Patrick McMahon says talking to priests still gives him pause even today
CBC News ·
Patrick McMahon of Windsor was sexually abused as a young teen by Father Hod Marshall. (Windsor Morning)
An award-winning documentary about the sexual abuse of children by a Roman Catholic priest has become a source of support for one victim.
Prey —which recently won the $50,000 Rogers Audience Award for best Canadian documentary at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival — tells the story of a civil suit against Father William Hodgson ‘Hod’ Marshall by one of his victims, Rod MacLeod.
Patrick McMahon, a Windsor man who was another of Marshall’s many victims, appears in the documentary as he protests outside a few Windsor churches. During one of the protests, he is approached by Father Maurice Restivo who had just delivered mass inside.
Since that initial meeting last summer, McMahon and Restivo have stayed in contact through email. They saw each other again on the CBC’s Windsor Morning.
“It was quite unexpected,” said McMahon, recalling the first time he met Restivo. “We had chosen four churches somewhat randomly, so I had no expectation of who might speak with me.
“Many people watched me and walked away — read my sign and ignored me. So I was quite pleased that Maurice chose to come down and engage me and I had a lot of respect for him for that.”
Father Maurice Restivo is a member of the Basilian Fathers, a religious order of the Catholic Church — a congregation which of which Marshall was a member before he died. (Windsor Morning)
Restivo says the sign McMahon was carrying caught his attention. It was critical of the Catholic Church and read, in part, ‘Ask me how you can share in my pain.’
“It was certainly uncomfortable,” recalled Restivo. “I saw everybody walking past him, and I thought ‘Somebody has to talk to him.'”
McMahon says Restivo seemed genuinely interested in discussing a very uncomfortable subject.
“Not just about my pain, but about the larger issue of the sexual abuse,” said McMahon.
‘Patrick’s question was the right one’
Through their conversation, Restivo learned that McMahon had one goal — for people to understand what his pain was like so they could prevent future instances of sexual abuse.
Restivo asked to share McMahon’s story with the church congregation the following Sunday. The director of Prey, Matt Gallagher, was there to capture the moment.
‘Prey’ follows a Canadian abuse survivor who chooses to pursue a public trial in order to shine a light on clergy sex abuse and attempt to hold the Catholic Church accountable. (Hot Docs)
“So that’s in the film as well,” said Restivo, adding he was “deeply moved” when he found McMahon waiting outside his church again.
“I think Patrick’s question was the right one. In these past years, I’ve been convinced that the more we know about the other person and the more the other person feels, the less we’re able to harm them.”
Restivo speaking out against his own religious order
In 2011, Marshall pleaded guilty to 17 sex assault charges for crimes he committed against children in Toronto, Windsor, and Sudbury dating back to the 1950s. He died in 2014.
Like Marshall, Restivo is a member of the Basilian Fathers, a religious order of the Catholic Church.
“I knew Hod Marshall. I knew all the other names that they mentioned in the film. I think I’ve met every single one of them,” said Restivo, adding he felt a sense of relief that all of the names had been brought to light but that it was “hard to watch.”
Even though the documentary takes direct aim at the Basilians for allowing some priests to get away with sexual abuse, Restivo says he has no problem speaking out in support of victims.
There is one part of the film which is problematic for Restivo.
“Just the very beginning when Rob Talach, the lawyer, is taking delivery of his brand new Tesla,” said Restivo. “This is just another lawyer making a lot of money.
The judgement against the Basilian Fathers for Rod MacLeod was $2.6 million.
“The judgement…was shocking, was deeply painful and it also shows that the jury thought that this is a very powerful and important moment,” said Restivo. “The victims ought to be getting a lot of [the money].”
In the film, McMahon calls the judgement “glorious” and he stands by that statement because he says the Basilians “enabled [Marshall] for 50 years.”
“If the only way we can get through to that organization is financially, then that’s what has to happen,” said McMahon, adding his own settlement with the Church was for $405,000.
Mending fences between Restivo and McMahon
Restivo has reached out to McMahon, inviting him and his family over for dinner, but McMahon is hesitant.
“I have a bit of conflicted feelings on this. Personally, I would be very happy to sit down with you and my wife as well,” said McMahon, speaking directly to Restivo. “And when I think about my family sitting with you — specifically, my children — I think back to my own childhood.”
Hear the full interview between Patrick McMahon and Father Maurice Restivo on the CBC’s Windsor Morning:
Windsor Morning
Prey Aftermath
00:0019:41
A healing presence. An unlikely connection between a Church sexual abuse survivor and a Windsor priest who wants to help. A feature interview with Patrick McMahon and Fr Maurive Restivo, 19:41
“I had a constant succession of priests coming to my home and I think of the fact that there was not just one, but two convicted priests who were family friends of mine. Only one of them abused me … It gives me pause when I talk to priests.”
So what could the Basilian Fathers do to fix this? McMahon has two suggestions — one being a legitimate and sincere apology of the actions of Marshall’s “enablers.”
The second, he says, is for religious leaders to stop describing sexual abuse within the church as something which happens to people from “all walks of life, all faiths, all genders.”
“You’re either sticking your head in the sand or you’re deliberately misleading,” said McMahon. “You need to take responsibility for the actions of the people in your order and the people in the church — specifically, the priests.”
Restivo agrees that more needs to be done. “I don’t know if ‘making things right’ can ever happen,” he said. “But certainly what brings out healing is an acknowledgement of errors and a sincere effort to somehow compensate, to make up for, to make amends. But the acknowledgement is a huge part of it and that has to come first.”
Courtroom account takes audience prize after winning special jury honour
CBC News
Directed by Matt Gallagher, clergy abuse trial film Prey won the $50,000 Rogers Audience Award for best Canadian documentary on Sunday at Hot Docs. (Hot Docs)
Prey, a “riveting and unflinching” account of a sexual abuse survivor’s legal fight against the Catholic Church, has won the top award at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival.
Directed by Matt Gallagher, Prey was named winner of the $50,000 Rogers Audience Award for best Canadian documentary on Sunday, the final day of Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary festival.
Immediately after the announcement, organizers held a free encore screening of the film.
Hot Docs
@hotdocs
Winner of the $50,000 Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary at #HotDocs19 is PREY by Matt Gallagher, a riveting and unflinching account of a survivor’s journey as he takes on the Catholic Church in an Ontario court.
Most cases of clergy sex abuse are settled quietly and out-of-court. Gallagher’s film follows a Canadian man who chooses to pursue a public trial in order to shine a light on these cases of abuse and attempt to hold the Catholic Church accountable.
Rod MacLeod, who as a boy was abused for years by a Catholic priest and teacher, enlists civil lawyer Rob Talach, who has filed approximately 400 suits against the church, for the case.
Linda Fong@DocsLinda
“Making this film was like putting a megaphone on it – so they could tell their stories” – PREY producer Cornelia Principe, on stage with director Matt Gallagher, and film subjects Rod MacLeod and Patrick McMahon @hotdocs@TVOdocs
Winner of the audience award #HotDocs2019
In addition to the audience award, Prey also won a $5,000 special jury prize during an earlier Hot Docs awards ceremony in Toronto on Friday.
Other winners announced Friday include Tasha Hubbard’s Colten Boushie doc nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, which opened this year’s edition of Hot Docs.
Barry McGrory, a defrocked Catholic priest who is alleged to have abused children in the 1960s, leaves the Elgin Street courthouse Tuesday (May 21, 2019). Julie Oliver / Postmedia
One of Barry McGrory’s alleged victims told senior officials in the Catholic Church about the priest’s sexual abuse in the late 1960s or early 1970s, court has heard.
The victim, who cannot be identified by court order, complained to the then archbishop about being molested by McGrory in the bedroom of the priest’s home at St. Philip Church in Richmond.
The youth had gone there with six others to watch a football game with McGrory, but when he began to suffer the effects of a migraine, the priest gave him an Aspirin. He went to lie down in an upstairs bedroom and when he woke up sometime later, a man was fondling his genitals.
He believed that man was McGrory, court heard, and he subsequently complained about the incident to the archbishop.
Archbishop Joseph-Aurèle Plourde was then the leader of the Archdiocese of Ottawa. (He served as Ottawa’s archbishop from 1967 to 1989.)
“He (the alleged victim) was left with the belief that they were to remove Mr. McGrory,” Crown attorney John Semenoff said in recounting the evidence Wednesday during closing arguments at the trial.
McGrory, 85, has pleaded not guilty to charges of indecent assault and gross indecency in connection with two complainants.
He was officially removed from the priesthood last year by the Vatican.
The complainant’s testimony suggests that Plourde was made aware at least twice of McGrory’s dangerous sexual problems.
McGrory himself has told this newspaper that he went to Plourde to plead for help with his powerful attraction to adolescents, both male and female.
Plourde, he said, knew of his sexual problems before moving him to a Toronto-based organization dedicated to assisting remote Catholic missions.
Four years after leaving Ottawa, in 1991, McGrory was charged with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old, and later convicted of that crime. The Archdiocese of Ottawa has settled out of court with two women who said they were abused as adolescents by McGrory, and is being sued by other alleged victims.
In his closing argument Wednesday, Semenoff told Ontario Superior Court Justice Michelle O’Bonsawin that the experience of the two complainants in the McGrory case bear a “striking similarity” that lends credence to their accounts.
Both were fondled in a bed in the rectory at St. Philip Parish after being invited back to the priest’s residence by McGrory, he said.
One case involved a single incident of sexual touching, court heard, while the second involved a series of sexual assaults that occurred over a three-year period.
The complainant in the latter incident testified that he was 15 when he was first abused in 1969. The complainant said he met McGrory after he started to play touch football. McGrory, he said, would provide him and other young boys with alcohol, and sometimes invite him back to St. Philip Church.
The complainant said McGrory became friends with his guardians, who gave the priest access to their home. He said McGrory would let himself into the house late at night, and that he would often awake to the priest fondling his penis.
In his final argument, McGrory’s defence lawyer Leo Russomanno noted that the allegations are 50 years old, which makes testing the reliability of witnesses problematic since any inconsistencies are ascribed to the passage of time.
That excuse, he said, has been used as a shield to fend off what would otherwise be considered serious inconsistencies and gaps in the complainants’ stories.
One complainant, he noted, told police that he was assaulted by McGrory in 1964 or 1965, but then testified at trial that he was sure the incident happened sometime between 1969 and 1971.
That kind of inconsistency, he argued, has to raise reasonable doubt about the reliability of a witness. Russomanno urged the judge not to embrace an “undiscriminating acceptance” of the allegations, and to acquit McGrory of the charges.
Justice O’Bonsawin is to deliver her verdict in the case next month.
What exactly happened here is unknown. According to media reports the Crown said there was no reasonable prospect of conviction and it was not in the public interest to proceed.
Despite the withdrawal of charges Father D’Souza will remain on administrative leave while the Diocese of Calgary conducts an internal investigation:
Priest Diocese of Corner Brook and Labrador (previously Diocese of St. George’s). Ordained 1989. Involved in coordinating the Diocese of St. George’s Newfoundland settlement agreement with victims of clerical sexual abuse. Charges laid April 2019.
The next court-date for Monsignor James Robertson is:
16 July 2019: 09:30 am, “for plea” Corner Brook Courthouse (82 Mt. Bernard Avenue, Corner Brook, Newfoundland)
Indian born priest. Ordained 1981. Former Salesian priest – now member of the Voluntas Dei Insitute. Charged June 2018.
