I recall as a teenager picking up an IMAGE paperback in the back of the church one Sunday entitled Playboy to Priest by Rev. Kenneth Roberts. The work impressed me and along with several other books about priests, real and fictionalized, fueled my burning desire for a vocation. He would later become famous as the Medjugorie priest and he had several programs televised on EWTN on the Blessed Mother and a youth series based on one of his books, You Better Believe It. It was a great program and young people were really moved by it to study about and to live their Catholic faith. Upon my desk are other books he wrote, The Rest of the Week, Mary – The Perfect Prayer Partner, Fr. Roberts’ Guide to Personal Prayer, Pray It Again, Sam! and Nobody Calls It Sin Anymore. They were not particularly deep; but that was okay because they were popular works for the rank and file. He gave talks and conferences across the nation. His tapes and videos were bought and shared. He was loved. Then he disappeared and rumors spread.
A boyhood hero had fallen. When I had helped out in a Birmingham, Alabama parish in 1989, I actually met and had dinner with him. He was a regular on Mother Angelica’s Catholic television network. Now it turned out that he was continuing to wear clerics, function in public as a priest, and even did television work after he had been censured. Retired from the Dallas diocese for “health reasons” he had been suspended for violating restrictions placed upon him in 1995. His bishop made it very clear that he had to stop distributing his books and tapes and that he had to take down his website and Internet presence.
Dallas Bishop Charles V. Graham signed the decree of suspension on November 13 after verification that Father Roberts had violated restrictions. The English-born Father Roberts, ordained in 1966 for the Dallas Diocese, retired from the diocese for medical reasons on Sept. 1, 1995, and his faculties were restricted, barring him from exercising his priestly duties, wearing clerical garb and presenting himself as a Roman Catholic priest in good standing. His retirement followed public accusations of sexual molestation, though no civil or criminal charges were filed against him at that time. Now in his 70′s, civil charges were filed in 2004 where three are named in a lawsuit filed in November by John Doe. The suit alleges that the Rev. Kenneth Roberts, now retired, sexually abused Doe at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Belleville in 1984. The St. Louis Archdiocese and the Dallas Diocese have responded by asserting that St. Clair County Court has no jurisdiction over them because they do not do business there. St. Louis also says Roberts was never assigned or employed here, although he was allowed to live in three parishes in Florissant and was permitted to conduct some religious services here.
What happened? Was this for real? Fr. Roberts seemed so genuine and faithful; was it all a lie? I have kept him in my prayers because of his importance in my life and in the lives of so many. But, I doubt that the wound caused by these revelations will heal any time soon. There is also a lot of meanness about what happened. One nasty blooger said something like, “What do you think his revised autobiography will be titled, “Playboy to Priest to Pervert”? If the allegations are true, then we pray for the victims and perpetrator. The posture of the Christian is always on our knees in prayer and in petition for mercy.
All of Fr. Robert’s tapes and videos are off the market. His webpage is gone. His programs deleted from the EWTN schedule and some have said they have been destroyed. Is it right that a man’s possible weakness and sin should utterly destroy his legacy?
As a young priest, the pastor and I subscribed to monthly videos of a Paulist production called SHARE THE WORD. The Sunday readings were explained and many useful ideas were given for preaching. The host was an articulate and dynamic priest by the name of Rev. Laurence Brett. We were so impressed that he accepted our invitation to do three weeks of Friday talks and to lead the Stations of the Cross during Lent. He smoked constantly and affected a strong Irish brogue for effect during the Stations. I found the later a bit disconcerting. Why would he purport to be Irish when he usually had no such accent? It seemed like posturing and bothered me. However, his words were good and he proved himself knowledgable about the Scriptures and our faith.
I was transferred and the program, which was also on cable, eventually disappeared. For awhile the paulists were toying with taking the tapes and re-editing a Sunday commentary series out of it. But, nothing happened. Later, I found out why.
Years before, Frank Martinelli was a 14-year-old altar boy attracted to Rev. Laurence Brett as a role model at St. Cecilia’s in Stamford, Conn. Martinelli claimed that Father Brett fondled him in a bathroom and that the priest urged the boy to give him oral sex in his car, blessing it as a way to receive Holy Communion. Thirty years passed before he and other young people spoke out. When the priest was finally censured, he became a fugitive. Church officials in Bridgeport and Baltimore called Brett a criminal and an “evil man.” Even the FBI had trouble finding him. He changed the spelling of his name to conceil his identity and settled in 1996 on the island of Anguilla, a short boat ride from St. Maarten.
These men were notable evangelizers through the modern communications medium. They reached out to millions. Little or nothing has been said to explain what happened or to heal the harm caused to believers. The Pharisees had no monopoly on hypocrisy. Hopefully people will remember the message and not so much the messenger.
posted by Father Joe Jenkins at 10:18 PM
2 Comments:
Laurence said…Do you think I should stop listening to Fr. Robert’s tapes? I joined the Catholic Society of Evangelists and they provide 4 of his tapes for donations. His teachings are theologically sound. Is it okay to let others listen to his work?
12:25 PM Father Joe Jenkins said…Laurence,
The question you ask is hard to answer. A priest teaches, as we all do, by both what we say and by what we do. While a person could be moved by Fr. Roberts’ ideas and gentle teaching manner, the allegations of sexual misconduct with minors are so severe that I suspect they would likely cause too much scandal and cause more harm than good. The fact that he disobeyed his bishop makes the case even more serious. You can make use of the tapes, but I would not generally share them any longer with potential converts or returnees.
Do not loose heart and know that a good number of us in the ranks of the clergy are behaving ourselves and still proclaiming the Gospel.
God bless,
Father Joe
I just finished reading Playboy to Priest, and can’t believe that Fr. Roberts is suspended! His mother is in heaven praying for him. How can it be? I will pray for him now that I know.
Fr. Joe,
Are there any recent updates on Fr. Roberts? Do you think that these accusations could by chance be false? Satan is working harder these days to knock priests down. I know that there are people who try to ruin good priests’ names. It’s hard to think of him in this bad light. There were so many good fruits that he bore and so many people he brought to God. What do you think? God Bless!
Dear Billy, I have heard nothing in quite a while. The word out a few years ago was that he had a heart condition but I am sure that had he passed away there would have been some word. I find the allegations hard to believe and yet he did continue his public ministry for a while after his bishop had ordered him not to do so. That is public record and that surprises me because no matter how difficult, priests are pledged to obey their bishops. You are right about Satan, he can move people to offer false testimony against priests, particularly when there is monetary gain. However, we must also admit the possibility of Demonic invasion even into the life and ministry of a priest, particularly if there is an opening caused by spiritual malaise and weakness of the flesh.
Obviously, since he had become the public face of Medjugorie, this scandal did not help in the promotion of the purported apparitions and messages. Add to this the fact that the Franciscan priest who befriended the children and spent time in jail as a political prisoner has since left ministry for a woman, and one must surmise that Medjugorie is having a hard time of it.
I miss Father Robert’s gentle voice and simple but powerful messages. So many of the priests and professors on EWTN and in the tape market talk over peoples’ heads. He did offer wonderful fruit and we must keep him in our prayers.
But I have to be honest with you. The bishops are so afraid of the pedophile issue that they are determined to respond agressively and in many or most cases, the priest is not really given the benefit of a doubt. The lawyers are in control and expensive law suites are robbing the Church of her vital resources. Father Roberts will never function as a priest (in public again). No publishing house will carry all his books and his video programs will never again be made available…not now…not ever. I even heard that some of the audio and video masters have been ‘lost” and destroyed. I hope not, but I would not be surprised.
Take care!
Hello,
I am deeply saddened. I was surfing the net when i came upon something on Fr. John Bertolucci. who was accused of being a pdephile. He has left the priesthood. Then i found out about Fr. Ken Roberts. I have tapes of John’s when he was a charistmatic priest. And books by Roberts. Months ago i found a site about a protestant minister whom i had looked up to and had fallen into sexual sin. Is there no one to trust anymore? And people wonder why others do not attend church.
Fr. Joe,
I can assure you that all the accusations against Ken Roberts are true.
I am one of those victims that have brought charges aganist him.
I have only talked to one other priest regarding this, but after reading your blog I feel like you are a holy man; and therefore I want you to know the truth so your prayers can be put into the right direction.
To this day Roberts has tried to cover up his crimes, even by making false accusations against his victims. He has not and will not hold himself accountable for everything that he has done to innocent boys.
My family and I know him better than anyone. He lived with us for 12 years and with my Mother for 10 more. My mother co-wrote and produced all those books and tapes that were sold. Do you know Ann Waters?
My case is beyond the statute of limitations so I only pray that one of his accusors will be successful in putting him in jail so no one else gets hurt.
The Church has made grave mistakes by not addressing this problem and hiding the priests by moving them from city to city where they were allowed to prey on new children.
I would like to make one thing clear, in no way has my faith been altered or my belief in Jesus Christ been swayed.
