Speaking out

LONG VALLEY  Priests and faithful of southwest Morris County and beyond came together at St. Luke Church here on the evening of Sept. 12 not only to voice their outrage over the reports of child abuse and cover-ups that have rocked the U.S. Church this summer, but also to resolve to work individually and collectively to speak out on behalf of the victims and push for the Church to adopt further safeguards to protect children.

That night, several clergy and about 200 faithful from St. Luke’s, neighboring parishes in the Southwest Deanery of Morris County and other faith communities in the Diocese gathered in the church’s worship space to engage in a lively, at times emotional, but also respectful and hopeful discussion about the crisis. Leading the open forum was Father Michael Drury, St. Luke’s pastor and Dean of the Southwest Deanery of the Morris County. It took place several weeks after revelations of sexual abuse in the U.S. Church, which included decades-long allegations against retired Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and a grand jury report that details the supposed crimes against children by more than 300 priests in Pennsylvania over a 70-year period.

“Sex abuse is a calculated assault on minors. The perpetrators know what they are doing. It [the crime] is no different for priests and others who cover it up,” said Father Drury, who spoke about sex abuse in his own family. “The Church has held family secrets for too long. They need to come out and be dealt with. This night is just the beginning. The Church is now on its knees in prayer. Things need to change. I am grateful for all of you here. You all have come to become engaged and challenged to take ownership [of the solution to the surge of child abuse],” he said.

Several concerned priests of the Diocese sat with Father Drury in chairs in front of the altar, facing the laity, assembled in the pews. They included: Msgr. Raymond Lopatesky, diocesan director of ministry to senior clergy; Father Javier Bareno Castillo, parochial vicar at Our Lady of the Mountain Parish, Long Valley; and retired priests, Father Ronald Sordillo, Msgr. Robert Diachek, Father Dennis Crowley and Msgr. Kenneth Lasch, who assists at St. Luke’s weekend Masses. Joining the priests were Deacon Kevin Cleary of St. Luke’s and Geraldine Kerr of Our Lady of the Mountain Parish, Long Valley, a relationship and marriage counselor, who has a practice in Hackettstown.

In an emotional address, Msgr. Lopatesky told the priests and laity that this scandal in the Church has caused many priests to “break down in tears.”

“The sexual abuse of children is diabolical. This scandal — this heinous thing — has affected the entire Church,” said Msgr. Lopatesky, adding that the Church needs to concentrate on reaching out to and caring for the victims and their families.

Likewise, Msgr. Lasch declared that the Church should “do nothing without the victims.”

“I maintain a preferential option for the victims. That means that I would do nothing without consulting the victims. The very first words that I say is I am sorry — I am so sorry for what you experienced. There are no words that will heal the wounds and I will walk with you. That’s probably the most difficult parts of my life,” Father Lasch said. “I’m low-key person but I’m angry. I’m angry about what happened to them. I’m angry at the lack of accountability of the Church and those bishops who covered up the past. I’m angry at the way the victims have been treated. They still need to have their day in court,” he said.

During a lengthy question-and-comment period, many faithful expressed anger about the abuse by priests and the cover-up by Church hierarchy, acknowledged the pain of the victims, called for justice and made a commitment to lobby for greater protections for children. They also pledged to get involved in the issue. That night, a few faithful rose from the pews to express disappointment that Pope Francis chose to wait until Feb. 21-24 to convene a meeting of the presidents of all bishops’ conferences in Rome to talk about how to prevent clergy sex abuse and protect children. But many of them also re-affirmed their love and commitment to the Catholic faith in the midst of these horrible revelations. The laity’s comments that evening echoed statements made by Pope Francis and prelates, such as Bishop Serratelli, as well as those of many priests of the Diocese to their parishioners — at Mass, in bulletins or by email and social media — as reported in the Sept. 6 edition of The Beacon.

In a statement on Aug. 21, Bishop Serratelli acknowledged, “The Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report…was profoundly upsetting to every person of good will.” He also stated that New Jersey’s Catholic dioceses “have made concrete changes and reforms.” They have conducted some 380,000 criminal background checks of all diocesan and parish personnel who have regular contact with minors and integrated a comprehensive program of reporting abuse to civil authorities, compensating and counseling victims, and implementing rigorous protocols and training for more than 2.3 million clergy, employees, volunteers and children.” The Paterson Diocese has “reported every single accusation of child abuse to prosecutors since 2002,” he wrote.

At the Sept. 12 open forum, a male parishioner of St. Luke’s said, “I’m angry and ticked off. I’m trying to figure out what happened. We need to look more deeply at the Church at all levels.”

Several parents spoke about the difficulty of speaking about such a sensitive issue to their small children. In response, Kerr suggested that parents talk about “appropriate touching and inappropriate touching” in an age-appropriate ways. One woman from St. Luke’s called on Pope Francis to get more involved in the issue. She said, “The victims have something dirty that they have to live with.”

“Abuse is a horrible act. It destroys people, relationships and families,” said another woman from St. Luke’s, who admitted having “a hard time with my faith” in the wake of the abuse allegations. “We need to do something to get this evil out of the Church,” she said.

A few speakers talked tearfully about instances of abuse in their own families, including that of a one woman who said, “We need to know what we can do. The laity must rise up. We are the Body of Christ.”

Another woman from St. Luke’s called for “bigger female voices in the Church,” while another, stated, “The only way that I can trust the Church is if the people [abusers] are arrested, not only monitored. This [latest news] should wake us up to address the issue.”

In the question-and-comment period, a few Catholics here re-affirmed their faith. One woman from St. Luke’s said, “Nothing could break my faith in God.” Another woman of the parish reminded the people that “Jesus said that he would never abandon his Church.” Yet another woman of St. Luke’s praised the participating priests, saying, “You represent the beauty of Catholicism: solace and comfort. Your presence here speaks volumes.”

“This is our faith and our Church. It is up to us to protect it. What brings us here is the Eucharist. It helps nourish us and go out and be Eucharist to all those we come in contact with,” Deacon Cleary told the assembly. “We are not here to leave the Church but to lead the Church. Change starts here and now,” he said.

To effect that change, the laity needs to help the priests, Father Sordillo, said that night.

“We can’t do it alone. We all have to do it together,” said Father Sordillo, who encouraged the faithful to write Church leaders at various levels to voice their views. “Pray for them and for the Holy Spirit to kick someone off his horse to set the world afire again with faith,” he said.

Afterward Barbara Canangelo, a founding St. Luke’s parishioner, who has volunteered over the years in such ministries as religious education, said that the meeting gave the laity an opportunity to become more aware of the issue and raise questions about it.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” Canangelo said.