After his preliminary hearing of 14 June 2019 Father Cecil Noronha was committed to stand trial. His case has now been transferred to the Superior Court of Justice in Sudbury Ontario. It usually takes a week or so for files to be transferred to the Superior Court and therefore at least a week or more before a court-date is set. I will check again today to see if there is a court-date set. As soon as I get court date I will let you know,
As I mentioned before, this next court date will NOT be a trial date: There will be another series of court-dates in Superior Court before a trial date is set.
Ex-priest and previously convicted molester Mr. Barry McGrory has been convicted of all counts of indecent assault on a male and indecent assault. McGrory appeared in court this morning with four supporters. Neither of the two victims was in court to hear the verdict.
McGrory will next appear in court for sentencing on the 27th and 28th of August at 9 am. The hearings each day will probably not last over an hour. By way of explanation for this strange ‘date.’ the hearing had to be split between the courtroom time available over the two days to accommodate thejudge, Crown and defence availability. There is about an hour available each morning from 9 am to 10 am. Defence thinks it will take a bit longer than one hour, so…. two days with one hour each!
On those days defence will without doubt try to convince the court that, for the usual litany of reasons (i.e., frailty, poor health, suffered enough due to publicity defrocking, says he has overcome his sexual disorder through participation in a 12-step program) McGrory should not spend a single day behind bars. Hopefully the Crown will argue that regardless of his age McGrory should serve time for his crimes. (I believe McGrory is 85 now?)
At some point there will also be opportunity for victims and/or family members to read a victim impact statement into the record, or to have one read on his/herbehalf
Something came up which has me asking questions…
The abuse of both victims transpired between the late 1964 and 1971 when McGrory was serving as a priest at Richmond, Ontario. According tot he judge, one victim went to the archdiocese to report the abuse . What date this transpired is currently unknown, but what is known is that at that time there was a ‘pay-off’ of some sort and the victim was gagged. At a later date (also at this time unknown) the victim became upset when he realized he had been gagged and started contacting the archdiocese again. I don;t know the outcome of that contact, but am wondering if in fact the gag was an illegal gag? ie. was the victim prohibited from contacting law enforcement? I don’t know, but, if yes, that is illegal.
No matter, for now I am trying to sort out who at the archdiocese knew what and when. I do know that McGrory disappeared very suddenly in or around 1986. I remember clearly being told, by a priest. There was something strange about it, but at that time in my life I had not an inkling of what. In later years I looked back on McGrory’s strange and sudden departure, and the manner in which I was told he was ‘gone,” and wondered if he had in fact been reported, and if perhaps there was some sort of an agreement made with Church or other authorities to get him out of the city immediately? (I do know of cases where deals were made that no charges would be laid if the priest disappeared from the community. )
So, back to the question: at what date did the the victim referenced above contact the archdiocese to report his abuse at the hands of McGrory?
An interesting side bar to this is the fact that, according to a June 2016 article in the Ottawa Sun McGrory told Andrew Duffy that he, McGrory, had told then Ottawa Archbishop Joseph-Aurele Plourde of his, McGrory’s, predilection for adolescents. There is no specific date, but it seems to relate to his years at Holy Cross. Despite this knowledge Plourde allowed McGrory to move on to assume duties as assumed as head of Catholic Church Extension Society (head office in Toronto, Ontario) . Two years later McGrory was sexually abusing the young native boy who later went to police .
What I am now wondering is if perchance McGrory’s ‘disclosure’ to the Archbishop actually came after a victim or a victim’s family members went pounding on the doors of the Archbishop? In other words, perhaps this ‘disclosure’ transpired after McGrory was reported?
Perhaps it happened more than once? Perhaps it was only in the mid 80s that a very tolerant Archbishop Plourde finally felt obliged to squire McGrory out of the archdiocese?
Yes, honestly, I am beginning to think that there may well have been a number of victims or their family members who reported McGrory. Truth be told, I have a sense that there are a lot of McGrory victims out there who have yet to come forward.
Please keep the victims in your prayers. And please pray for the repose of the soul of the unfortunate victim who died before the case went to trial. I was thinking of him this morning.
Finally, I commend those who came forward. Never forget all of you, it is only because of your courage in speaking out that we know what wolves in sheep’s clothing these molesters were and are. And it is only through your courage that we know that a number of bishops and archbishops lied to victims, recycled molesters and in so doing willfully placed young children and adolescents at risk. Thank you. Thank you every one of you.
I will leave it at that for now.
A reminder that the next court dates for Mr. Barry McGrory are:
Defrocked Catholic priest Barry McGrory has been found guilty of sexually abusing two teenage boys in a church rectory during the early years of his long and sordid clerical career.
McGrory, 85, showed no emotion as Superior Court Justice Michelle O’Bonsawin delivered her verdict Monday.
“I find that Mr. McGrory preyed on the vulnerability of these complainants,” O’Bonsawin said in finding McGrory guilty on two counts of indecent assault and two counts of gross indecency.
“Mr. McGrory used his position as a parish priest,” she said, “to exploit vulnerable and naïve young men for his own sexual satisfaction.”
Barry McGrory – a defrocked Catholic priest who is alleged to have abused children in the 1970s before being quietly shipped to another diocese – leaves the Elgin Street courthouse Tuesday (May 21, 2019). Julie Oliver / Postmedia
Based on evidence in the case, O’Bonsawin found that McGrory used alcohol to groom one troubled young victim, and medication to “destabilize” another.
“Mr. McGrory’s crimes were all the more serious because of his trusted position in the community,” the judge said. “He infiltrated their families and used their faith in him to take advantage of the complainants.”
McGrory had pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were laid in connection with two historic sex abuse complaints dating to the late 1960s.
A third complainant died before the case could reach trial.
All three complainants came forward to Ottawa police in 2016 after the Citizen published a story in which McGrory admitted to sexually abusing three young parishioners at Holy Cross Parish in the 1970s and 80s.
McGrory is to be sentenced in late August.
Court heard that McGrory, then pastor at St. Philip Parish in Richmond, met one of the complainants, an indigenous youth identified as J.B., at a touch football game in 1968.
Then 15, J.B. said he initially liked McGrory because he was impressed that a priest would play football with them.
McGrory gave the boys beer and invited them back to St. Philip Parish under the pretext that he needed help with some yard work. He rewarded them with more beer, and then told the boys he was too drunk to drive them back to Ottawa, J.B. said.
J.B. testified that he passed out, drunk, in a bedroom at the rectory and woke up with McGrory in his bed, fondling him. He later performed oral sex.
He didn’t cry out for help, the complainant said, because he was afraid of what others might say. “What if they came? What if they knew?” he testified.
J.B. told court that McGrory formed a trusting relationship with his guardians, who gave him a key to their house. He used it, J.B. said, to let himself into the house at night and molest him in his second-floor bedroom.
The abuse continued for more than a year. He didn’t tell anyone at the time, J.B. said, because he knew no one would believe him over a priest.
After reading the Citizen’s article about McGrory in April 2016, the complainant, now 66, said the past “got into his head and would not leave.” He felt he had to tell someone about what had happened, and he contacted police four months later.
The second complainant, R.G., told a similar story. He said McGrory ran a youth group and organized football games at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, where R.G. was an altar boy.
In 1969, he said, his father died and his mother was diagnosed with cancer. McGrory briefly moved into their house to help look after the family. At that time, he considered McGrory a close friend and trusted him “with all that he had,” R.G. said.
After McGrory was transferred to St. Philip Church in Richmond, R.G. and his friends would sometimes visit. Once, they went to the rectory to watch a football game. R.G. said he had one beer and suffered a migraine headache so he retreated to a darkened room on the second floor of the rectory. McGrory offered him an Aspirin.
The medicine left him “cloudy” and disoriented, he said. Some time later, R.G. said, he felt someone whom he believed was McGrory move into bed with him and molest him.
Years later, still deeply troubled by the incident, he went to then Archbishop Joseph-Aurèle Plourde and described McGrory’s sexual abuse. Told McGrory would be removed, he reached a settlement with the church that committed him to silence.
But in 2016, he heard a radio news report based on the Citizen’s story about McGrory, and was infuriated. “It killed me,” R.G. testified. He subsequently approached the Ottawa police with his story.
Justice O’Bonsawin said she found both complainants to be credible and reliable witnesses.
In May 2016, McGrory told the Citizen that as a young priest, he was a sex addict who suffered from a powerful attraction to adolescents. McGrory said he told Archbishop Plourde about his problems in the mid-1980s, and asked for treatment.
Instead of receiving help, McGrory said, he was transferred to a Toronto organization dedicated to assisting remote Catholic missions, many of them in Canada’s North. Four years after leaving Ottawa, in 1991, McGrory was charged with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old Indigenous youth. He was convicted of the crime and given a suspended sentence.
McGory told the newspaper he was healed of his attraction to adolescents after “surrendering” himself to God, and has remained celibate thanks to a self-help group called Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, which employs a 12-step program similar to that pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous.
Ottawa born and raised, McGrory holds a PhD in theology from Thomas Aquinas University in Rome. He was formally dismissed from the priesthood last year.
Ottawa – The Most Reverend John M. Sherlock, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of London, died on 12 August 2019.
Bishop Sherlock was born on 20 January 1926 in Regina, Saskatchewan. He entered St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto in 1946 to begin his theological studies and was ordained to the priesthood on 3 June 1950 for the Diocese of Hamilton by the Most Reverend R.H. Dignan, Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie. Following his ordination, he continued his studies and received a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Catholic University of America in 1952. He later received a Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) from the University of Windsor (1985), a Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa) from Huron College, London, Ontario (1986), and became a Fellow (honoris causa) of the University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto (1994).
Upon completion of his Licentiate in Canon Law, Bishop Sherlock returned to the Diocese of Hamilton to begin his pastoral ministry. He served as Assistant Pastor and then Pastor in parishes within the diocese from 1952 until 1974. During this time, he also held the positions of Lecturer in Religious Studies and Newman Chaplain at McMaster University in Hamilton, Advocate and Judge for the Regional Matrimonial Tribunal, Trustee and Chairman for the Hamilton-Wentworth Separate School Board, Consultor for the Diocese of Hamilton, and Board member and Vice-Chairman for St. Joseph’s Hospital (Hamilton). On 25 June 1974, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of London and was ordained Bishop on 28 August 1974 by Bishop P.F. Reding. On 8 July 1978, he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of London and installed on 21 August.
As a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Bishop Sherlock was a member of the then Commission for Christian Education (English Sector), the then Pastoral Team for Study and Action, the then Administrative Board (now the Permanent Council), the then Commission for Social Affairs, the then Operations Review Committee, the then Ad hoc Committee on Constitution, as well as the then Commission for Social Communications (English Sector). From 1983 to 1985, Bishop Sherlock served as the President of the CCCB during which time he led the Conference in its organization of the Papal Visit to Canada by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1984. Bishop Sherlock went on to represent the CCCB with the Canadian Council of Churches (1989-1991) and served as the Council’s Vice-President in 1990-1991. Founded by the CCCB, Bishop Sherlock was the first Chairman of the National Catholic Broadcasting Foundation (later renamed the National Catholic Broadcasting Council), which, in 1998, led to the Daily TV Mass broadcast, originally on Vision TV, as a way of helping the Church to be more present and visible in the media. He retired as Bishop of London in 2002.
Visitation will be held at St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica, in London, Ontario on Thursday, 15 August from 1:00 to 9:00 pm and on Friday, 16 August from 9:00 to 11:00 am. The funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, 16 August at 11:00 am at St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica with the Most Reverend Ronald P. Fabbro, C.S.B., Bishop of London presiding.
Bishop John Sherlock, former head of London diocese, dies at 93
The Catholic Register
13 August 2019
By Catholic Register Staff
Photo courtesy of the Diocese of London.