This is one man’s sins, not the Church. I am reassured of this when I come across priests like yourself who don’t seem to be self serving and represent the teachings of Christ in his image, as he taught Peter and John.
Please pray for me and the other victims of this man.
John
Dear John,
Know that you are welcome to email me. I will add you and your family to my prayers. Thank you for the kind words, I try to be a good priest although the holiest thing about me are probably the holes in my socks.
I cannot begin to imagine how terrible such abuse must be. Neither can I understand how a man in ministry, who is supposed to be dedicated to healing, could commit such harm. Continue to believe in the Lord and hold fast to your faith, no matter how terrible the rascals in the Church.
Is your mother still around? Have you ever considered writing about your spiritual journey, despite the hell you went through? It is a very private business, and yet the witness of survivors gives hope to those still in the shadows.
I am at a loss to understand the arrogance that put children at risk.
Some of the abusers have remained in mortal sin and yet they feigned holiness of life and sincerity in their counsel and teaching. How could they live with themselves? Did they not fear God and that millstone of their own making around their necks? Before leading one of the little ones astray, our Lord said it would be better to have a millstone tied around one’s neck and to be thrown into the sea. That is pretty serious stuff– judgment.
God bless you,
Father Joe
Fr. Joe,
I was in the process of reflecting a memory of the impact of a conference hosted by Fr. Bertolucci (20+ years ago) to a retired detective, who vehemently resists God. Then I thought it’s in a detective’s nature to research, especially with the church scandal. I did a google search on Fr. Bertolucci and was glad I did. But not really. I’m saddened, too. Another fallen hero.
Father,
Your post reminded of another example that always bothered me. He wasn’t on TV but 20 years ago there was a priest from New York who started Covenant House to provide shelter for all the homeless kids in NYC. The man was a gifted writer (or had good ghost writers) because his solicitations for donations could bring one to tears. Anyway, some years later I heard he was relieved of the ministry. I guess he was using it for his personal “recruiting station” if not outright brothel. The bigger they are the harder they fall.
I do agree with the other writer that I think our priests and bishops are always under greater attack because Satan hates and fears them (you) so much more than us. How much of the sex scandal wouldn’t have happened if us laymen has REALLY been praying for our priests like we should?
I went on several pilramages to Medjugorje with Father Ken Roberts. When I knew him, it would be impossible to think of him as an abuser. Maybe the reason he was called to Medjugorje and drawn to its charisms had to do with behavior from a long ago past, but people do change. If it’s true that Father Roberts did abuse children, I can only believe that Our Lady of Medjugorje straightened him out.
I knew of a very pious Catholic woman who insisted that her father had sexually abused her, and when the truth came out, it turned out that her father had patted her backside when she was a child; an act you can see weekly on NFL football.
If Father Roberts is guilty, I pray for his soul. If these young men have destroyed a holy man’s life and reputation, I fear for theirs.
Also there was Msgr. Eugene Clark, who had just finished taping a really great series on EWTN on the beauty of the artwork of St. Patrick’s Cathedral: http://www.ewtn.com/series/insideSTpats/index.htm
Then unfortunately he was videotaped leaving a hotel with his secretary http://www.newoxfordreview.org/note.jsp?did=1205-notes-woman
THE HOLY CATHOLIC PRIEST
I saw him climb the altar steps
His white head bowed in prayer,
His hands, those grace full hands of his
Bless all assembled there.
And in his face, that holy face,
I saw the years gone by
And all the love and sacrifice
They meant for you and I.
The Sacred Host, the Golden Cup
Raised time and time again,
The hallowed feet that rush to serve
In ways that never end.
We thank you, God, for this great gift
To say the very least,
The incense of humanity
The Holy Catholic Priest.
Kate Watkins Furman
I recently mourned the death a dear priest friend who had been accused of wrongdoing, claimed from over thirty years ago. He did everything in his power to defend himself and to clear his good name. He died in the arms of his big brother—after playing eighteen holes with him on a Chicago golf course!
Needless to say, there can be allowed NO room in our churches for any pastoral professional who would abuse ANYONE—sexually or in any other way. Ideally, any pastoral professional who KNOWS he or she has harmed someone, should have the courage to stand up, admit their guilt, and then take the deserved punishment. The man or woman with that kind of faith in God’s perfect justice? I say such a brave soul deserves all the “help” we can give them; first priority, though, is to get them out of professional circulation AND get help to their victims.
Yet what about the falsely accused? Sadly, some of our Catholic Bishops are “allowing” accused pastoral professional to be denied due process. The accusers are allowed to plaster the names of acused priests on every empty front page they can find—but the names of the accusers are “kept secret.”
That should be MY son ( or daughter ) being forced to suffer such injustice. God forgive me, but the accuser and the consenting Bishop would need an around-the-clock bodyguard.
Currently, here in Chicago, we have a Catholic priest recently accused who is fighting back with a holy determination—and the chancery isn’t too terribly thrilled about it. Awwwwwwwwwww.
The current joke, being told among the Reverend Clergy in Chicago, is that the good doctors at Loyola University Hospital removed just a little more than “just” the cardinal-archbishop’s cancerous bladder last summer. And IT PAINS THEM to make such remarks: just about all of them respect this very good man, and no half-sober priest in Chicago would want to be in the Cardinal’s shoes right now.
But … the truth hurts, and it “is” what it “is.”
Speaking only as one Catholic FOR like-minded Catholics:
—we have a responsibility to bear, and woe to us who ignore any important part of the whole. May God guide us and give us wisdom.
I just found out about Father John Bertolucci. I came across a story on the net “accidently”. I am shocked and saddened by this news. I cannot tell you how many books and tapes my parents still have of Father Bertolucci from when we were all involved in the Charismatic Renewal. He was looked up to in a special way by many people. I cannot pass judgement, and I do not have enough information to really even be able to comment, but I have this sick feeling inside. This seemed like a safe place to share that.
Thanks for listening Father Joe.
Many years ago I had the sad experience of watching a Naval Chaplain, Rev. Walter Blank, go through a harrowing experience. He was maligned to have purportedly had relations with an enlisted man that he was counciling. He was unable to attend/perform my wedding as we had originally planned due to an impending investigation and eventual trial. I had visited him shortly after getting off of active duty and then maintained correspondence and phone calls over the years. The trial was eventually thrown out just as he said it would have to be. It seems that all the young man wanted was to justify getting out of the service for a “legitimate” reason and once he was out he admitted that it was not true and the “Padre,” as we called him, was exonerated. I didn’t hear from him for a long time after this and finally found out that the stress had caused him to have several heart attacks which eventually killed him. A great man that kept me and a number of other young fellows on the straight and narrow. He fit well with the military but was a first rate priest.
I recently googled the name of the priest who abused my husband years ago at a youth retreat in a confessional! Fr. Ken Roberts. Let me just say that the “allegations” are facts in our home as our entire family has been affected by this pedophile. When I read about anyone trying to defend this man, it makes me sick. Trust me, monetary gain is not the goal of accusers. Who would publicly put themselves through such torture only to be re-victimized by the Church? No one that I know. And about his books and the profits that have been made…well, he’s letting the Diocese of Dallas bail him out and not allow any of his profits to benefit the victims. Perhaps that’s why his books and tapes aren’t available anymore.
I pray for this very sick man, because I’m sure he will go to his grave denying his abuse.
My prayers are for all those touched by abuse in and out of the Church.
Father Joe,
I need to vent my feelings. I am in the same boat as:
Maggie–Sept 23, 2006
Rose– Jan 3, 2007
I just found out about Fr. Bertolucci today.
Fr. Bertalucci was VERY INSTRUMENTAL in getting me involved in the Charismatic Renewal back in 1985. Because of hearing his
enthusiatstic talk at a conference I was able to accept Jesus as my Savior. Up until then I did not think it was “The Catholic Way”
22 years later I am key leader in our prayer group and only a few weeks ago was approched and asked to write my witness for the city-wide newsletter. I have been working on my winess document diligently. the apex of my witness is the influence of Fr. Bertolucci.
Just today, I realized I had not heard about him for a long time. I did a Pro-life search and found out the bad news. I AM DEVASTATED. I have to re-think my whole witness. Personally, I forgive him and still appreciate his influence in my life–even tho his
crimes were previous to his Charismatic activity.(A WOUNDED HEALER–I GUESS) I HAVE TO REALLY STOP AND THINK NOW! I don’t think we should still sing his praises even tho he did a lot of good. I don’t think I can give my witness without mentioning his name. It would just not be my witness. I cannot be phoney. I guess we have to just be quiet and pray hard for him in our own prayer closet.
Thanks for listening father Joe.
I am extremely saddened to hear about the actions of Fr. Roberts and Msgr. Clark who I knew of and Fr. Bertolucci who I did not. I do pray for the victims, their families, and the priests. It is truly tragic when a priest violates one’s trust and then lies about it, commits further abuse, etc. I too watched Ken Roberts on EWTN and two of my classmates in high school even appeared on television with him. As for the McFarlanne’s I just read a GodSpy article on the situation and it broke my heart. Indeed Catholic annulments and civil divorce in this country are way too easy but that is a discussion for another day.
