News Releases

Diocese focuses on healing in wake of John Jay results

From The Catholic Spirit,
March 4, 2004 Vol. 9, No.2

By Rayanne Damiano
Editor-in-Chief
and Chris Donahue
Staff Writer

The results of the study conducted by John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York into the nature and scope of clergy sex abuse should serve "as a wake up call for all of us" about the need to address this crime against children, Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski stated.

In an interview with The Catholic Spirit, the bishop said, "This has been an undertaking like no other in any organization. The numbers are staggering and the Church will never be the same. But ultimately we will be better.

"Released Feb. 27, the study found that from 1950 to 2002, nearly 11,000 people nationwide claimed to have been sexually abused as children by members of the clergy. It also revealed that accusations in connection with those claims were levied against more than 4,000 priests.

Citing children as "our most important gift," the bishop said, "Let us, with this wisdom and knowledge, move on to the future, trying as best we can to create a Church environment that is safe for our kids. We want them to experience a wholesome, loving and caring Church that will sustain their faith and help them to find Jesus in their lives.

"The findings should also underscore the need for redemption in everyone’s life, Bishop Bootkoski stressed. "I hope that all of our people realize that the men who are called to the priesthood are as human as anyone else. They all have problems; They all need redemption; they all need the Lord. We have to recognize that we are subject to a constant call to conversion. It doesn’t happen in one day," the bishop said.

But, the bishop added, "Together we can be healed when we encounter the Lord in community, in the Word and in the Sacraments.

"Msgr. William Benwell, vicar general and moderator of the curia, also turned his sights toward healing in the wake of the John Jay study. He said, "The study was a difficult process, but it was the right thing to do. Our whole faith is based on the paschal mystery of Christ dying and rising. We don’t get to the Resurrection, the glory, to the fulfillment of the mission of Jesus, until he goes through the Passion.

"He continued, "But, if we concentrate solely on the violence and the suffering, we’re really going to despair and lose heart. Hopefully this is part of the process that is going to lead to a renewal for the Church. It’s already done that. This has already brought about a heightened awareness and put into place programs that are not going to eliminate this inherent human problem, but hopefully address it and protect against it.

"If this all happens then the Church will be in a better place than a lot of other institutions that haven’t addressed it yet," Msgr. Benwell concluded.

In advance of the John Jay release, Bishop Bootkoski prepared parishioners throughout the four counties, advising them by letter that in the Diocese of Metuchen, credible allegations of sexual abuse have been issued against 1.01 percent of its priests. The letter, distributed or read at Masses Feb. 21 and 22, may have served to mitigate concerns created by the national study results.

Father Richard J. Lyons, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish, Dunellen, and diocesan judicial vicar, said Bishop’s Bootkoski’s letter was a good idea and "shows he’s addressing it vigorously."

"I thought it was good that the bishop provided such a detailed letter. It was very positive and very informative." Noting that there was no immediate reaction, Father Lyons observed, "Maybe because people have been drenched by negative things in the media. The number of incidents (cited in the letter) didn’t seem to move the parishioners either way.

"Father Daniel J. Herlihy, pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Parish, South Bound Brook, said he didn’t hear any comments from parishioners

.In addition, the sex abuse scandal didn’t affect donations for 2003, Herlihy said, noting that the parish received four times the amount given in 2002. Also, donations exceeded the goal for the Bishop’s Annual Appeal.

"People saw that there was not a blatantly neglectful situation in this diocese," Father Herlihy said. "As Tip O’Neill once said, ‘All politics is local.’ They see the Protecting God’s Children program and fingerprinting and know the diocese is serious about preventing it from happening again.

"Father Sylvester J. Cronin, pastor of St. Cecilia Parish, Monmouth Junction, also said the feedback has been positive. "The people are seeing that the Church is revealing everything and being forthright," Father Cronin said.

Having served on a committee for protecting youth in the diocese, Father Cronin strongly supports the diocese’s new measures. "This is the right way to go. From this we can move on and continue the good work of the Church.

"Father Edmund J. Shallow, pastor of Holy Family Parish, Carteret, theorized that the bishop’s letter may have been well-received because people got the information from the official source, "not the news media.

"Deacon John F. Dumschat of St. Patrick Parish, Belvidere, said he hasn’t heard any negative comments.

"I think we’ve (the Church) been open about it, particularly in our parish," Deacon Dumschat said. "I think the parishioners just feel very secure. It’s a small community, too.

He added, "When this first came out, there was some anger. But since then, people have kind of taken it philosophically once they realized that it was a problem much older than the newspapers were making it seem."

Michelle Lowe, a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Milltown, has two children in Our Lady of Lourdes School, Emilie, a first-grader, and Catherine, a fifth-grader. Lowe said she liked the bishop’s letter because of the details it contained.

"It seems like every instance has been addressed as far as him saying, ‘One priest is no longer a priest, another left the country.’ I think that’s good.

*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law

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