Bishop John Sherlock, who for 24 years was Bishop of London, Ont., died Aug. 12. He was 93.
Bishop Sherlock was the ninth bishop of the Diocese of London and its longest serving bishop. He was installed as bishop in 1978 and served until his retirement in 2002. For the previous four years he had served as auxiliary bishop to Bishop Gerald Emmett Carter before the latter moved on to Toronto.
“Bishop Sherlock was a true pastor who was close to his priests and his people,” said Bishop Ronald Fabbro, who succeeded Bishop Sherlock. “In his episcopal ministry over the past 45 years, he gave his life in service of our diocese and the wider Church in Canada. We will miss him, and we pray for him that he will rest in peace.”
Born in Regina, Sask., in 1926, and raised in Brantford, Ont., he was the second eldest of six sons and two daughters. Three of the boys would go on to the priesthood. He was ordained a priest in 1950 for the Diocese of Hamilton and began graduate work in canon law, completing his licentiate in 1952. He began parochial work in Hamilton and later Dundas. He became pastor at St. Charles Garner Parish and was heavily involved in the diocese’s tribunal, the Newman chaplaincy and cooperative housing. He also taught Sacred Scripture at McMaster University and worked closely with school and hospital boards.
Bishop Sherlock was involved in the social issues of his time, according to a biography on the diocese’s website, and was outspoken on issues ranging from the economy, abortion, unemployment, education and poverty in the Third World.
During his time in London Bishop Sherlock launched the Pentecost 2000 campaign in 1989 which was essential to the restoration of London’s St. Peter’s Seminary. It raised more than $21 million and has left a lasting endowment for the seminary as well as vital funding to establish youth ministry, refugee, liturgy and justice offices in the diocese.
Bishop Sherlock was president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops from 1983-85 and was tasked with organizing the papal visit of Pope John Paul II to Canada in 1984. He accompanied the future saint on his cross-Canada tour and a close friendship developed between the two men.
He retired in April 2002 and remained in London, which he now considered home, and remained active in teaching, helping at parishes, conducting retreats and parish missions and participating in diocesan celebrations.
The visitation will be Thursday Aug. 15 at St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica, downtown London, from 1 – 9 pm, and again on Friday morning from 9 – 11 am. A funeral Mass will be held Aug. 16 at 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica in London.
_________________________________________
Obituary of Bishop John Michael Sherlock
Donohue Funeral Home
On Monday, August 12, 2019, the Most Reverend John Michael Sherlock, DD, ninth Bishop of London, entered eternal life at the age of 93.
Bishop John Sherlock was born in 1926, ordained to the priesthood in 1950, ordained to the episcopacy in 1974, and installed as the ninth Bishop of the Diocese of London in 1978. When he became a Bishop, he chose Omnia et in omnibus Christus as his episcopal motto: “There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything” (Col. 3: 11). These words guided him throughout his episcopacy and until his last hour.
Bishop Sherlock was a deeply spiritual man with a keen intelligence, a natural ability to lead, and a joyful sense of humour. A tireless and forward-thinking Bishop, he made important contributions in Catholic education, health care, social justice, pastoral care, and the implementation of changes resulting from the Second Vatican Council. His influence reached across not only the Diocese but across Ontario and Canada. Among his many accomplishments was his organizing the 1984 papal visit to Canada, which led to a long-lasting friendship with Pope Saint John Paul II. Bishop Sherlock retired in 2002.
Bishop Sherlock was preceded in death by his parents Joseph and Catherine (O’Brien), his siblings Fr. William, James, Fr. Phillip, and Mary (William) Dool. He is survived by his siblings Gerald (Bernice), Eleanor (Edward) Monahan, Allan (Anne-Marie), and Catherine Sherlock, along with many nephews and nieces, and great-nieces and –nephews.
Visitation will be at St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica, 196 Dufferin Avenue, London, on Thursday, August 15, 2019, from 1 pm until 9 pm. Vigil Prayers will be at 8:00 pm. Visitation will continue the following morning, Friday, August 16, 2019 from 9 am until the time of the Funeral Mass at 11 am.
The Funeral Mass will be on Friday, August 16, 2019, at 11 am at St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica. Burial will be at St. Peter’s cemetery in London.
Arrangements made by John T. Donohue Funeral Home, London.
Diocese of London remembers John Sherlock, former Bishop and friend of Pope John Paul II
13 August 2019
By Jacquelyn LeBel News Announcer 980 CFPL
Bishop John Sherlock died Monday, August 12, 2019 at the age of 93.
via Nelson Couto, Diocese of London
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story read that Sherlock’s brothers Philip and James were also priests, this has been corrected to Philip and William.
The Diocese of London says retired Bishop John Sherlock passed away on Monday at the age of 93.
A visitation will be held Thursday at St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica in downtown London from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on Friday morning from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. A funeral mass will be held at the basilica at 11 a.m. Friday.
“Bishop Sherlock was a true pastor who was close to his priests and his people,” wrote current Bishop Rev. Ronald P. Fabbro.
“In his episcopal ministry over the past 45 years, he gave his life in service of our diocese and the wider Church in Canada. We will miss him, and we pray for him that he will rest in peace.”
Sherlock was bishop of the Diocese of London from 1978 to 2002.
Bishop John Sherlock, seated, was installed at St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica on August 21, 1978. via Nelson Couto, Diocese of London
He was born in Regina, Sask., on Jan. 20, 1926, and “grew up in Brantford, Ontario with his parents, two sisters, and five brothers,” according to the diocese. He entered St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto after high school and was ordained to the priesthood on June 3, 1950. Two of his brothers, Philip and William, were also ordained as priests.
Sherlock worked in parishes in Hamilton and Dundas before becoming pastor of St. Charles Garnier Parish in Hamilton and teaching sacred scripture at McMaster University and working with school and hospital boards.
In 1974, he was named auxiliary to London’s Bishop G. Emmett Carter and was “named the ninth Bishop of the Diocese of London and installed at St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica on August 21, 1978.”
Described as a “tireless and forward-thinking Bishop,” Sherlock “made important contributions in Catholic education, health care, social justice, pastoral care, and the implementation of changes resulting from the Second Vatican Council.”
Pope Saint John Paul II with Bishop John Sherlock in 1984. via Nelson Couto, Diocese of London
Sherlock was elected president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1983 and was responsible for organizing the 1984 papal visit to Canada. Sherlock accompanied Pope Saint John Paul II during the cross-country visit and the two developed a lifelong friendship.
Sherlock also launched the PENTECOST 2000 capital campaign in 1989 which raised more than $21-million to provide a lasting endowment for St. Peter’s Seminary as well as funding to establish a Youth Ministry Office, Diocesan Refugee Office, Office of Liturgy, and Justice Office.
Sherlock retired in April 2002 but chose to stay in London and remain active by “teaching, conducting retreats and parish missions, helping at parishes on weekends, and participating in diocesan celebrations.” Up until late 2018, he continued to hear confessions and celebrate mass almost every Monday.
THE DIOCESE OF PEMBROKE ANNOUNCES THE DISMISSAL OF DANIEL MILLER FROM THE CLERICAL STATE
The Diocese of Pembroke announced on August 14, 2019, that Daniel Miller, a priest of the Diocese, has been dismissed from the clerical state. Dismissal from the clerical state means the person is no longer considered a cleric and may not exercise his ministry as a priest. Following his criminal conviction in 2013 for sexual abuse of five minors, the matter was referred to the Holy See, which initiated a canonical penal process.
Archbishop Mulhall sincerely apologizes to the survivors for the abuse they have suffered and for the pain they have carried.
LE DIOCÈSE DE PEMBROKE ANNONCE LA DESTITUTION DE DANIEL MILLER DE L’ÉTAT CLÉRICAL
Le 14 août 2019, le diocèse de Pembroke a annoncé que Daniel Miller, prêtre du diocèse, a été démis de ses fonctions sacerdotales. Cette destitution signifie que la personne n’a plus le statut de clerc et ne peut exercer le ministère presbytéral. Suite à la conviction criminelle de 2010 pour l’abus sexuel de cinq mineurs, son cas a été présenté au Saint Siège pour initier un procès pénal canonique.
Monseigneur Mulhall tient à offrir ses excuses aux survivants pour l’abus dont ils ont été victimes et pour la souffrance qu’ils ont subie.
I had a blog together which disappeared into thin air when I tried to publish it No draft. No back up. Poof! Gone. Very unusual that there is not one line of back-up anywhere, but …. it’s gone. So, very very quickly :
Ex-priest (defrocked) and twice-convicted child molester Barry McGrory has a court date tomorrow and Thursday mornings:
27 & 29 August 2019: 9 am to 10 am, sentencing hearing, Ottawa courthouse (161 Elgin St.)
Note that the hearing is scheduled for one hour on each of the two days. Due to difficulties scheduling a day for the hearing the split between the two days with approximately one hour of each day allocated for the hearing was deemed the best way to proceed.
I encourage those who can do so to attend. (Unfortunately I have an appointment tomorrow which cannot be rescheduled so will have to miss, but, all being well I will be able to attend on Thursday morning )
It’s taken a while but I have finally have the next court date for Father Cecil Noronha :
03 September 2019: 09:00 am, Assignment Court, Sudbury courthouse, 155 Elm St, Sudbury.
This is open to the public but Father Noronha does not need to and he probably will not be there, and besides, it will be over and done with in a matter of minutes: It is just a case of setting a court date.
This MAY well be for setting a trial date, but not necessarily. Regardless, there will be at least a few weeks before the next court date after Assignment Court. I will find out and let you know.
Please keep the complainant in your prayers.
*****
The August court dates for ex=priest and convicted molester Barry McGrory were cancelled and rescheduled. The judge apparently is sick.
So, for those who showed up at the Ottawa courthouse on Tuesday, there was nothing happening. And, yes, tomorrow is cancelled as well.
And, to add ‘insult’ to injury,’ believe it or not, the next court date for McGrory is:
I am truly amazed at how many people are convinced that Cardinal Pell is innocent, and how, even after all of these years of scandal, how very little people really know and understand about the horror and impact of clerical sexual abuse.
Recently the Archdiocese of Kingston became aware of a historical report about Reverend Robert J. Chisholm, Pastor of St. Gregory the Great Parish, Picton, relating that in the mid-1990s he was investigated for possible violations of appropriate conduct with minors. The Archdiocese has investigated this report and has found a semblance of truth. In accordance with the norms of the Church and in conformity to the mandate of the Holy Father, these allegations are being forwarded to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Pending receipt of instructions from the Congregation, Father Chisholm has been placed on indefinite Administrative Leave, without faculties to exercise priestly ministry, effective immediately. This is done without prejudice to the presumption of innocence, which is afforded to him by the law. The Archdiocese will continue to monitor the situation and will cooperate fully with appropriate authorities, with particular concern for any potential victims. All inquiries relating to this matter must be directed to the Archdiocesan Spokesman, Deacon Bill Gervais, at deacon@romancatholic.kingston.on.ca or 613-548-4461 ext. 116.