I believe that each case of priestly abuse should be taken on its own merits. Suppose there is a case of a priest where an allegation is made of abuse 30 years ago. Suppose the priest admits to it and expresses that he is truly repentant, that he was molested as a child, etc.. And in the 30 years since he has amended his ways and has done great good for the Church with not one instance of further abuse? I think this case should be treated differently than a repeat offender who will not admit what he did.
Although abuse is horrible, we should not throw out the window an entire career of good works and holiness (if that be the case) for sins (as serious as they are) many years prior, if the priest is contrite and has amended his ways. To do otherwise would be the mentality of the authorities in Les Miserables who labeled Jean Valjean a criminal for life inacapable of redemption, after stealing a loaf of bread.
Hi Father Joe,
I grew up in Florissant Mo and attended St Norberts Parish.
Father Ken was a big part of my faith and my family during the early 70′s… When my parents divorced, Fr. Ken was there to counsel all of us… He and my father became very good friends, looking back they probably became alcoholics together. It was hard enough as a ten year old, to see my father and my Priest getting trashed together. Then came the day that changed my life… All I will say is that it is true, all of it, true… I know for a fact… No, I have never came forward, I look for nothing and I ask for nothing… I have dealt with it on my own with the guidance of Jesus…
I try not to wish ill will on Fr. Ken, he will have to deal with his own sins as we all will on our day of judgement…
For all of you who think so highly of Ken Roberts, I used to also… Please do not act like we are the bad people, by accussing us of Priest bashing and being satanic, Give me a break… There is always more to the story… More then you probably really want to know…
I garauntee it… If you want to talk post your email and I’ll write you directly…
Take Care,
Tom
[...] http://fatherjoe.wordpress.com/other/fallen-tv-priests/ [...]
I moved to California from England in the summer of 1982 . I attended Mass in Pasadena , Ca.
Father Ken visited the parish for a short while .
He was such a wonderful , gifted and sincere speaker .
I had not been attending Mass regularly at the time of his visit .
I went to confession for the first time in about 8 years .
Father ken helped me return to my faith . I thank God that father Ken visited that parish .
I believe Father ” Ken ” said he was doing missionary work at the time . He was a great motivator and I am sure brought hope to many people who heard him speak . I bought a couple of his books and use them for reference every now and then .
“you will know them by their fruits” often quoted by father roberts.
In father roberts I find a kindred spirit. we appear to suffer from the same affliction, we share the same faith, we share similar faith experiences, though he has shown greater faith in God by letting go and pursuing God through the priesthood.
Even though I tried to become a priest myself, and before hand had been a protestant seminarian, i felt the need to confess my affliction to the vocation director.(this is before the scandals came out) The vocation director wouldnt allow me to continue but encouraged me to follow “my vocation” a lay person.
Father Roberts had a vocation as a priest, because the fruits of his vocation were the many souls inspired with a zeal for faith. Even Judas had a vocation. Didn’t Paul talk of a thorn in his flesh. What was that thorn? to be described as a thorn it had to be something very difficult to reign in.
I confess my inclinations and actions to a local priest who,though i continue to have doubts about the usefulness of attending mass or receiving the sacraments, tells me to push forward. Tolerance, respect or just someone who doesnt care, perhaps he identifies in some small way with my struggle.
To this day i dont know how God can create us and allow such sinful inclinations to continue despite some creatures constant pleading to have that sin washed away. No doubt father Ken has pleaded with God for such a miracle. “take this cup from me” I pray, yet in another breath , i say i enjoy my sin. hypocrite? for sure! but so were the apostles, the jews and so is the world today.
The victims on this site suggest they dont blame the church or are not in it for the money. well then why do you sue the diocese? because that is where the money is! and you think money can undue the suffering you endured? do you believe some psychologist can heal you? are you not being a hypocrite yourself?
Perhaps people like myself, need to leave the church altogether. “and God gave them up” perhaps, that is where this is leading. the people of God on one side and the condemned on the other. Dont we all stand condemned. arent we all sinners. “didnt God call sinners? well “here I am lord, for you called” as the prophet samuel once said. Silence is all I get.
I have been to medjugorje and felt a resounding peace that made me want to stay forever, because in this world i feel nothing but an everlasting sense of guilt, confusion, and hoplessness. Can i help it if I believe in God , but i dont trust Him enough, to want to heal me?
You feel betrayed by the church, well I have been betrayed by God. He said ” Knock and the door will be opened to you” while i have been knocking for too long.
You want to lock us up in a jail cell, well i will tell you we are imprisoned already by our sin, and no amount of psychological BS is going to get us out of it. WE need miracles, nothing short of that. So you want to help, then pray for us. Pray for those who have all to often the occasions of sin confronting them everyday.
Many people love me for who they think i am, but the secret is tearing my soul apart, and i suspect the same has happened with father ken and others who on the one hand love God and want to serve his people yet on the other hand , satan, tempts them all the more, that if they give in even one time, they are doomed.
Father Joe, you need not remind me of the millstone. It is tied firmly around my heart already.though, I think too many of us fear the reprisals of man more than that of God. Lets face it none of us knows exactly what hell would be like considering the life we lead today is our greatest hell we know. how many of us have seen greater peace in suicide than in continuing to struggle with our affliction? I can see one example who soughtout this option, and he was an apostle called by God. why was he so different? why so greedy? I am Judas.
I just stumbled upon this website and blog regarding Fr. Kenneth Roberts. I have seen him and heard many of his talks. I find it hard to believe that such a man could have done what he is accused of.
I know that the closer one tries to become closer to God, the more that one is tested. He was a highly charismatic speaker and preacher. I fear that he possibly could have caused unjustified jealousy and intimidation on the part of other church authorities. I pray that I am wrong and I KNOW that the truth will come out.
I really feel that we have not yet heard the last of Fr Kenneth Roberts. I, like many others, can’t wait to hear from him again.
He is being surrounded by a curtain of evil that needs to be disintegrated through fervent prayer! It can happen!
I just googled Father Ken Roberts, as I do two or three times a year. When I was a child my family knew Father and loved him dearly. When we heard of these rumors it crushed us. It is so hard for me to believe any of these rumors. My older brothers were altar boys for him at Good Shephard in Garland Texas and never, not once did he do anything to us.
We all pray for him and would love to see him again. He must be in his late 70′s by now. If you ever hear from him please send our love.
The Wolfe Family
Father Roberts was molesting boys way back in the 1970′s. He spent a LOT of time with a family of 6 boys and a single mother that lived 2 houses down from us. Even as a child I remember Roberts being a very loud preacher. People made a big deal over him because of his book. I remember him preaching at both St. Angela Merici in Florissant, Missouri and St. Norberts, both churches that we attended over the years. One of the boys, who seemed rather effiminate even at that time told one of my brothers that Roberts was molesting him. My brother in turn told my father who didn’t believe my brother. Either that or he didn’t want to get involved. Priests were held in high regard then, you never questioned them, people thought they were just a hair away from being Christ, and pedophiles in the church were not even heard of back then. Perhaps you were not molested, because you and your family didn’t fit the mold that pedophiles liked to prey on. Perhaps he was busy victimizing someone else at the time, thus sparing your family. I have to wonder if pedophiles like this are socio paths, no consience. Supposedly doing God’s work, put up on a pedistol by everyone, a perfect way to get away with ruining people’s lives. Maybe in that twisted world, of supposedly serving God, Roberts in his mind rationalized away his deviant behavior. At any rate, God is the final judge. Roberts may have gotten away with ruining many lives in this life time. He can lie to himself and to others but God sees through it all. Let’s hope Roberts has truly repented of these terrible acts for his sake. Even Hitler in all his evil could have been saved from the fires of hell.
I came across this blog after a google search for John Bertolucci, the posts are very interesting. It seems that many of you have lots of questions. There is a terrific report being broadcast on KMOX radio in St Louis. We have linked all of this weeks reports onto our web site:
http://www.steubenvilletruth.org/
The report is titled: “They will stop at Nothing”, Child Predators.
This report will answer many of your questions of ‘wondering and disbelief’ about pedophiles and how they work.
Tks, Judy
I have come across these posts concerning Ken Roberts after I Googled his name.
It makes interesting reading to me as Ken Roberts is my Godfather. I knew Ken before he was ordained when he lived in the UK. Late 1950′s and the 60′s. His mother is my Grandmother.
Yes Ken did get up to some antics in his early days, I can remember how Ken could party and tell stories.
Aspects of his book Playboy to Priest upset my father because of untruths in the book about his earlier life. Ken has always been a good story teller.
Ken was adopted by my Grandmother, as she did another boy, and brought them up to be adults with her other children in a good catholic home. She loved Ken dearly and his ordination meant so much to her.
