who are
investigating
the scandal why they haven't asked Fr. Bob Bullock hard
questions
about his failure to supervise Fr. Shanley as he acknowledged
he
was supposed to do , during the time when Fr. Shanley was the "street
priest"
and Fr.
Bullock and he shared the same office.
Certainly
Fr. Bullock had to know, when he acknowledged that he took many phone calls
for
Fr. Shanley from parents and family members who were concerned
about
their children's acting out in a homosexual manner and making
connections
with other kids to engage in their acts, that Fr. Shanley
was
advising the parents and friends to support their child's
homosexuality(which
certainly included the behavior which characterizes
the
condition).
Certainly
Fr. Bob Bullock knows that this acceptance is
in
opposition to the Church's teaching that homosexual acts are never
to
be approved.
If
that didn't send red flag warnings to Fr. Bullock that he had better
supervise
Fr. Shanley very closely, then there was a reason for Fr.
Bullock
to deliberately refuse to supervise him.
I
wonder why no one is asking Fr. Bob Bullock hard questions about his failure to
supervise
Fr.
Shanley, especially since Elaine Noble, the gay Mass. representative,
said
that many people in the gay culture in Boston were
very
aware of the fact that Fr. Shanley was bringing his young male
charges
into the gay bars and health clubs.
Also,
who were the Globe reporters who were covering the Street Priest scene which
apparently
was
a big item in the newspapers at that time?
Are
there no reporters picking up on this failure to supervise by Fr. Bullock?
--Alice