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Archbishops of Kingston from time of Father Robert J. Chisholm’s ordination: Joseph Lawrence Wilhelm (December 1966- March 1982); Francis John Spence (24 April 1982 – 27 April 2002 ); Anthony Giroux Meagher (27 April 2002 Appointed – 14 January 2007 ); Brendan Michael O’Brien (01 June 2007 – March 2019); Michael Mulhall (March 2019 – )
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The following information is drawn from the Ontario Catholic Directory (OCD), Canadian Catholic Church Directory (CCCD), media (M) and diocesan statements (Diocese)
HOLIDAYS:Fr. Chisholm will be on vacation in Egypt touring the pyramids & the Nile River. Father will be away from: 1pm13October until 4pm Saturday, 26 October
January 2018– works with St. Gregory Roman Catholic School to prepare children for First Communion, confession and confirmation (St Gregory school newsletter January 2018)
2017: Pastor, St.Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church, Picton, Ontario with mission in Wellington (CCCD)
2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 07 July 2004: Pastor, St. Mary Roman Catholic Church Morrisburg, Ontario with mission in Iroquois (CCCD) (CCCD)
2002, 2000, 1999, 1998, June 1997: Pastor, St. Philip Neri Roman Catholic Church, Toledo, Ontario with mission in Athens (CCCD)
28 June 1997: – Rev. R.J. Chisholm, who has been pastor of Sacred Heart, Lanark; St. Columbkill’s, McDonald’s Corners and St. Patrick’s, Ferguson Falls becomes pastor of St. Philip Neri, Toledo and St. Denis, Athens (Kingston Whig-Standard)
June 1997, 1996, 1995: Pastor Sacred Heart of Jesus Lanark with missions in Ferguson Falls and McDonald’s Corners (CCCD)
28 June 1997: – Rev. R.J. Chisholm, who has been pastor of Sacred Heart, Lanark; St. Columbkill’s, McDonald’s Corners and St. Patrick’s, Ferguson Falls becomes pastor of St. Philip Neri, Toledo and St. Denis, Athens (Kingston Whig-Standard)
— allegations regarding an investigation of some sort into “possible violation of appropriate conduct with minors” date to sometime in “the mid 1990s”. Was he in Madoc or Lanark at the time?
1994, 1993, 1992, 1991: Pastor Sacred Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church Madoc, Ontario with mission in Ormsby (CCCD)
1985: Canadian Forces Base Borden, Ontario (Pastor listed as Major Pierre Doyon)
1980: assisting at St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Kingson with Bishop Joseph Wilhelm, Father B. J. Proce (Rector), and Fathers K.O. Clemens and A. Pires in residence (OCD)
1977: ORDAINED
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Picton priest put on leave following historic allegations of misconduct with minors
A priest from St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Picton, Ont., has been suspended for allegations of misconduct with minors.
Global News
The Archdiocese of Kingston has put a Picton priest on administrative leave after investigating historic allegations of possible misconduct involving minors.
On Monday, the archdiocese released information about Robert J. Chisholm, a priest at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Picton, who was reportedly investigated in the mid-1990s for “possible violations of appropriate conduct with minors.”
It’s unclear what happened during the initial investigation, but on Monday, the archdiocese said it had recently investigated that report and found “a semblance of truth” in it.
The investigation is now being passed off to the Catholic Church’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Prince Edward County OPP say they have not received any complaints regarding Chisholm.
Const. Kim Guthrie says she believes Chisholm was not living in Prince Edward County in the mid-1990s so it’s possible a complaint has been made to another police force.
In June of this year, during Pride month, Chisholm was embroiled in a controversy after he allegedly encouraged his congregation not to attend any Pride events, saying they promoted a lifestyle contrary to Christian morals.
Not long after, Chisholm apologized for his message to the church’s congregation during a Sunday mass, according to churchgoers, while Pride supporters and members of the LGBTQ2 community held a peaceful demonstration outside St. Gregory the Great in response to the priest’s alleged comments.
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Pastor put on leave after allegations of misconduct with minors
inquinte.ca
October 01, 2019 – 9:27 AM
Nicole Kleinsteuber
The Archdiocese of Kingston has placed an embattled Picton pastor on indefinite administrative leave following an investigation regarding possible inappropriate conduct with minors.
On its website, the Roman Catholic archdiocese stated it recently became aware of a historical report that Rev. Robert J. Chisholm was investigated in the mid-1990s for possible violations of appropriate conduct with minors.
The post doesn’t say what the allegations were or where Chisholm was a pastor at the time. Our newsroom has reached out to the Archbishop for further comments.
“The Archdiocese has investigated this report and has found a semblance of truth,” the Archdiocese of Kingston stated on its website Monday.
“In accordance with the norms of the Church and in conformity to the mandate of the Holy Father, these allegations are being forwarded to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.”
Pending receipt of instructions from the Congregation, Chisholm has been placed on indefinite administrative leave, without faculties to exercise priestly ministry, effective immediately, the post continued.
This is done without prejudice to the presumption of innocence, which is afforded to him by the law, the statement continued.
The Archdiocese stated it will continue to monitor the situation and will co-operate fully with appropriate authorities, with particular concern for any potential victims.
In June, Archbishop Michael Mulhall of Kingston announced the archdiocese had distanced itself from anti-Pride comments posted by Chisholm in a Picton church bulletin.
Soon after, Chisholm apologized for his message. Hundreds of Pride supporters and members of the LGBTQ2 community held a peaceful demonstration the following Sunday outside St. Gregory the Great in response to the priest’s comments.
Prince Edward OPP Constable Kim Gutherie stated no one has filed any complaints about Chisholm with them and it’s not known where he was living or practicing when the allegations were alleged to have happened.
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Priest suspended while allegations of misconduct with minors investigated
CountyLive
01 October 2019
A Picton priest has been put on administrative leave effective immediately.
The Archdiocese of Kingston released information Monday that it became aware of a historical report about Reverend Robert J. Chisholm, Pastor of St. Gregory the Great Parish, Picton, relating to the mid-1990s where he was investigated “for possible violations of appropriate conduct with minors”.
It does not state where Chisholm was a pastor at the time.
“The Archdiocese has investigated this report and has found a semblance of truth,” the Archdiocese report states.The allegations are being forwarded to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
“Pending receipt of instructions from the Congregation, Father Chisholm has been placed on indefinite administrative leave, without faculties to exercise priestly ministry, effective immediately.”
In the church’s weekly bulletin, it is noted Chisholm will be on vacation Oct. 13 to 26, in Egypt, touring the pyramids and Nile River.
Chisholm was in the news in June due to the publication of a church bulletin telling Catholics and Christians that ‘Pride’ events are contrary to faith and morals.
Following, Michael Mulhall, Archbishop of Kingston stated he did not sanction the message and “it does not reflect the spirit of accompanying charity and compassion that should always characterize our faith.”
The bulletin caused a social media firestorm and led to hundreds of community members from the County and beyond meeting at the church to create a rainbow of support and love in the fact of the anti-gay church message.
Chisholm told various media outlets “We’re just promoting Catholic teaching, that’s all” and noted he wrote the message “Because as a shepherd, it’s my duty to keep my flock safe.”
Recently the Archdiocese of Kingston became aware of a historical report about Reverend Robert J. Chisholm, Pastor of St. Gregory the Great Parish, Picton, relating that in the mid-1990s he was investigated for possible violations of appropriate conduct with minors. The Archdiocese has investigated this report and has found a semblance of truth. In accordance with the norms of the Church and in conformity to the mandate of the Holy Father, these allegations are being forwarded to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Pending receipt of instructions from the Congregation, Father Chisholm has been placed on indefinite Administrative Leave, without faculties to exercise priestly ministry, effective immediately. This is done without prejudice to the presumption of innocence, which is afforded to him by the law. The Archdiocese will continue to monitor the situation and will cooperate fully with appropriate authorities, with particular concern for any potential victims.
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Hundreds gather to protest anti-Pride position
Picton Gazette
June 17, 2019
JASON PARKSSTAFF WRITER
SHOWING PRIDE- Around 600 members of the local LGBTQ2S+ community and like minded supporters protested in front of St. Gregory’s Church on Sunday morning after a portion of the church’s bulletin calling for Catholics and Christians to not attend Pride celebrations. (Jason Parks/Gazette Staff)
The pride of Prince Edward County’s LGBTQ2S+ community and its supporters came shining through on a sunny Sunday morning in Picton.
Hurt and offended by comments made in a church bulletin regarding participation in local Pride festivities, upwards of 600 people gathered in front of St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church prior to mass Sunday morning to protest the position of local clergy.
Father Robert Chisholm’s posting in a recent church bulletin that was shared on the church’s website that “Catholics and all other Christians should notattend LGBTQ2 Pride Month events as they promote a culture and encourage activities contrary to Christian faith and morals” drew the ire of many in this progressive and inclusive community.
Chisholm said those activities were especially harmful to children because it “could lead them away from God’s revealed Truth.”
Parishioners enter St. Greg’s while peaceful protesters gather in front of the Roman Catholic church on Sunday morning. (Jason Parks/Gazette Staff)
The Father went on to write erroneously the Pride banners affixed to light posts in Picton’s downtown core are courtesy of the Government and were “your tax dollars at work!”
An email inquiry to the church by the Gazette on Thursday afternoon went unanswered but Father Chisolm reportedly told a number of media outlets he was “protecting his flock” and was promoting “the Catholic teaching.”
The comments were shared online through social media on Thursday and quickly went viral in the Quinte community.
Parents of school children at the adjoining publicly funded St. Greg’s Catholic Elementary school were shocked and many on social media said they would not allow their children to attend Friday morning mass.
In a demonstration of inclusion, several St. Greg’s staff members, adorned in rainbow colours, appeared at the bus loading zone with a banner indicating the school was a ‘safe space.’
On Friday,Michael Mulhall, Archbishop of Kingston responded to the escalating outcry by issuing a statement indicating he was aware of the bulletin material.
“I did not sanction this message, and it does not reflect the spirit of accompanying charity and compassion that should always characterize our faith,” Mulhall said. “The Archdiocese has spoken with the pastor of the parish. (Father Chisholm) regrets any hurt that his inappropriate comments have caused.”
Furthermore, St. Greg’s principal Kevin Dorey said in a letter home to parents that the “(ALCDSB) recognizes the inherit dignity of each person as created in the image of and likeness of God. As such, in our Catholic schools we welcome and respect everyone regardless of race, gender, age, stage of development, disability, sexual orientation, gender, identity, class or religion.”
Curtis Jeffery. (Jason Parks/Gazette Staff)
These acknowledgements did little if anything to assuage the LGBTQ2S+ community and many, many supporters who gathered Sunday morning in peaceful protest to let Father Chisholm and St. Greg’s parishioners know this position on homosexuality and Pride festivities in Prince Edward County would not go unchallenged.
Protest organizer Curtis Jeffery said when he first read the bulletin material he thought it was a “joke” or some type of prank to make the Catholic Church look bad.
“Come to find out it’s totally real and that Father Chisholm is defending it,” Jeffery told the Gazette.
Looking at the crowd, Jeffery, a County native, said it was incredible to see the groundswell of community support the event garnered and that people are opposing Chisholm’s message.
Jeffery added it was also interesting to see via social media a number of St. Greg’s parishioners state publicly they opposed this position.
“There hasn’t been direct contact with myself but a number of people have stated clearly they love and accept everyone and they oppose this type of message,” Jeffery said.
In terms of the comments from the ALCDSB and the Kingston Archdiocese that distanced those organizations, Jeffery said it’s good to see that separation.
“I just don’t know what he’s thinking especially after the Pope himself gave an affirmation (to the LGBTQ2S community),” Jeffery said.
Pope Francis has mentioned the need for the Catholic Church to show welcome, love and compassion for people regardless of sexual orientation.
Prince Edward County Mayor Steve Ferguson and past Mayor Robert Quaiff were both in attendance on Sunday and Ferguson said in a statement he was “disappointed” to read critical remarks about Pride activities in the St. Gregory parish bulletin.