I am probably lucky that Ken didn’t behave as a Godfather to me, I haven’t heard of or from him for over 35 years. I had no experience of molestation from Ken, and I was a child when Ken was a regular member of the family.
On the other hand my bother who is ten years older than me has always been adamant that Ken was a molester and after all these years it appears that there might be substance in his allegations.
Terry
Father Joe,
The Lord bless you and your work. I’m quite new to the Catholic family as I have been actively seeking Christ and His Church for the last year and a half, having spent the previous 10 years in protestant circles. For the last year and half I’ve been fed many many tapes, that I might gain a better knowledge and understading of the Catholic faith. One of my favorite preachers to listen to was Ken Roberts. I just found out tonight why he hasn’t been around recently. I share my tears for both the victims and Ken Roberts.
May we perservere in charity that we will never leave another brother or sister behind in their sin or their pain. May God strenthen us that we cease to judge but learn to pray, pray hard, pray with sincerity, and pray with perserverance.
Praise be to God that no matter the evil of a situation, The Most Holy Trinity seems to bring some of the most amazing victories for His people. ie. Job’s story, Moses and his many trials in leading the Israelites out of Egypt, and Jesus, who was killed, not to destroy the 2nd person of the trinity but rather to give sonship to the world.
Dear Fr. Joe,
I just heard about Fr. Bertolucci. I am heartsick. What I have heard involves a group of 6 priests working together, camping trips with foster children, one victim committed suicide, other really awful things. I pray that this is misinformation. The devil and his minions slink about this world searching for souls to devour. Our priests, the Church, all of us are under attack. If the church can be discredited, how much easier for satan to tempt people to believe that there is no hope. Our good and holy priests are seemingly assumed guilty until proven innocent. My instinct is to pray through our Blessed Mother (the Rosary), St. Michael, St. John Vianney, St. Anne and to the Divine Mercy. I am sorry Fr. Joe for everything the priesthood and those in the consecrated life are suffering. I pray that God will heal His Church, and send comfort and peace to those families who have been victims of this moral plague.
I attended a Holy Spirit conference in New Mexico 20 years ago where I first heard Fr. Bertolucci speak. He was talented, inspirational, funny. He’s a talented speaker, and was, I thought, an impressive priest. Actually all priests are impressive as far as I’m concerned. How sad to lose any of them, or our children. God, please help us.
I refuse to believe such an allegation about Father John Bertolucci. I saw the gift of the Holy Spirit at work in this man. He was given the gift of tongues as the apostles had. He had the gift of healing. He also had other charisms of the Holy Spirit. I think the accusations against him were false.
It was an attack of Satan as far as I am concerned
All of this is very disconcerting. We have to remain prayerful in the midst of spiritual battle. This is the only way to stay united. The devil seeks to divide and conquer and he uses any and all means available. He already knows where he’s going and he wants to drag many down along with him.
For all the evil that’s been committed, there’s always a greater good at hand IF we accept it and move forward. We can pray the rosary daily or as St. Pio called it ” The weapon”
Jesus chose Judas knowing all along that he would be the one to betray Him. He chose him anyway to teach us that we will always have to deal with scandals in the church, hence the topic of this blog. We can’t discount the lay people who also betray their vocations as well. They do.
The big mistake is forgetting about the infinite mercy of God no matter how hard the fall.
His mercy is for all who repent with a sincere heart.
Last I heard Fr. Roberts was basically in hiding at a retirement home for elderly priests in Cincinnati, Ohio. I know some people who have him at their house on occasion where he continues to perform as a priest. I once called him a friend. I now consider him a criminal.
Dave,
We’re all criminals, but most of us never get caught.
“If not by the grace of God, there go I”
My meditation today concerned not judging others. If these so called “criminals” have repented and they’ve reconciled with God, THAT MAKES THEM HIS FRIENDS. Who gives us the right to deny our friendship to a fallen brother or sister in need? Remember Jesus’ advice on forgiveness: (SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN). We are not God and we don’t have the right to write off anyone. He came to destroy hell. I’m not saying that we have to schmooze with these people either, but we should pray for their salvation as Jesus does for us.
We have to love and to meet people where they are in the SAME manner that Jesus does………. (UNCONDITIONALLY).
Remember His meeting with the sinful Samaritan woman at the well? He told her that He loved her then He made her an evangelist.
The truth is that we don’t really know what transpired, unless we were there and were directly effected by the faults and shortcomings of these sinful people. If that’s the case, then it becomes an opportunity for us to grow spiritually stronger and moreover, an opportunity for us to practice heroic virtue. Don’t we take the love of God for granted? Don’t we expect Him to love us no matter what? Then who are we to withhold that from someone else?
Think of Jesus on the cross. He’s the model.
Giving salvation to those who were killing Him.
He’s not asking us to do what He hasn’t done Himself already.
Lord Jesus, teach us to love others the way that you do. Please cement that into our hearts, minds and wills. We realize that we can never enter Heaven any other way.
Fr. Joe,
Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not condoning anyone’s sinful actions.
I agree with your words:
(Instead of outrageous civil litigation for money from the Church, I think the abusers themselves, and those who hid and/or enabled them should spend the remainder of their lives doing serious penance and try to make perpetual reparation (and restitution) for their victims.) Right!
Mother Angelica always repeated that all of us have a skeleton in a closet somewhere.
She’s right. If we were perfect we wouldn’t be sitting here typing messages back and forth.
That also reminds me of the good thief hanging next to Jesus. Our salvation is an ongoing process and we have a hand in it.
The wages of sin is death. Those of us who sincerely repent are fortunate to have the infinite mercy of God. We always have to remain in a state of grace because we don’t know the day nor the hour when He will call us from this life. Priests and teachers of the law will be held more accountable than the rest of us.
Jesus told St. Faustina this:
“I only condemn the soul that condemns itself”
We condemn ourselves by denying our sinfulness and by our own selfish self-will.
That’s why it’s so important for us Catholics to constantly look to our Lord and to our Lady.
Wow….
I just found out ( and just showed my wife who is equally grieved) about Fr. John Bertolucci and Fr. Roberts today. I attended Franciscan University in the early eighties and went to Rome with Fr. John for the first world youth day (then called youth jubilee in 1984)and did a high school youth conference on campus with Fr. Roberts. My conversion back to the Faith came through the preaching of Fr. John when I was a senior in high school lost in drugs, etc.
Fr. John and I were freinds and did a fair amount of ministry together on campus. One time, He drove me and a fellow student hailing from Vermont in his rickety VW rabbit he had back then from Steubenville to Albany then me and my buddy hich hiked the rest of the way to Vermont (one of those crazy fun things you do when in college.).
I was actually in the middle of writing a private biography of my life for my six sons. When I got to the chapter about being selected as a student at Franciscan to travel to Rome with Fr. John and FACE (St. Francis Association for Catholic Evangelism) for the First World Youth Day, I googled Fr. John to see what he’d been up to all these years.
Wow…I just don’t know what to say. We traveled nearly three weeks together to Rome and Assisi and there was never a hint of impropriety. It never even crossed my mind. In fact I remember going to an RCIA conference held at a seminary on Long Island and having a priest try to make a subtle move on me. It ticked me off and I meant to report him (thank God I didn’t beat him silly – although I probably should have) When I found out the priest was from the Diocese of Albany I told Fr. John about my experience after I got back on campus and Fr. John contacted the bishop in Albany to report the priest ! Now that’s dysfunctional !
We have to do more than just pray for our preists. We have to offer up masses, encourage them, befriend them, and keep them from getting isolated and picked off by the enemy. Satan is so fiercely ettempting to destroy the Church. Lucifer was the greatest angel God created and he fell. We cannot be presumptious and think that this couldn’t happen to anyone.
I live in the Palm Beach Diocese and we’ve seen two bishops leave disgraced, priests jailed for embezzlement of Church funds and you know, I just can’t keep up with it any more it so pervasive.
As profoundly disapointing and out right heart wrenching as finding out about Fr. John’s disgrace is, I’m reminded of the words of St. John of the Cross in the Counsels on Light and Love where he says, “Why are you surprised to find out about any mans sin?”
Thank God the Church Hierarchy is attempting to clean house. These men, as accomplished as they may be, have to go. Removal, defrocking and whatever else is necessary and justified should be swift, complete and final. Turning them over to civil authorities where appropriate should be immediate. The Church has to cut out this and any other cancer with impunity.
If only Bishops and Cardinals had been fierce men of God in the beginning of this scandal and had stommped it out with the holy zeal of the saints they could have saved so much horror for somany people. You should read the writings of St. John Bosco if you want to know how to deal with these men. We need a pure and holy Church who can in the word’s of St. Francis, “preach the gospel with it’s life and when necessary use words.”
Over the past 25 years of coming back to the church and being in Charismatic Renewal I’ve seen so much fallout from sin. I’ve seen prayer groups disintegrate, covenant communities explode, priests, religious and nuns leave their vocations, I’ve seen on fire men become active homos, I’ve seen on fire women become active lesbies. I’ve seen scores of on fire marriages crash and burn, I’ve seen folks in love and on fire with God commit suicide and on and on and on… The amount of scandal out there is just unbelievable.
Faith rests on God alone and the institution he established the Church and not on the fallen population that populates its pews and vocations.
Wow…I just don’t know what to say. God have mercy on these men because if it were my responsibility – I’d castrate them all!
“Thank God the Church Hierarchy is attempting to clean house.”
Hi Dan,
I hate to say this, but the Church Hierarchy is not cleaning up this mess. It is the brave survivors of sex abuse by clergy, by speaking of their stories, who are having the courage to get this abuse stopped. These survivors never, ever want to see another child go through the horrors of abuse that they have, especially the lose of their spirituality.
Please beg your church leaders to stop fighting the removal of the statute of limitations of child sex abuse. They are not being honest, and they are still covering up the secrets. It is only when they are forced to turn over their secret documents to law enforcement, that anything changes. They want you to think that they are cleaning up this abuse mess, but I have learned the hard way, that is not the truth.
Please support the victims, it is worse than you can imagine. I feel for your shock, I know that feeling of being betrayed. It hurts.
Judy Jones SNAP Director Southeastern Ohio
http://www.steubenvilletruth.org/
Hi Judy,
“I feel for your shock, I know that feeling of being betrayed. It hurts.”
I never said I was shocked and I never said i felt betrayed, I never said I was hurt so stop attaching words to me I never wrote. The “fact” is I never was betrayed nor was i ever hurt- so why was I supposed to feel betrayed and feel hurt? It sadens me and I grieve for Fr. John and the boy(s) he abused. But that’s it. I don’t make it bigger than it really is.
I have seen plenty of fallout in the Church whether it be disgraced priests or nuns turned lesbian heralding a bizarre gospel. But in the midst of it, I just don’t subscribe to the victimology mentality you cling to. I appluad the victims because they have exposed the evil by coming forward, but to say the Church is not trying to root out abuse is flat wrong.
We had a U.S. Senator here in West Palm Beach get cought trying to solicit pages over the internet for sex. He resigned and checked into a rehab center and then later tried to blame it on an unverifiable accusation that he had been molested by a priest – SORRY I DON’T SUBSCRIBE TO THAT SLEEZE – take responsibility for your own life and your own actions and stop sliding the blame to the nearest scape goat !
What is fascinating to me is that virtually no one is addressing the largest problem here – which is homosexuality. A pedophile staulks little kids, but most of these cases involve those in their mid teens and up, which is really predatorial homosexuality.
The one area I don’t see the Church being vigilant enough in is preventing homosexuals and those with homosexual tendencies from becoming priests. They should be banned! Period ! End of story! They can be Catholic and come to the table of the Lord – but they should never be allowed into the seminary. Homosexuality is just too much of a perversion of the natural order to be allowed into the sacred ministry of the priesthood.
Any way – of course I support the victims and of course I support the church in her attempts to clean house. It’s not an “either” “or”. In my mind it’s a “both” “and”. That’s the difference between the victimology mind set you have and simply seeing the situation for what it is.
Going around and constantly fishing for circumstances and constantly chasing every little wind of rumor which is what your website is doing is a risky game to play. I hope you are being very careful. There are a lot of unstable people out there who would be more than happy to falsly accuse priests and the church to jump on the financial gravy train you have going. And those mired in a mind set of victimology just assumes the accused are always guilty. Case in point is the disgraced U.S. Senator Mark Foleyefered to earlier – yes even United States Senators can be sleeze bags.
Your non discretionary over zelousness is just as wrong as the apathy you accuse the Church of having. So my advise is that you pull the plank out of your own eye to see clearly the spec in your brothers eye. Then you will be in a far better position to follow through on the work of justice.
Dan
DENNIS: I too am one of those that heard about Father Bertolucci when I was a teen. My mother gave me a tape of HIS converstion..his witness tape. At that time ( 1978 ) I also heard of Father Ralph DiOrio who has the gift of healing and has services in Ma. I was 17 and I started going to his services and really These Priests’ esp. Father DiOrio helped me to fall in love with Jesus and the church. I actually thought about becoming a priest. I went to mass every sunday, Father DiOrios services once a week, a local coffee house for praise and worship and Charismatic conferences and even an EXPERIANCE JESUS conference with Father Bertolucci. Well as the yrs past, I got lazy and became laxed, although I continued with Father DiOrio’s services. They were like energizing. I wanted to come back and feel the way I did before and thats when I googled FATHER JOHN BERTOLUCCI to buy some of his tapes only to find that he molested… Well you all know what I felt. I cried and thought that maybe all this charismatic stuff was all a lie. Could anything that he said or talked about be true? After being prayed with at Father DiOrio’s service and reading that Fr. Bertolucci molested before his conversion, I feel differently now. I still cant get over the number of Priests that abused.. I think I read somewhere the smoke of Satan will enter the church well I see that. A new day and a new era is coming I hope. Please father and those who may read this. Pray for me so I will come back to the church and let some of this pain and anger toward those who molested, go and give it to GOD. Thank you for allowing me to VENT. God Bless.
FATHER JOE: What happened with some priests is really hard to understand. God can work even through bad priests, but these men seemed so genuine that their fall hurts us all very deeply. It may be that some of them lied to themselves even as they sought to communicate the truth to the rest of us. I must also wonder about demonic influence. The devil would certainly target those priests who were the most successful in bringing souls to Christ. Any weakness or secret sin would be a vulnerability that Satan would surely exploit. This does not take away from their own culpability; it is a warning for us to stay alert and strong in Christ. Dennis, if you need heroes, then look to Christ and his long list of saints in the history of the Church. Come back to the full practice of your faith, not because I say so, but for yourself. God wants you to be a witness of his mercy and abiding presence. I will be praying for you.
thank you father and thank you for your quick responce.
It is always painful to learn of scandal in the Church. This is when I remind myself that a member does not sin because of the Church, but because he is unfaithful to Her principles.
Someone once said that if Christianity had been judged solely on the actions of Judas, it would never have survived the first century.
The Church is holy, despite having sinners in Her fold.
(Dennis: You are in my prayers.)
Fr. Joe….
It is unfortunate that in this day and age of world wide communications that are available at our finger tips, that we insist on believing every little story that others, who are in league with Satan to destroy the priesthood, place on the internet……the following article refutes these attacks on Fr. Jozo. There have been many attempts to discredit the events in Medjugorje from the very beginning until now.
The Vatican has appropriately instructed Bishop Zanic, now deceased, as well as Bishop Peric to keep their personal opinions about the events ongoing in Medjugorje to themselves. Unfortunately, they have unwittingly caused themselves to be eliminated from the investigative process due to their prejudice towards the Franciscans in the region.
There is a history of disharmony between the dioceasan priests and the Franciscans which goes back many, many years. The people of the region are extreamly loyal to the Franciscans who stood by them during the turblulent times when they were being persecuted.
Just as the Catholic Church is under attack by virtue of the abuse scandles, so too will the attacks against Medjugorje continue.
We should pray with great intensity for all our priests and religious…….for those who carry out their vocation faithfully…..for those who have violated their vows and have given into grave sinfull conduct….and finally for those who are being wrongfully accused by those who say they are not making accusations for the purposes of monetary gain, but to expose an abusive conduct of a priest…..those priests are entering our Lord’s passion, for they are being asked to endure the full weight of the media’s condemnation of them, as well as having to go through the possible criminal and civil prosecutions that could last several years before their being exhonerated of the lies told against them.
AND PRAY FOR THOSE WHO FALSELY ACCUSE A PRIEST OR RELIGIOUS OF MISCONDUCT…..THEIR SOULS ARE IN GRAVE DANGER.
http://www.marian-times.com/articles/medjugorje/medjugorje-franciscans.cfm
Even the dead link is copied and the article is years out of date. Things have become much worse for Medjugorie and it looks like Pope Benedict XVI is going to take a strong hand to it. I am sorry, but things are looking bleak for it and the principal priests involved. The clergy have evidently admitted their guilt.
Media Lies about Medjugorje Franciscans Revealed
Source: http://www.childrenofmedjugorje.com/JozoDefense.htm
by Denis Nolan:
A vicious attack against Fr. Jozo Zovko, OFM., and Medjugorje has been launched in the main traditionalist publication in the US, The Wanderer, (November 14, 2002).
Many of these false allegations have been refuted long ago and this is just one more example of how the enemies of Medjugorje rely upon disinformation in order to destroy Medjugorje and her Franciscan priests. Highly volatile “flash words” are used so as to indirectly associate Medjugorje with recent
scandals in the USA involving clergy, though no facts are given to back up these allegations. Guilt by association, innuendo and slander serve their intended purpose. The Wanderer should be held accountable for such libelous journalism.