“In Prince Edward County, we aspire to foster an inclusive and diverse community. I applaud the Picton BIA’s work to expand Pride Week activities in The County this year. I also support Picton BIA installing pride banners along Picton Main Street in order to make the community more visibly inclusive to all visitors as well as the growing LGBTQ2S+ community in Prince Edward County,” Ferguson said. “As Mayor of Prince Edward County, I declared May 31 – June 8 Pride Week in Prince Edward County. By declaring Pride Week, we recognize the valuable contributions the LGBTQ2S+ community make to Prince Edward County. Just as important, Pride Week gives all of us an opportunity to recognize the human rights and dignity of all persons in our community.”
Picton area business owner Nat Wollenberg was the genesis behind the pride flag installation, approaching the Picton Business Improvement Association about the possibility of local businesses purchasing and hanging rainbow banners in the downtown core.
The BIA facilitated this initiative and the installation was not undertaken by a branch of government as was alluded to in Chisholm’s posting.
Wollenberg was on hand Sunday morning to wave signs, engage community members and condemn Chisholm’s remarks.
“This is great turnout that shows the positivity in our community,” Wollenberg told the Gazette. “It’s a clear representation this was one man speaking and unfortunately, when the ugly voice is speaking, that’s what hear.”
The local business owner added follow up statements from the archdiocese left her unconvinced there was any contrition from Chisholm.
“I think the statements from the Archdiocese was incredibly shallow and hollow because they say the man has regret from the hurt that he’s caused but up until Saturday, he was still making comments that he needed to protect his flock so that’s not a person that has regret, that’s a blanket statement from the Catholic church,” She said.
On the other hand, Wollenberg saluted St. Greg’s staff members who had the courage to welcome students the the school on Friday with a sign of love and acceptance.
“There is so much respect today for the teachers to take that one and do that and show that solidarity with the LGBTQ2 community,” Wollenberg said. “it really shows it is just one man, Father Chisholm, is speaking for himself.”
Jeffery, who identifies as pansexual, added this was a positive sign in all the protesting on Sunday.
“No one should have to perceive (Chisholm’s words) as valid education,” he added.
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Crowd protests outside church in Picton after priest publishes anti-Pride statement
CTV News
Published Sunday, June 16, 2019 4:08PM EDT
Nick Dixon, CTV News Toronto
A crowd of protesters wave rainbow flags and chant slogans outside St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Picton after an anti-Pride message was published in the church’s weekly bulletin.
A crowd of protesters waving rainbow flags, and carrying signs protested outside a Catholic Church in Picton Sunday morning in response to an anti-Pride message in the weekly bulletin.
The protest was organized after the church priest, Father Robert Chisholm published a message telling church members not to attend any Pride Month events because they go against Christian faith and morals.
“I don’t know where he’s coming from,” said parishioner John Simmons whose daughter was baptized at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church 38 years ago. Simmons added, “He kinda sounds to me like we’ve got our own Westboro Baptist Church here in Picton.”
Among the crowd of around 500 people, were members and supporters of the Prince Edward County Gay-Straight Alliance Facebook group.
Carolyn Cole started the group after the bulletin was published. At the rally today she said, “I feel like he (Fr. Chisholm) should be forced to apologize, and if he doesn’t choose to apologize he should lose his job here.”
Father Chisholm isn’t giving any interviews about the controversy. But the Archbishop of Kingston, Michael Mulhall did release a statement, saying in part, “I did not sanction this message, and it does not reflect the spirit of accompanying charity and compassion that should always characterize our faith.” The statement goes on to say, “The Archdiocese has spoken with the pastor of the parish. He regrets any hurt that his inappropriate comments have caused.”
As parishioners came and went from the church for Sunday mass, they were met by a crowd singing songs about love building bridges, and carrying signs with slogans like; “Hate is not a Christian value,” “Pride not prejudice,” and “There is a cure for homophobia: education.”
Officers from the Ontario Provincial Police kept an eye on the protest. But no arrests were made.
Friday morning teachers and community members were outside the school holding banners stating ‘This is a safe space’.
(UPDATED at story end) A local church bulletin telling Catholics and Christians that Pride events are contrary to faith and could be harmful to children has set social media in Prince Edward County on fire and roused the community to show love and solidarity for the LGBTQ community before mass this Sunday at St. Gregory’s Catholic School in Picton.
Postings on social media Thursday shared the “reminder” in the church bulletin from St. Gregory Catholic Church’s website which said:
“A reminder that Catholics and all other Christians should not attend LGBTQ2 ‘Pride Month’ events held this month. They promote a culture and encourage activities that are contrary to the Christian faith and morals. This is especially harmful to children because it could lead them away from God’s revealed Truth. Even in “The County,” there are Pride flags and banners flying courtesy of the Government. Think…these are your hard tax dollars at work!”
The bulletin has since been removed from the church’s website.
That evening, a rainbow umbrella and whirligigs appeared on the church’s front lawn.
Friday morning, several parents sent notes to teachers stated they refused to allow their children to attend today’s year-end monthly mass led by priest Robert J. Chisholm. This morning, teachers and community members were outside the school holding banners stating ‘This is a safe space’. Several also spoke out on social media. Teacher Daniela Lisa stated “St. Greg’s is a wonderful school and believes in inclusion. This did not come from the school.”
Parent Lyndsay Richmond didn’t want her children attending mass Friday.
“I know a lot of parents that told the school their kids would not be attending mass today. I’m surprised it was cancelled or postponed.”
Richmond said the “hateful behaviour” shown in the bulletin message “has no place in any church or school system. It’s not okay.”
“My kids went to school to support the teachers. But the principal and my own children’s teachers were told that my children did not have permission to go to mass nor did I want them in the presence of the priest. And if it could not be accommodated to contact me.”
The community is now using social media to share messages of inclusion, support and love.
A ‘Pride in St. Greg’s’ event has been organized for Sunday at 9:30 a.m. where the public is invited to show solidarity for the County’s LGBTQ community outside of the church “in a peaceful and non-confrontational demonstration of respect that every member of our community is entitled to, regardless of their identity.”
Shannon Hunter noted there is a new LGBTQ+ youth group looking for donations which can be received at the Prince Edward Learning Centre (PELC) in the Sobeys plaza.
“If you can’t make it to church this Sunday, consider showing your support in other ways,” she said.
St Mary Magdalene Anglican Church in Picton posted a message today to its followers confirming “it strives to be open, welcoming, and inclusive, in particular supporting the full inclusion of gay and lesbian people in the life of the Church. We seek justice for victims of prejudice and strive to nurture relationships of respect, love, and mutual care.”
Kevin Stenhouse, a pastor at a Free Methodist Church in Picton, told his social media followers to “Get out of the 4 walls of your church and be in your community. Attend these events and show the world the love of Christ. Let’s show everyone in the County that love is far greater than hate and all Christians (and all churches) should not be painted with the same brush.”
To LGBTQ+ friends and family, he apologized.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry that, once again, you are being marginalized and demonized and treated poorly. I’m sorry for the damage the church and Christians (both well-meaning and ignorant buffoons) have inflicted on you. God loves you and you are VERY welcome in MOST churches in the County.”
Mayor Steve Ferguson has stated he was disappointed to read the critical remarks.
“In Prince Edward County, we aspire to foster an inclusive and diverse community. I applaud the Picton BIA’s work to expand Pride Week activities in the County this year. I also support Picton BIA installing pride banners along Picton Main Street in order to make the community more visibly inclusive to all visitors as well as the growing LGBTQ2S+ community.”
He declared May 31 – June 8 Pride Week to ” recognize the valuable contributions the LGBTQ2S+ community make to Prince Edward County. Just as important, Pride Week gives all of us an opportunity to recognize the human rights and dignity of all persons in our community.”Artist Marc Keelan Bishop created a Pride in PEC banner now being shared throughout Facebook.
Lesley Snyder of Rosehaven Yarn Shop in Picton posted a rainbow garment with the message inviting others to join her family on the lawn of the church Sunday morning wearing and carrying Pride symbols.
Gilles Charette also plans to be there for a “peaceful, quiet vigil” sporting pride colours.
“Let’s show love is better than hate, hope is better than fear and inclusion is better than exclusion.”
At about 6 p.m. Friday, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kingston posted a statement on its Facebook page regarding the bulletin’s announcement.
Michael Mulhall, Archbishop of Kingston, stated he did not sanction the message and “it does not reflect the spirit of accompanying charity and compassion that should always characterize our faith.
“The Archdiocese has spoken with the pastor of the parish. He regrets any hurt that his inappropriate comments have caused.”
Earlier today, Father Chisholm told Sun Media “We’re just promoting Catholic teaching, that’s all.”
He told Global News Kingston he wrote the Pride message “Because as a shepherd, it’s my duty to keep my flock safe.”
WARNING: This story contains graphic details that may be disturbing
Three former students of a prestigious Toronto private school have pleaded guilty in a sex assault scandal that rocked the institution. (Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press)
The teens appeared in youth court in downtown Toronto Thursday and pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault with a weapon and assault with a weapon, stemming from three incidents in 2018.
During two of those incidents, according to court documents, new students were held down by a crowd of players from the school’s football team and anally penetrated with a broom handle.
One of the teens has also pleaded guilty to a charge of distributing pornographic material.
Some of the assaults were filmed with a cellphone, according to an agreed statement of facts submitted in court Thursday.
The teens cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
A tentative sentencing date is set for Nov. 14.
Defence lawyer Rachel Lichtman, who represented one of the teens, told reporters after the court appearance that it was a “very difficult day for all parties involved.”
“What we heard in court was difficult to hear,” she said. “I think what we all need to realize is three very strong youths stepped up and took responsibility for their behaviour.”
Defence lawyer Rachel Lichtman told reporters no teen can be ‘held fully morally culpable for their behaviour.’ (Mark Bochsler/CBC)
She also said that there are “always two sides” in court cases like these and that the three teens who pleaded guilty have never faced criminal charges until now.
“They’re really good kids. They made mistakes, and they’re taking responsibility for those mistakes,” she said.
Police launched an investigation last fall after a video that captured a sexual assault on the school’s campus was shared on social media.
According to the agreed statement of facts, the first incident happened on Sept. 18, 2018, when St. Michael’s junior football team was in the locker room of the school’s basement.
One boy was changing his clothes at his locker when he was surrounded by several people and “picked up by the arms and legs and swung around,” the court documents said.
The group then put him on the floor and pulled down his football pants.
‘Get the broom!’
“People started yelling, ‘Get the broom!’ Then someone struck him hard on the buttocks with an object several times,” the agreed statement of facts said.
Things escalated on Oct. 17, 2018, when the same victim went to the locker room with the team to change.
He heard a “roar from his teammates,” then turned and saw a group of people approaching him.
“He tried to run. Someone tripped him, and he went down to the floor on his knees,” the court documents said.
One other teen’s charges are still making their way through the court system. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)
His pants were then pulled down, and he was smacked on the buttocks before being held down and assaulted with the broom.
“The broom was shoved into his buttocks and anus several times,” the court documents said.
A third incident occurred on Nov. 7, 2018, after the team had won a championship football game.
That time, a second victim was held down on the locker room floor by a group of students who tore at his clothing, ripping his underwear apart, the documents say.
Again, the victim was anally penetrated with a broom handle, the agreed statement of facts said.
“All the while [the boy] struggled against them and yelled at him to stop.”
Investigation touched off national discussion
Defence lawyer Jeff Mazin, who represented another one of the teens, told reporters that in pleading guilty, his client spared the victims from having to testify about the assaults.
“Responsibility has been taken,” he said.
Overall, seven students were charged with assault and sexual assault offences that related to these incidents.
Four of the students charged were expelled and three withdrew from the school in the wake of the allegations.
Charges against one of those seven were withdrawn back in August after a prosecutor said a conviction was unlikely.