You’d think this time the news editor for The Wanderer would have at least gotten the date right: “the alleged apparitions began in 1979,” in light of the fact that several paragraphs later Paul Likoudis quotes: “the apparitions of the blessed Virgin Mary first started in 1981,” (p.1)
In point of fact Likoudis established lack of credibility four years ago with his article, “Film Probes Underside of MEDJUGORJE INDUSTRY,” (The Wanderer, March 26, 1998).
Now, four years later, the director and producer of that film, the cameraman, the journalists – all of whom Likoudis referred to and quoted throughout his article – testify publicly that everything he reported was false. It was all part of a deliberate campaign to destroy Medjugorje! And Likoudis has the audacity continuing this campaign in the November 14, 2002 The Wanderer! This is criminal. He and the Wanderer should be held accountable! There never were any death threats made by the Franciscans of Medjugorje against Jones and others There never was a pedophile ring of Franciscans in Medjugorje! The story that was kept alive for two years in the Muslim newsdaily, “The Feril Tribune,” – that all money given by pilgrims to the Franciscans in Medjugorje during the war, for refugee aid, was instead used by them for ethnic cleansing of Muslims – was entirely false!
At the time the acting Provincial for the Hercegovina Province, Fr. Tomislav Pervan, OFM., felt it necessary to answer some of these accusations in an article titled “Campaign Against Medjugorje” in the Croatian weekly “Nedjeljna Dalmacija (April 17, 1998). Likoudis and The Wanderer should be
apologizing and printing a retraction instead of continuing their shameless campaign.
I can just imagine the scenario surrounding Fr. Jozo’s speaking engagement at the Basilica of Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC…. The same thing happened several years ago when he was invited to speak at the National Conference of Medjugorje at the University of Notre Dame. My
bishop’s fax machine was flooded with faxes from the same number (is it a coincidence that one paragraph from Likoudis’ article is exactly the same – word for word – as a paragraph in the fax my bishop received)? The attempt failed. Bishop John M. D’Arcy saw right through what was happening.
Commenting on the recent The Wanderer article, the Franciscan Provincial in Mostar, Fr. Slavko Soldo, OFM., Fr. Jozo’s superior, told me: “It’s not true that Fr. Jozo was suspended by his Franciscan general. He is not suspended! He is a priest in good standing with his community!” (Note that the November 14th letter from the Provincial and a November 21st letter of clarification
from the Franciscan Vicar General in Rome are posted at http://www.childrenofmedjugorje.com.) He continued: “And regarding the charges against him, it’s interesting that not one of those women has ever sent any of those letters to me. And I’m the first person who should know. Fr. Jozo is responsible to me as far as discipline goes. I find it interesting that neither has the bishop ever sent me a copy of any of those supposed letters. Let me repeat: never have such charges – or anything like them – ever been brought to my attention – and there are none in my office files preceeding my time as Provincial! Of course now they can be invented and sent to me afterwards.”
Fr. Soldo has good reason to be frustrated. Charges of sexual misconduct brought against Fr. Tomislav Vlasic, OFM (who was named Pastor in Medjugorje after Fr. Jozo was sent to prison) spread publicly by the Bishop of Mostar have been refuted countless times by the very woman whose name appears at the end of the letters – who was supposed to have written them and sent them to the bishop. … she pointed out to him that two letters he had with her name at the end were even written in different handwriting… “I am ready to swear by the Cross in the presence of anybody and everybody that I never disclosed or wrote who the father of the child is.” The bishop’s response was to ask her to be quiet, and he continued spreading those letters to journalists as authentic! (Cf. “At the Sources of Medjugorje: Objections,” Daria Klanac, ZIRAL, Hrvatski mladezi bb, Mostar, 1999, p. 39).
The Holy Father has just recently thanked Fr. Jozo for all that he has done in a signed blessing delivered to Fr. Jozo by Polish pilgrims coming to Medjugojre via Rome and the Vatican. And what is it that Fr. Jozo has done to draw this extraordinary attention and gratitude of the Holy Father except
to “protect the children’ as heaven asked him to do. The original children were the visionaries when the Communists tried to silence them. It was Fr. Jozo and not the bishop who protected the children. And it is Fr. Jozo and not the Bishop who has continued to “protect the children” of Medjugorje worldwide.
Soon all will come into the light.
And be at peace. These kinds of slanders are exactly the kinds of things that should be expected if Our Lady were really coming to Medjugorje!
FATHER JOE: Even the dead link is copied and the article is years out of date. Things have become much worse for Medjugorie and it looks like Pope Benedict XVI is going to take a strong hand to it. I am sorry, but things are looking bleak for it and the principal priests involved. The clergy have evidently admitted their guilt.
DAVID: Oh really Father…..that’s funny…Wayne Weible just spoke at our parish on 9/17/08. He led his 92 pilgrimage to Medjugorje in June, and guess what, none of the bleak outlooks you give about the clergy and the village of Medjugorje are true.
FATHER JOE: The Medjugorie traffic is Mr. Weible’s meat and potatoes. I doubt he would speak critically about the matter. He gives pilgrimages because obedient pastors have been told by Church authorities not to do so. I have never said I opposed the so-called apparitions or messages, only that the situation looked dire. Some of the messages are hard to reconcile with Church teaching. It is possible that the seers themselves get the words confused or that there are translation irregularities. I suspect the Vatican is taking a heavier hand in matters because of the danger to faith created by enthusiasts and the promoters of Medjugorie. If the local bishops criticize or make further statements against the validity of the apparitions, then the faith of millions might be shaken. The Vatican will probably deal with the clergy directly before making any official statements, but I might be wrong. They are under holy obedience and unlike the lay seers have no choice but to obey Church authority or face censure. All those making the case for Medjugorie have to show that the messages are in harmony with the catechism, that the event is having positive fruit with conversions and vocations, and that it is causing no fracture in the ecclesiastical communion. Church authorities (yes, the bishop) must be respected and obeyed as his office demands. Note that even at Guadalupe, the Blessed Mother could only have the poor peasant “ask” THE BISHOP to build her a great church on the site. Similarly, the Blessed Mother can make no demand at Medjugorie that violates the authority of the lawful bishop. She has her place in salvation history, but so do the bishops, yes, even when they are mistaken or rude. Mary is our Mother. Priests, bishops and the Pope share in the priesthood of Christ. They are our shepherds. There is a hierarchy that must be followed, not in terms of sanctity or even mere honor, but one of government over the Pilgrim Church. If these apparitions are genuine, she would not approve of any disrespect to the lawful bishop or to the Holy Father. If a priest is censured by the local bishop, and suspension of one’s faculties is extremely serious, we should give the bishop the benefit of the doubt. The difficulty with religious, and yes I am aware of the old tension between the diocese and the Franciscans, is that while a bishop can take away or restrict the faculties of a priest to function within the jurisdiction of his diocese, the religious order may have its own jurisdiction that would allow the religious clergy to function elsewhere. The Archdiocese of Washington insists that a priest who functions here must be in good standing with the local bishop from which he comes. Thus, we see one possible rationale for why the Medjugorie priest was disinvited at the Shrine in DC some time back.
DAVID: Not only that but we had a group from our parish make the journey about the same time Wayne Weible did, only with a different tour group. My wife and I know each and every one of them…..a couple of them have made the pilgrimage two other times. Their experience in Medjugorje was life changing.
FATHER JOE: Did your pastor take the group? He must know that the Vatican has told dioceses that parishes should not organize official pilgrimages to Medjugorje. This is the official policy of the bishops. We received clear letters to this effect years ago. If, however, Catholics should still travel to the site, as they are free to do, then the Church must extend to them whatever pastoral services it can offer. I cannot answer the question as to whether it is supernatural. The religious experience could be an illusion. It might also be an expression of charismatic prayer… not because of something people find there but because of something they take with them… a deep love for the Blessed Mother, Jesus and the Eucharist. If thousands or millions of people filled with faith converge somewhere, might that in itself be the source for miracles? It might also be real, the verdict is still out… but as I said, it is not looking good.
DAVID: The only difference from the earliest days and now is the commercialization and the presence of the world that was inevitable, as it was in Fatima and in Lourdes.
FATHER JOE: Actually, it is more so at Lourdes than Fatima.
DAVID: The condemnations and attacks from secular and certain church authorities arose in these cases as well.
FATHER JOE: There are also important differences: a limited time period, religious vocations from the seers, the clear doctrinal integrity of the messages and the holiness of life and obedience of all involved.
DAVID: Only our Mother did not stay as long….nor has she ever stayed as long as she has in Medjugorje. There is a very good reason for that.
FATHER JOE: Which is? After all, we are only talking about private revelation. Belief in it can not be required by the Church and is not necessary for salvation.
DAVID: So where do you get your information at….from Bishop Peric? Tell you what Father……why don’t you make that trip to Medjugorje for yourself….priests usually don’t have to pay for the trip if they go as a spiritual adviser.
FATHER JOE: When and if the Pope says that pastors should go, and take their flocks, then I will consider it. I will not violate my conscience for an act of disobedience to suit you. As for the good bishop, your disparaging of him is not the act of a good Catholic. You should repect his demands and pray for the priests and visionaries. That is what I am doing. The news about the priests is such that we should pray for them with particular urgency. Speaking as a priest myself, although diocesan, a priest is measured by his obedience to authority and his love for God that spills over in the service of his people.
DAVID: Oh yea, by the way…..Medjugorje changed my life….one moment I was a man of the world hell bent on my own self destruction and that of my family…..the next moment a man of God who is totally faithful and deeply in love with the Church and in Jesus Christ. Over time our whole family changed and continues to be transformed. Mom has brought about this transformation of heart in me through Medjugorje and my love and devotion to Her is eternal.
FATHER JOE: I am glad your life changed, but the source was not so much Medjugorie as it was the intercession of the Virgin Mary and the salvific power of her Son, Jesus Christ. Even if the final verdict on Medjugorie is negative, pilgrims can take solace that their faith is real and that God has not abandoned his people… even those running around the world seeking a sign.
DAVID: Praised be Jesus and Mary! DMW
FATHER JOE: Amen.
Vatican denounces group’s claim of seeing the Virgin Mary more than 40,000 times as ‘work of the devil’
By Daily Mail Reporter
June 2008
The Vatican has denounced a group who claim to have seen the Virgin Mary more than 40,000 times in the past 27 years.
The six Bosnian ‘seers’ attract five million pilgrims a year to their home town of Medjugorje, providing a lucrative trade for local businesses.
Hundreds of thousands travel there each year from Britain alone.
The Vatican has rejected claims made by the six Bosnian ‘seers’ that they have seen the Virgin Mary more than 40,000 times over the past 27 years
But now one of the most respected voices in the Roman Catholic church has accused the visionaries of perpetuating a ‘diabolical deceit’.
Andrea Gemma, 77, a bishop and once the Vatican’s top exorcist, told a magazine in Italy: ‘In Medjugorje everything happens in function of money: Pilgrimages, lodging houses, sale of trinkets.
‘This whole sham is the work of the Devil. It is a scandal.’ He said the Vatican would soon crack down on the group.
The Medjugorje phenomenon began on June 25, 1981, when six children told a priest they had seen the Virgin on a hillside near their town.
A church investigation dismissed the vision, and the Vatican banned pilgrimages to the site in 1985. But many Catholics ignored the ban.
Today, the seers own smart houses with security gates and tennis courts and expensive cars. One is married to a former U.S. beauty queen.
Catholic officials in the U.S. have recently banned the group from speaking on church property during their world tours, on which they allegedly take the Virgin with them.
Find this story at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1023492/Vatican-denounces-groups-claim-seeing-Virgin-Mary-40-000-times-work-devil.html
I missed this story. No wonder the defenders of Medjugorie are so defensive. Things are going from bad to worse.
Medjugorje — that’s the one where there’s supposed to be “an indestructible sign for the atheists” that will appear on a mountaintop. Yeah, I heard about that.
We’re still waiting for it.
It’ll probably turn out to be something like lightning breaking a rock (miracle! — not). That would be lame. A rare, gold-containing meteorite landing on the mountain would be more impressive, because of the long odds.
I met Father Ken Roberts back in 1998 when he was moderator of an AOL Catholic chat room. My family and I lived on Cape Cod at the time. Through the course of my communications with Father Ken, we ended up having him come to our home in Sandwich, Massachusetts to spend a weekend with our family and to say Mass in our livingroom. He insisted on holding private, closed door Confessions for each of my family members before Mass, which included four teenaged boys. I found out afterward that each of the boys were asked for graphic details about their masturbation habits and techniques. I was appalled. At the time, I had no idea he had been censured by the Church. Thank God none of the boys were touched in any way, however, I feel their purity was violated by him in the manner in which he inappropriately grilled them for perverted sexual details.
How awful for you and your sons! That can stain relationships with religious in the future.
I had a man tell me about his encounter with a priest, now deceased, from a parish in our neighborhood. He said he used to take the “guys out for a drink” meaning teens. One day he put his hand on his knee and he took it off and told him “in his own way” to bug off and that was it. He wasn’t Catholic but the others were. I felt bad that his only encounter really with the church was that….certainly didn’t help his seemingly agnostic attitude. Later, my aunts priest ina neighboring town was in the news, then another who has a boyfriend was in the news, and on and on.
I felt so overwhelmed then, wondering how many I didn’t know about. I wasn’t practicing then, it took a lot of grace for me to come back, but I am still saddened by the stain of the sins of religious. I have sinned many times, very ashamed of myself, but I wasn’t abusing anyone (except myself) and I wasn’t saying I was doing things “for God”.
I can’t help but wonder how they get through the seminary? Other jobs aren’t scrutinized as well, but is it just wanting the end result or do they compartmentilize the abuse and want to be a preist? I just don’t know.
The important thing is that they all get caught. No one can escape the justice of God.
They are giving all priests a bad name and it is absolutely disgusting. To do this for God yet? How twisted and sick minded can that be….
I am sickened by the story of Fr. Ken and the 4 teenage boys above – Awful. May God have mercy on his soul and spare and heal those he came into contact with, so as not to have this type of perversion perpetuated.
IT must be very hard to be a good and faithful priest when you hear of such things …We must pray for all of them.
Satan truly preys on the priest most of all because he wants to destroy the Church and what it stands for; without good priests we would have no Eucharist.
Janine,
You’re right. We must thank God for good and faithful priests.
I had a priest in high school who made a remark about the hair on my arms. He was later dismissed for showing the senior religion class border line porno movies trying to pass them off as sex ed. The guy was a perv too.
I heard another priest say that it was ok to masturbate. There was yet another priest in high school who demonstrated the proper way to inspect a condom for leaks.
It only proves that they are humans before they are priests.
Do I think any less of the priesthood because of this? Positively not. I think that it boils down to practicing two main virtues no matter what the vocation is namely chasitity and fidelity by and through prayer and self-control.
I have a very short fuse and I am finding that I tolerate a lot less in my older years.
If someone made remarks like that to my kid and I got wind of it, I can assure you they would have a bigger problem then worrying about the local bishop.
You made me laugh Michael, I’m like that too!
Why do you think they become priests though…access, laziness (in the olden days of 2-3 priest parish’s and maids) power, I don’t know. All the instruction, if properly given was in one ear and out the other. Sure cops go through training and plan on making their own law sometimes, all professions, really have wayward individuals, but they aren’t saying they are representing Jesus…..if they really believed, wouldn’t they be a little scared?
I found this link and it makes me sad…I don’t know why I bookmarked it, there’s a part of me that wants to discard anything negative and there is a part that wants to know.
http://www.boston.com/globe/spotlight/abuse/scandal/
I think the biggest thing for me is that I don’t like getting broadsided when someone brings up news I didn’t hear. I try to tell them about the unsung heroes, the many, many men and women giving their heart and soul to God, but it’s hard when it’s something sexual. I think they could overlook the priests that stole money from their parish, even had an affair with a women, (things things happen, they’d say) but perpetual abuse is different.
Maybe the church needed to be shaken a bit, humbled, obviously if parts are weak, it can’t stand solid. I hope my children and their children see a stronger, more unified church.
Yes Deb, it was a terrible scandal.
It reminds me of another Watergate. There were crimes committed, but then came the cover up which made it worse.
An ousted Cardinal said that he didn’t feel bad about paying out the money for the law suits because he raised a lot of money for the church in his day.
No excuse and completely unacceptable.
I would like to know what makes these people think that they are so lofty and above the law.
They’re all gonna die just like the rest of us.
Then what?
I was in Medjugorie with Fr Roberts in 1992, Holy Week..
I loved him and had no idea of his whereabouts until today.
We must pray for him for all the good he has done and beg God to help him in his moment of need.
In Christ
David A
Dear Fr. Joe,
I met Fr. Ken Roberts while on retreat at a center located in St. Paul, MN. I found him to be a warm, compassionate person. I was at that time trying to run from the sense of vocation in my life. Fr. Roberts told me that there was indeed a call on my life, and that I would be unable to avoid it. Now, at age 48 I am following God’s plan in my life and am looking at several religious orders.
It is difficult for me to believe that he could be guilty of abusing a child. I believe that Satan is working to discredit and destroy the lives of many of our good priests. As a survivor of child sexual abuse I have an inner sense of men and women who have abused children and who have not. I do not believe that Fr. Roberts is guilty in anyway of perpetrating abuse on a child.
He is a good priest.
I am speechless at the allegations against Fr Roberts. In the late 80′s/early 90´s, EWTN was instrumental in my returning to the Church. Mother Angelica, Bishop Wuerl, Fr. Groeschel and Fr Ken were the most influential in that journey. Today, by chance, I did a search as I had no information of his activities. I did know that he was regularly assigned to Dioceses to take on various projects.
I have been very vocal about the Church’s abuse problem from day-1 when the Boston Globe had the courage to out Cardinal Law’s coverups. The victims, the good priests and the Faithful have been severely wounded even decimated by these horrendous crimes and the effects are very long from being over.