The cases against two other students also concluded that month, but Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General would not say what the outcomes of the cases against the teens were, citing restrictions under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
One other teen’s charges are still making their way through the court system. A hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 17.
St. Michael’s is run by the Basilian Fathers with its roots dating back to the Congregation of St. Basil in France. The school’s principal and its board president resigned amid criticism of its handling of the case.
The investigation touched off a national discussion about bullying and hazing in Canadian schools. Many alumni came forward with their own stories of abuse at the Catholic school, while others spoke about their positive memories of the institution.
An independent committee set up to examine the culture at St. Michael’s found that bullying remained a “systemic” problem despite extensive measures taken by the school in the wake of the scandal. It also found that hazing was not a problem.
The committee issued a 123-page report in August that offered 36 recommendations, including developing a comprehensive strategy to address bullying and robust staff training to deal with the issue. The school promised to adopt all the recommendations.
Adam Carter is a Newfoundlander who now calls Toronto home. He enjoys a good story and playing loud music in dank bars. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamCarterCBC or drop him an email at adam.carter@cbc.ca.
With files from Ali Chiasson and The Canadian Press
Friday, 11 October 2019: 09:30 am, “for resolution,” Sudbury Courthouse (155 Elm St, Sudbury)
Please keep the complainants in your prayers. I encourage those who can do so to attend to find out what is happening here. I think it is highly possible that Father Noronha will be there this time.
Please keep the complainant in your prayers.
*****
The name of Father Robert J. Chisholm has been added to the Accused list. I know nothing about the allegations here barring the little that is said in the statement put out by the archdiocese . It sounds as though there was a report of some sort filed somewhere in the mid 90s. We have no idea what date whatever is alleged to have happened happened. There is a reference to minors. And, that’s it.
I found that he was listed as being at Camp Borden in the mid 80s. It certainly looks as though he may have spent some time as a military chaplain?
*****
I have received word from a reliable source that Brother Lawrence Lambert fic, a Canadian-born Religious Brother with the Brothers of Christian Instruction who taught at the prestigious St. Mary’s International School in Japan, died 08 June 2019. He had been living at the the Mother House in La Prairie. Please keep those who suffered at the hands of this man in your prayers.
*****
As of last week there was no court date set for Father Robert MacKenzie‘s planned appeal of his extradition to Scotland. I shall check again this week. Please keep the complainants in Scotland in your prayers.
*****
A follow up to the recent scandal at the Basilian Toronto’s St. Michael’s College School scandal:
Father Cecil Noronha has signed a peace bond. During a Friday, 11 October 2019 hearing “for resolution” all three charges against Father Cecil Noronha were withdrawn and he entered into a peace bond.
I am currently awaiting a copy of the conditions attached to the peace bond and will post those as soon as they are available. The charges which Father Noronha faced were:
(1) Sexual Assault on a Person Under Sixteen Years of Age, contrary to section 271;
(2) Sexual Interference, contrary to section 151; and
(3) Uttering Threats – Cause Death or Bodily Harm, contrary to section 264.1(1)(a).
The Steps to Justice website provides a good recap on peace bonds and the process involved whereby a person facing criminal charges can enter into a peace bond. Here is a link:
A reminder that the assault trial of Father James Robertson of the Diocese of Corner Brook Newfoundland is scheduled for two days starting this Thursday:
TRIAL booked for 17& 18 October 2019, 09:30 am, Corner Brook Courthouse (82 Mt. Bernard Avenue)
As mentioned before, Father Cecil Noronha has entered into a peace bond and the three charges against him were withdrawn.
I have not been able to get a copy of the peace bond but did find out what the conditions are. Among other things, the peace bond, which lasts for one year, stipulates that Father Noronha is not to be within 25 metres of the home of female (probably the complainant?), nor within 25 metres of where the female lives, works, goes to school, goes to church or anywhere where where the female should be known to be.
Those who live in Sudbury area should be able to get a copy of the peace bond at the court house. It is a public document.
And here is information regarding peace bonds in Ontario:
I have heard from a reliable source that the trial of Monsignor James (Jim) Robertson did not wrap up in the allotted two days (17 & 18 October) and is scheduled to continue 06 December 2019. I will check tomorrow to confirm
Please keep the complainant in your prayers.
*****
More information on the trial related to clerical sexual predator Father Erlindo Molon:
And this from a bishop regarding giving warnings about a known clerical sexual predator: “What am I supposed to do? …Warn every church in Canada and beyond?”
Well, actually, yes. As far as was/is humanly possible, yes. Souls were at stake.
Please keep Rosemary Anderson in your prayers. Ditto all those upon whom Molon got his preying hands while serving across Canada and the United States and wherever else he may have been.
Rev. William Hodgson Marshall when he was principal at Holy Names Catholic High School in Windsor in 1986. Postmedia file photo
The Ontario Court of Appeal has dismissed the two main components of a three-pronged appeal by the Basilian Fathers of Toronto concerning the awarding of $2.57 million in damages to a former St. Charles College student in the 1960s.
In its decision announced Friday, Justice Julie A. Thorburn, on behalf of the three-member court of appeal panel, did rule in favour of the Basilian Fathers on a third.
Critically, the ruling does not affect the $2.57 million awarded to former student Rod MacLeod.
William Hodgson Marshall sexually abused MacLeod more than 50 times while he was a student at St. Charles College from 1963-67, a school run by the Basilians.
Eventually, MacLeod sued Marshall, Basilian Fathers, the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, and the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, which he won.
The Basilians, however, appealed the amount of money they have to pay, arguing the jury instruction on how to assess damages for past income loss was wrong, the punitive damages award was excessive and that prejudgment interest should not have been awarded at the rate of five per cent.
“The jury awarded damages for past and future economic loss in the amount of $1,5888,781 without explanation,” said the court in its ruling concerning the jury instruction. “While the charge might have been put more clearly in respect of the fact that damages for income loss must be commensurate with the percentage chance that the opportunity would have materialized, the trial judge made no reversible error in articulating the legal principles. The Basilians’ counsel did not object to the charge and made no submissions to the trial judge or in his closing to the jury on the issue.”
As for punitive damages, the court dismissed the Basilian argument the award was excessive.
“The jury granted $500,000 in punitive damages, well over the $225,000 range suggested by the trial judge,” said the court. “The trial judge asked the jury to provide full particulars on the conduct the jury considered as justification for the punitive damages award.
“The jury articulated the following reasons for the punitive damages award, which corresponded closely with several of the Whiten factors: concealment: silent shuffle undertaken to divert in conjunction with complaints, avoiding scandal, neglected to document offences. Put children in harm’s way – grossly negligent. No reconciliation with the victims, did not follow own policy from 1991. Betrayal of trust with the community.
“In rendering the award, the jury was no doubt taking into account the evidence that the Basilians knew Marshall had been abusing boys before he was ever ordained, they allowed Marshall to sexually abuse children for more than three decades as a teacher and religious figure, and they decided to move him to different schools when incidents of abuse were reported instead of preventing further harm.
“While the award is high, the jury took into account the general objective of punitive damages as punishment, deterrence, and denunciation. The decision also addresses the factors set out in Whiten to determine the blameworthiness of the defendant’s conduct. The more reprehensible the conduct, the higher the rational limits for punitive damages.
“The jury may well have been concerned by the fact the Basiliams did not follow their own policy set in 1991, regarding the need to reach out to the victims. This failure to follow their own policy undercuts the Basilians’ argument that they should not be judged by contemporary standards, as the Basilians failed to meet even their own standards.
“For these reasons, the quantum is not so plainly unreasonable and unjust as to warrant judicial interference. I would also dismiss this ground of appeal.”
Thorburn, however, did side with the Basilians’ on the awarding of a five per cent interest rate with prejudgment interest as “…the trial judge understood that there was a general right to exercise discretion but did not articulate any of the factors listed in s. 130 of the CJA (Courts of Justice Act), and more importantly, he concluded that the prejudgment rate should be five per cent because s. 258.3 (8.1) does not apply in this case. In so doing, he failed to consider the fluctuation in market rates from the time the claim was issued to the time judgment was rendered.”
Thorburn instructed the two parties in the case to provide to the court written cost submissions of no more than five pages in 10 days.
MacLeod, now 69, who was represented by Beckett Personal Injury Lawyers, said in a statement Friday he was pleased with the ruling.
“Today’s decision by the Court of Appeal vindicates the decision of six members of the public who spent three weeks listening to the evidence of how the Basilians conducted themselves and rendered a well-thought-out, detailed decision punctuated by the substantial size of the award.”
When the Toronto civil case jury awarded $2.5 million in damages to MacLeod, it was believed to be the largest civil award in Canada given to a victim of priest abuse.
The Basilian Fathers appealed the $500,000 awarded in punitive damages and $1.58 million in lost income.
The jury also awarded $350,000 in general damages and $75,000 in aggravated damages, which the Basilians did challenge.
MacLeod was a student at St. Charles College high school in Sudbury from 1963-1967. At the time, St. Charles was an all-boys school.
Marshall was a Basilian priest when he abused the young MacLeod, one of his many victims. In 2011, Marshall was convicted of abusing 17 young people over his 38-year career, including in Sudbury, Windsor and Sault Ste. Marie. He was given a two-year sentence for his crimes.
Marshall at one point was principal at St. Charles, which the Basilians ran at the time. He was later defrocked as a priest after the sexual abuse surfaced. He died in 2014.
Evidence at Marshall’s criminal trial detailed how he abused children — the youngest was seven years old — in his office, in school showers, in dormitories and the church rectory. Victims told of other priests walking in on the assaults, but never reporting what they saw.
He was given the nickname “Happy Hands Marshall” in the 1950s for his tendency to touch students.
MacLeod said in April 2018 he never fully overcame the psychological damage Marshall caused. “The problem was I came from a very strong Catholic family and was taught the priest could do no wrong,” MacLeod told Postmedia.
Throughout his life, the emotional and psychological pain from the abuse “bubbles up inside me,” he said.
MacLeod said he abruptly left what would have been a successful career in the military. He had a strong career in the construction business, but never felt worthy.
“That’s been the story of my life. I have great success and then it just falls apart because of this energy inside that says, ‘Look, you are not worth anything,’” he said.
In their statement following the jury’s awarding of compensation to MacLeod, the Basilian Fathers said they have “accepted full responsibility for the actions of Hodgson Marshall, and continue to be committed to providing support to the victims of abuse, as well as ensuring that policies and protocols are in place that support the eradication of sexual abuse.
“As Mr. MacLeod made his circumstances known throughout the course of his lawsuit, the Basilian Fathers focused on efforts to fairly compensate Mr. MacLeod. They think the appellate court can best make a final determination of this compensation.”
The Basilians are a Roman Catholic religious order of priests who operate on three continents, with their headquarters in Toronto.
The jury heard Marshall was reported six times over his career, but was allowed to continue in his role as a priest and teacher.
The reports of sexual abuse of boys started in 1947, occurred twice in the 1950s, twice in the 1970s and again in 1989 around the time of his retirement from teaching.
“A further report in 1996 was the most disturbing,” Beckett Personal Injury Lawyers said following the jury’s awarding of damages. “Father Marshall, then ministering on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, ultimately admitted to his Basilian superiors that he had abused upwards of almost 90 boys over his career.
“The Basilian response was limited with no effort at outreach to the boys, no involvement of police and no publication of the fact that one of their own had left such a wake of devastation across the land.
“The hope is that this outcome will motivate change within the Catholic Church.”
In 2016, a $4.25-million lawsuit filed by another former Sudbury student against Marshall, the Basilian Fathers of Toronto and the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, was settled.
Rob Talach of Beckett Personal Injury Lawyers said the matter was settled in the man’s favour, but could not go into details due to a confidentiality condition. The victim was 67 at the time the agreement was reached.
The victim said he was forced to engage in masturbation, fondling and oral sex with Marshall, starting when he was 14.
The case and the impact of Father Marshall’s abuse on a number of his victims are showcased in the award-winning documentary film PREY that will be aired by TVO on Nov. 19. The film has played at film festivals in Canada and Europe, including Cinefest in Sudbury.
hcarmichael@postmedia.com
__________________________________________
$2.6M verdict stands for sexual abuse by priest and subsequent coverup
A 1985 file photo of Rev. William Hodgson Marshall in Windsor, Ont.
The Ontario Court of Appeal has upheld a $2.57-million ruling against a Catholic religious order for decades-old acts of sexual abuse committed by one of its priests, who spent time in Windsor.
The Basilian Fathers of Toronto’s unsuccessful appeal of the April 2018 court order forcing them to pay a victim of Father Hodgson Marshall the money — including $500,000 in punitive damages — should be a “very loud wakeup call for the Catholic Church,” according to the victim’s lawyer.
“It puts a new price tag on complicity and cover up,” London lawyer Rob Talach told the Star Friday. “Hopefully it’s a price tag that’s too expensive for any institution to pay, which will create greater safety for children, and greater reaction to historical abuse.”
Rod MacLeod, now 69, was a student at an all-boys high school in Sudbury in the 1960s when Marshall began to abuse him. The abuse went on for four years.
London lawyer Rob Talach (left) and Rod MacLeod, a sexual abuse victim of Father Hodgson Marshall, read the Ontario Court of Appeal verdict awarding MacLeoad $2.57 million against the Basilian Fathers of Toronto on Friday, October 25, 2019. jpg
According to a Friday news release from Talach’s law firm, Beckett Personal Injury Lawyers, the Basilians had received at least three complaints of sexual abuse by Marshall before he was assigned to MacLeod’s school in Sudbury.
“He’s definitely pleased, and I think more importantly he’s relieved,” Talach said on MacLeod’s behalf. “Not only has this decision been confirmed, it also really ends the legal journey for him. He’s been at this seven years now.
Marshall was convicted in 2011 of abusing 16 boys and one woman over the course of 38 years spent as a Basilian priest and Catholic teacher in Windsor, Toronto, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie. He served two-thirds of his two-year prison sentence before being released from custody.
He died in 2014 at the age of 92.
“This is confirmation of a failing grade for the Catholic Church, not just on the historic response to abuse, but on their contemporary response as well,” Talach said about the Friday court decision.
“It is the law in Ontairo now, and it is very influential in the other provinces because it’s an appellant level decision.”
In Windsor, Marshall was a teacher, sports coach and a principal, working at Assumption and Holy Names high schools.
Talach said the Basilians knew in 1996 that Marshall had abused almost 90 boys over his career, with the first instances occurring and reported to the Basilians in 1947.
“This is going to help everybody,” said Talach, who is currently representing two victims from Windsor. “It’s going to help victims who were victimized, and it’s going to help present and future generations face more vigilant institutions. I think this heightened society standard in what schools and churches and organizations are expected to do to prevent and stamp out abuse.”
The Basilians of Toronto lost their appeal of the jury decisions re punitive damages and economic damages in the Rod MacLeod /Hod Marshall sex abuse trial
Note that the “Media Spokesperson” for the Basilian Fathers at the time was the since thoroughly and very publicly disgraced serial plagiarist Father Thomas Rosica csb. How far the ‘mighty’ can fall in a matter of a mere 17 months .
Another few modicums of justice.
Please keep Rod MacLeod and the many many victims of Hod Marshall in your prayers. .
Catholic church abuse survivor Pat McMahon, left, greets Bishop Ronald Fabbro during the opening night of the film PREY at Capitol Theatre Wednesday.Photo by Nick Brancaccio
It was more than just another night out at the movies at the 15th annual Windsor International Film Festival when Bishop Ronald Fabbro of the London Diocese accepted an invitation from sexual abuse survivor Patrick McMahon to view the documentary Prey at the Capital Theatre on Wednesday night.
Fabbro brought along three priests from London and there was another local group of Basilian priests in attendance to see Windsor-born director Matt Gallagher’s film on the journey of survivors of pedophile priest William Hodgson Marshall.
“It’s important for me because of the survivors,” Fabbro said of his attendance.
“One of whom was in touch with me and I know how much it would mean to him and I was pleased to come and show my support for the survivors.”
Fabbro was invited by McMahon, the first victim to file a successful criminal complaint against Marshall. McMahon also appears in the documentary.
“The community is supportive of making sure this doesn’t happen again,” Fabbro said.
“From the church’s perspective, I think it’s important for us to be here to hear what has happened and to show our solidarity with the survivors.”
Bishop Ronald Fabbro speaks with reporter Dave Waddell while he attends opening night of the film PREY during WIFF at Capitol Theatre Wednesday.Nick Brancaccio
Fabbro admitted he anticipated a very uncomfortable evening and that the Marshall case had a very personal impact on him.
“It’s part of my life too,” Fabbro said. “Personally for me, this particular case has impacted me. To know what happened when I was going to high school is really devastating.”
McMahon said the bishop’s attendance wasn’t important for his own healing, but more for the church’s rehabilitation.
“He’s a leader in the church,” McMahon said. “It’s important that he set the right example. I think every priest in the diocese should see this film.
“You need to be here with the members of the community you serve, to see their reaction, to immerse yourself in it and to interact with the victims.”
Marshall, who served as a priest and high school teacher in Windsor, Sudbury and Toronto, pleaded guilty at the age of 88 to multiple sex offences committed over 38 years across the province. Marshall died four years later in 2014.
In Windsor, Marshall served as principal of Assumption and Holy Name secondary schools.
McMahon hopes, in some small way, the viewing of the film by Fabbro and other Catholic leaders is a step forward towards admitting a greater responsibility for a horrific episode for too many.
“I hope it contributes to some self-examination, some understanding,” McMahon said.
“The one thing I’ve yet to see from the church is an acknowledgement of their institutional responsibility. They say, ‘I’m sorry this shouldn’t have happened — we empathize with you. But they don’t say we as a church moved this man around for 50 years and shame on us.’”
Abuse victim Rod MacLeod, centre, holds the hand of Carol Ash, right, as they enter the lobby of Capitol Theatre for opening night of the film PREY during Windsor International Film Festival.Nick Brancaccio
Gallagher said no member of the Catholic Church’s hierarchy had seen the film despite his offers of private viewings.
The documentary, which won the Jury and Audience Prizes at its debut in the Hot Docs festival in April, focuses on the efforts of survivor Rod MacLeod and his lawyer Rob Talach pursuing justice delayed.
The version shown Wednesday included a new ending that took into account last week’s Ontario Court of Appeals ruling awarding McLeod $2.75-million, including $500,000 in punitive damages.
“The new ending adds something we were all hoping for, vindication for the subject and survivor in the film, Rod McLeod,” Gallagher said.
“I’m glad he (Fabbro) is going to be here to hear the story of the survivors.”
Gallagher brings award-winning documentary on Catholic priest’s abuse to Windsor
The 69-year-old MacLeod, who attended Wednesday’s screening with Talach, is less hopeful that the Catholic Church has learned any lessons.
“There’s no significance at all to me that he (Fabbro) is here,” MacLeod said.
“Only after speaking to people who have worked inside the Catholic Church that it’s come to me that powers of the Catholic Church have no interests in solving this problem. Their only interest is maintaining their life of privilege and their wealth.
“They have no concerns about the victims. They treated us as a nuisance.”
Gary Parent spoke up after the screening of ‘Prey’ to say that he too experienced abuse. (Katerina Georgieva/CBC)
It was an emotional screening of the acclaimed documentary ‘Prey’ during its Windsor premiere at WIFF Wednesday night — following the credits, an audience member spoke up with his own story of abuse.
The film, directed by Windsorite Matt Gallagher, focuses on one perpetrator in particular: Father William Hodgson “Hod” Marshall, a retired priest and teacher, who several years ago pleaded guilty to sexually abusing 16 boys and one girl at schools in Toronto, Sudbury and Windsor.
“It was kind of heart wrenching at times,” said Gary Parent, a member of the audience.
Watching the film brought Parent to his feet upon its conclusion, compelled to address the entire theatre and claim that he too had been abused in the church.
Supportive audience
It was an emotional moment that brought many others to stand with him, call out with words of encouragement, and applaud him for sharing his story.
Rod MacLeod encourages other victims to come forward and speak. (Katerina Georgieva/CBC)
“That was a very dramatic expression of what I’ve been experiencing with people coming up to me after the event and sharing their stories,” said Rod MacLeod, whose lawsuit against the priest was at the centre of the documentary.
He added that Parent’s expression was a “level of intensity” he’d never experienced before.
“We saw how the audience responded…. When someone poured out their soul, everyone in the room was touched and rose to support that individual. That’s what is possible and that’s what we need to do more of when it comes to sexual abuse.”
‘The church really needs to listen’
Bishop of London Ron Fabbro was at the screening, having been invited by one of the other survivors featured in the film.
Bishop Ron Fabbro was invited to attend the screening by one of the survivors profiled in the documentary. (Katerina Georgieva/CBC)
“It was very emotional for me. Very hard,” Fabbro said, noting that he is a former student of Marshall’s, but would not comment on this specific case featured in the film.
“I think the message for me is that the church really needs to listen to the victims.”
Fabbro said it was important for him to be there to show his support of the survivors.
“Our message to them is certainly we invite them to come forward. We know that they’re hurting, and certainly we want to find justice for them,” said Fabbro.
“We have put in place ways to respond to any victim coming forward, and what we do to prevent what happened in this case, is that we remove the priest who has abused from any future ministry — that moving a priest from place to place, that cannot happen anymore.”
Fabro added that at the Diocese in London, they are doing more to educate priests and employees about how to respond if they have any knowledge of abuse, and making sure that it’s clear that according to the law, they must report abuse to children’s aid or police.
‘Come forward and speak’
MacLeod said he no longer considers himself a Catholic, but that he would like to see the institution change for the better.
The documentary ‘Prey’ had its Windsor premiere at WIFF Wednesday night. (Katerina Georgieva/CBC)
“It’s supposed to be the crucible of our ethics and our beliefs and our way of behaving,” said MacLeod. “[There’s] nothing I would like more than to see that start to happen. I’m not very hopeful though.”
MacLeod said that dialogue must continue around sexual abuse, a subject which he says has been swept under the carpet for decades.
“What I’m saying today is that my experience with telling my story is that people almost invariably come to support and to be with you in whatever way they can. So don’t be afraid of that,” said MacLeod.
“Come forward and speak. That’s the only way that we’ll get real change in this world of ours.”
_________________________________________
‘A powerful thing’: Sex abuse survivors tell their stories in Windsor-based film
CTV News Windsor
Published Thursday, November 7, 2019 10:26AM EST Last Updated Thursday, November 7, 2019 11:35AM EST
Director Matt Gallagher talks about his documentary “Prey” in Windsor on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Melanie Borrelli / CTV Windsor)
WINDSOR — A Windsor director has returned to his hometown to share his film about a sexual abuse survivor’s court battle with the Catholic Church.
“Prey” by Matt Gallagher screened Wednesday night at the Windsor International Film Festival and has a second screening Thursday at 3:45 p.m.
“Windsor is ground zero for this documentary,” says Gallagher, who grew up in the city.
Gallagher says he was presented with the idea several years ago, but decided it was now the right time do it.
“This was a film that I didn’t want to make. This was a film that was percolating for about 10-15 years,” says Gallagher.
The documentary chronicles victim Rod MacLeod’s civil suit against the church in the case. He was at Thursday night’s screening.
“It’s a very difficult subject,” says Gallagher. “It’s a difficult subject to watch , a difficult film to make, but I think at the end of the day just to see the survivors get a chance to tell their story is a powerful thing.”
It also features another Windsorite and victim Patrick McMahon.
Basilian priest and former Windsor Catholic school teacher William Hodgson Marshall was convicted of abusing 17 young people over his 38-year career.
“For so long these stories have been quietly settled,” says Gallagher. “To finally have this particular story in the public in front of a Windsor film festival audience is something powerful.”
Marshall died in 2014, but the Basilian Fathers of Toronto were ordered to pay the sum of $2.5-million to MacLeod.
Marshall served as a priest and teacher in Rochester, Toronto, Windsor, Sudbury, and Sault Ste. Marie.
No Canadian Catholic diocese has ever released list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse
CBC News
THE FIFTH ESTATE
Laura Clementson, Gillian Findlay
Clergy sexual abuse survivor Leona Huggins is fighting to make sure that the Catholic Church in Canada comes clean about what happened to her and others. (Doug Husby/CBC)
The Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver was aware of 36 cases of abuse by clergy under its jurisdiction, including 26 involving children, results of an internal review of cases of clergy sexual abuse obtained by CBC’s The Fifth Estate show.
The review, commissioned in 2018 by Archbishop Michael Miller, examined church files dating back to the 1950s. No Catholic entity in this country has ever made this kind of information public before.
The Vancouver review also found three of their priests had fathered children.
I think that the church has an ethical and moral responsibility to reveal those names.– Leona Huggins, clergy sexual abuse survivor
The information was uncovered in a Fifth Estate investigation into how the Catholic Church has dealt with abuse allegations over the years.
Vancouver’s archbishop has not released the results of the case review committee’s work, but in February he promised transparency. In a letter posted to the archdiocese website, Miller committed “to correcting any systemic flaws that contributed to abuse or cover-up.”
In 2018, Vancouver Archbishop Michael Miller commissioned the case review committee to examine church files relating to sexual abuse dating back to the 1950s. (Archdiocese of Vancouver )
The Fifth Estate investigation also reveals details about how the archdiocese handled allegations of abuse.
Some accused priests moved jurisdictions, and some went for treatment instead of being referred to police.
In some cases, victims were paid money and had to sign confidentiality agreements. The information shows that church officials often knew of credibly accused perpetrators and yet did not share that information with the community at large.
Being “credibly accused” does not require that someone be convicted of abuse, only that the church believes there is enough evidence to believe an incident took place.
In addition to reviewing the cases, the committee produced 31 recommendations, including that the names of clergy deemed credibly accused be released publicly.
“I think that the church has an ethical and moral responsibility to reveal those names,” said Leona Huggins, an abuse survivor Miller asked to join the case review committee.
‘I was just horrified’
The committee was made up of church-appointed individuals from different professions, including clergy, lawyers and laypeople. Four members are described as victim-survivors of clergy abuse.
As an elementary school teacher, Huggins said her highest priority is the safety of children, and that’s one of the reasons she felt compelled to take part in the review.
Huggins was living in New Westminster, B.C., in the 1970s when her parish priest, John “Jack” McCann, started sexually abusing her. She was 14.
Growing up in a Catholic household of 12 children, Huggins and her family welcomed the attention McCann paid to them, especially when Huggins and one of her sisters were asked to work in the rectory.
Huggins said the abuse started subtly, when McCann would wrap his arm around her or put his hand on her leg. It then advanced to shoulder massages. Huggins said “it was gradually more and more,” and eventually led to sex.
It wasn’t until 1991, two decades later, that she revealed the abuse to police. McCann pleaded guilty to sexual offences involving Huggins and another teenaged girl and spent 10 months in jail.
Huggins believed that was the end of McCann’s career as a priest. But in 2011, she discovered the priest who sexually abused her was working in a church in Ottawa.
“I was beside myself. I was just horrified. I was pacing up and down in my kitchen and just going … like, this is not okay,” said Huggins, who volunteers with the Vancouver chapter of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).
When SNAP revealed McCann’s criminal past, the Archdiocese of Ottawa revoked McCann’s duties. He died in August 2018.
Tallying sexual abusers
Sexual abuse by clergy members has dogged the Catholic Church for years. Scandals have been uncovered in the U.S., France, Germany, Australia, Chile, Ireland and other countries.
In some jurisdictions, efforts have been made to tabulate the number of abusers and victims. In the U.S., for instance, 6,800 clergy members have been deemed credibly accused by their own church.
For the first time, we can begin to understand the systematic cover-up by church leaders.– Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro
In 2018, a damning grand jury report in Pennsylvania named more than 300 priests as having abused more than 1,000 victims in six dioceses.
It marked the first time a major governmental agency in the U.S. conducted such an investigation of the Catholic Church, according to Thomas Doyle, a canon lawyer in Virginia.
Thomas Doyle is a canon lawyer and priest who helps lead the worldwide campaign to hold the Catholic Church accountable for sexual abuse. (Doug Husby/CBC)
“What they did [was], they got warrants from judges to march into the chancery offices of the various dioceses, and take their files,” said Doyle, a priest himself who now helps lead the worldwide campaign to hold the Catholic Church accountable.
“There was no discussion, there was no debate: ‘We’re taking [the files], get out of the way.’ And that’s what [the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office] had to do. So they blasted away one of the major defences.”
The Pennsylvania probe also revealed how much church officials knew about the abuse and what they did when allegations came forward.
“For the first time, we can begin to understand the systematic cover-up by church leaders that followed,” said Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro in a press conference in August 2018.
“These documents from the diocese’s own secret archives formed the backbone of this investigation, corroborating accounts of victims and illustrating the organized cover-up by senior church officials that stretched, in some cases, all the way to the Vatican.”
Since Pennsylvania, at least 17 other U.S. states have started their own investigations. Some Catholic dioceses in the U.S. have released their own lists of abusers voluntarily.
Archdiocese to make some info public
It was in the aftermath of Pennsylvania that Vancouver’s Archbishop Miller struck his case review committee.
Information obtained by The Fifth Estate shows many of the accused clergy the committee looked at are now dead, but not all. It confirmed one priest the committee looked into still lives in proximity to students.
CBC’s The Fifth Estate obtained information about a review of known historical cases of sexual abuse in the Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver. (Amiel De Guzman/CBC)
The Fifth Estate asked Archbishop Miller for an interview to comment on the committee’s findings and recommendations, but he declined.
Names and numbers of Catholic priests that abuse children … that’s the kryptonite of the Catholic Church– Rob Talach, London, Ont. Lawyer
On Nov. 12, legal counsel for the archdiocese sent a letter to The Fifth Estate stating, “Certainly there have been settlements paid over the years in response to the wrongdoings of clerics in the Archdiocese of Vancouver. We are not aware, however, of any allegations which would support your claims that there were priests who had committed offences who were transferred, that authorities were not appropriately notified, or that priests remained in proximity to children after they were found to have committed an offence.”
The archdiocese said it will be making some of the information from the review public on Nov. 22, but would not say whether it will include the names of clergy it has deemed credibly accused.
The committee recommends the archdiocese share names, birth dates and photographs of accused priests, as well as dates and locations of their assignments.
Rob Talach, a lawyer in London, Ont., who hastaken the Catholic Church to court more than 400 times for sex-related abuses, said that publishing the “names and numbers of Catholic priests that abuse children … that’s the kryptonite of the Catholic Church, [but] to ask them just to hang it out on the internet isn’t gonna happen.”
London, Ont.-based lawyer Rob Talach has taken the Catholic Church to court more than 400 times over sex-related abuses. (CBC)
To date, none of Canada’s 60 Latin Rite archdioceses and dioceses have made information about convicted and credibly accused priests public. Unlike in the U.S., no provincial attorneys general have pressured them to do so.
The Fifth Estate surveyed the other 59 dioceses in Canada, asking whether they have conducted their own reviews of past and present clergy “who have faced/are facing credible allegations of sexual abuse.”
Only 14 dioceses responded. Of those, four said they have conducted reviews and one said it is in the process of doing so. None of the dioceses surveyed said they were prepared to make the information public.
Since September, The Fifth Estate has been requesting an interview with anyone from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to address the issue of clergy sexual abuse.
In a Nov. 9 email, the CCCB responded, “Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we regret that a representative of the CCCB is unable to participate in the program.”
A week later, it posted a statement on its website that it called an update to the implementation guidelines on protecting minors from abuse.
“The tragedy of clergy sexual abuse is and will continue to be addressed with utmost seriousness and respect by the Catholic Bishops of Canada,” the Nov. 15 statement read.
It emphasized that it is up to individual dioceses to make their own decisions but said church officials are meeting with survivors of abuse and considering the calls for making the names of credibly accused abusers public.
“There remains an important question to consider related to the publication of names of the ‘credibly accused’ who have not been charged and convicted,” the statement said.
“It is evident that a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer cannot be given to such a complex matter when seen through the lens of privacy laws, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the well-being of victims-survivors.”
It also underlined the year-old policy requiring church officials to notify police if they are informed of allegations of current abuse of a minor.
Updated: November 18, 2019 5:10 PM EST
Gary Dimmock
Barry McGrory – a defrocked Catholic priest who is alleged to have abused children in the 1970s before being quietly shipped to another diocese – leaves the Elgin Street courthouse Tuesday (May 21, 2019). Julie Oliver/Postmedia
Disgraced former Catholic priest Barry McGrory skipped his sentencing at the Ottawa courthouse Monday morning.
Superior Court Justice Michelle O’Bonsawin has issued an arrest warrant for the convicted sex predator, believed to be living in Toronto.
McGrory, 85, showed no emotion back in June when the same judge found him guilty of sexually abusing two teenaged boys in historic crimes dating back to the late 1960s. McGrory molested the boys in a church rectory.
McGrory used his position as a parish priest to exploit vulnerable and naïve young men for his own sexual satisfaction, the judge ruled.
The now-defrocked priest used booze and drugs to groom his victims.
“He infiltrated their families and used their faith in him to take advantage of the complainants,” the judge said in June.
The complainants came forward to Ottawa police in 2016 after this newspaper published a story in which McGrory admitted to sexually abusing three young parishioners at Holy Cross Parish in the 1970s and 80s.
In a May 2016 interview with reporter Andrew Duffy, McGrory said that as a young priest, he was a sex addict who suffered from a powerful attraction to adolescents. McGrory said he told then-archbishop Joseph-Aurèle Plourde about his sexual problems in the mid-1980s, and asked for treatment.
Instead of receiving help, McGrory said, he was transferred to a Toronto organization dedicated to assisting remote Catholic missions, many of them in Canada’s North. Four years after leaving Ottawa, in 1991, McGrory was charged with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old Indigenous youth. He was convicted of the crime and spared jail with a suspended sentence.
McGrory told the newspaper he was healed of his attraction to adolescents after “surrendering” himself to God, and has remained celibate.
Ottawa born and raised, McGrory was formally dismissed from the priesthood in 2018.
He remains at large and no longer has a lawyer on record for the sentencing he evaded Monday.
No draft. No back up. Poof! Gone. Very unusual that there is not one line of back-up anywhere, but …. it’s gone. So, very very quickly :
A crowd of protesters wave rainbow flags and chant slogans outside St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Picton after an anti-Pride message was published in the church’s weekly bulletin.
Director Matt Gallagher talks about his documentary “Prey” in Windsor on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Melanie Borrelli / CTV Windsor)