A large percent of the accused have been proven guilty. I only hope that Fr Roberts was afforded this right and that the charges were proven beyond a reasonable doubt. If true, another sad day has occurred for me.
I too, followed the story of Medjugorje closed, from when I first heard about it, circa 1983. My first encounter was a testamony given by Fr. Bob Bedard, from Ottawa, Canada, describing his unplanned pilgrimage to Medjugorje. At the time I was convinced it was authentic. Nonetheless, being a pragmatist, I witheld judging it, but paid close attention to every news report or commentary on the subject. This has included numerous TV documentaries and also personal testamonies from friends who have visited the apparation site, as recently as 2005. Inspite the “sins” of some of the promoters of Medjugorje, I believe the saying, “You will know them by their fruits”, and Fr. Laurentin, a respected French Catholic theologian once said, the fruits of Medjugorje have been many. Is Satan their? –you bet. But then he was also at Fatima and at Lourdes. It is not my place to judge any of these fallen priests, however I agree that if guilty they should be punished.
What erks me more than anything, is the hypocrisy of our society –they are quick to condemn the Catholic Church for its small minority of priests who were discovered to be paedophiles and homosexuals –over 80% of the so-called instances of paedophilia are actually homosexuality (see Pedophiles and Priests by Philip Jenkins)– while at the same time, countless thousands of people are involved in these vices from every other vocation, including school teachers, Scout leaders, politicians, doctors, and lawyers, without any mention being made. In fact, the Boy Scouts of America have been persecuted by the secular media for not allowing homosexuals to be scout leaders, and the new president has just announced that homosexuals are to be accepted into the military without restrictions.
What else should we expect when eleven of the ninteen editors at the New York Times, are homosexuals, as are a large number of Holywood celebs. No, most of the condemnation of priests who are pedophiles is the result of an anti-Catholic culture committed to destroying the Catholic Church!
For further information on the history and growing influence of the homosexual agenda in society, read “The Pink Swastika”. For instance, did you know that all of the 9-11 terrorists were homosexuals, or that Yassar Arrafat was a pedophile? Is it any surprise that you wouldn’t have heard this on any of the mainstream TV networks? I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there is also a close association between the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and I’d guess senior administration in the current government. Given that the Catholic Church heirarchy has in recent years done an effective job of purging homosexuals from its seminaries, we can expect a much greater attack, now that the fox has control of all three levels of government in the US. As Mary has requested, we must pray for our priests, and pray for our leaders.
Oh, and by the way, Fr. Bedard has gone on to found the fastest growing religious order in Canada, called “The Companions of the Cross”. Inspite of his celebrity status, Fr. Bob has remained exceptionallly humble and has a regular TV program on a number of Christian channels, entitled, “Food for Life”.
We must pray for each other, especially for those who have been violated by our spiritual leaders, and pray too, for the perpetrators, who in many cases were also the victims of abuse.
Ron
I have only identified myself as [bc], and have done so to maintain my privacy. I have never written on this topic before but, because of my own experiences as well as the denial and victim bashing I have witnessed on many sites regarding this subject, I felt compelled to relate my own firsthand experience concerning Fr. Kenneth Roberts. For those who still wish to believe that Fr. Ken, that is the name by which I knew him, was not a pedophile is a case of wishful thinking and denial of numerous testimonies. I will add mine.
I was a victim of this man at the age of 12 at Transfiguration Parish in St. Louis MO. in the late 60’s. Fr. Ken was a high energy charismatic person who could win you over with his wit, stories of espionage and his accent. You could almost say he was downright “exotic” by St Louis standards. He was engaging and had flamboyant approach and was fantastic with the youth, organizing dances and outings to the movies etc. I was an altar boy and he seemed to like to make us feel like we were part of a club of sorts and would take us out for hamburgers and to the movies. I got my first clue that he was a bit different when going with him to the movie Battle of Britain, with a few other boys of the parish. I remember him singing and teaching lyrics to strange World War II songs in the car that contained foul and suggestive language. We were young at the time and thought it was kind of cool but also remembered thinking it was wrong as well. I also felt that here was a grownup as well as a priest who could be a pal and confidant. We all thought he was pretty cool at the time. Fr. Ken also was the PE instructor and it was while showing me “wrestling moves” that he touched me very inappropriate ways.
I did manage to confide in my parents and they had the pastor over to the house, a Fr. [NAME WITHHELD], who explained that Fr. Ken had a drinking problem and that he was sent to this parish to recover. Later at school I remember walking back to the classroom from lunch, in a single file line, and seeing Fr. Ken in the doorway of the school office. As I passed, he said “what did you tell your parents?” I remember saying “you KNOW what I told them. I have carried this disturbing memory with me for 40 years now and it will never go away. The thing I (find) most disturbing about this man is his constant denial in light of all the chaos he has laid out in his wake. People’s lives have been affected in profound and destructive ways and still this man does not confess. Since then I have learned of another boy in my Parish that was victimized to a greater degree and now carries serious psychological scars with him.
I also learned that Fr. Ken had been transferred on from parish to parish, with the full knowledge of what he had done known by his superiors, yet this man had been hidden from legal and public scrutiny and justice. The Catholic Church cared more about damage control, than the children whose young lives were being scarred. With all this said, many will disregard my testimony as evil or the illusions of a child, but they would be wrong in doing so. By calling to light the TRUTH, I am not trying to shake anyone’s faith. Even the faithful should understand that their human heroes are only human beings and subject to failure and sin. It’s when we put humans, including priests, on pedestals, even endowing them with divine attributes that we set ourselves up for faith crises.
Thanks for listening.
Wow–I am in shock. I just read about Fr. John Bertolucci–I too was involved in the Charismatic Renewal in the 1980 s as a teenager. I was just thinking the other day about some of the best weekends in my life were spent at Franciscan University conferences where Fr. John was often a speaker.
Fr. John definately was a big influence in my life—-the news that he is no longer a priest and was accused of molestation is very, very saddening. This man was very gifted, I thought that the Holy Spirit was moving him and he had a very specific gift of evangelism…Had this sin not occurred this man would probably be still bringing people to Jesus.
It seems like Satan is having a hay-day with our Church.
Mary Mother of Priests pray for us!
Thanks for your comment Fr. Joe. I am wondering do you think that Fr. John had an authentic gift of evangelism..This whole discovery about him is making me question whether I am a good judge of character…When he preached it made me want to give more of my life to Jesus. I am finding it hard to believe that what he preached about Jesus was not authentic…I even heard him give a teaching about homosexuality at Steubenville and it was right in line with the Church. It really seemed to me that he was on fire for the love of God….
Sorry for bringing this terrible subject up again on your blog, I did not find this information out until yesterday. For some reason I was thinking about Fr. John and wondering why I had not heard about him in a while. I typed in a google search and the rest, while you know….
I am having a hard time believing that he is the evil villan some have made him out to be, when I personally experienced so much good through his ministry.
Yes, he definately and all priests need our prayers.
Saint Faustina pray for our priests, especially the fallen
Thanks again Fr. Joe for the clarification that he is still a priest and needs our prayers.
To bc:
What a sad and very tragic story. May God heal you and all the innocent victims of these abusers. We need to pray for them as well as for their superiors who allowed this to continue. They will have to answer to God for their actions as well.
I agree that we should not put priests on pedestals. I mean no disrespect to Fr. Joe or other good and faithful priests who are exemplary in their actions, but they are all still human and given to a fallen nature like the rest of us.
A call to the priesthood should be a humbling experience, not the opposite.
Janine,
I am not so exemplary. I have a hard time pulling away from the dinner table. Everyone feeds the priest. I am ashamed about it. Tomorrow I have to see a doctor for tests about the heart, circulation and such. I turned 50 and I very much want to change direction about my diet. It is very hard. I am a coward about doctors. If they find anything bad, I may not be able to post again for awhile. Prayers would very much be appreciated.
Father Joe
Fr. Joe
We all love you and will pray for you – I too hate to visit the doctor and turn to food all too often – God bless you and be with you!
Janine
Fr. Joe,
There are guys out there who should feel shame for worse things than being overweight. You’ve shared this with us before and I’ve kept this in my prayers.
Here’s a word of consolation: My grandmother was heavy most of her adult life too. She lived a healthy life until she went home at the age of 93.
You are a good man and someone that I look up to, regardless of your weight.
God Bless you and know that this battle is not just yours.
Michael
Thanks Fr. Joe for your words of encouragement. Driving home from Mass today, I was thinking almost the exact thoughts that you shared with me….How could someone have a Dr. Jeklyl – Mr. Hyde persona…I just know from my personal experience with sin, is that if a person is trying to follow the Lord the Holy Spirit convicts of sin…I almost wish that I never typed in that google…sometimes ignorance is bliss….I never in a million years would have thought that about Fr. John. It would not hurt so much if this had been a priest who was at odds with the Church, not someone I saw as hero who had a genuine love for God. I do pray for the victim and his family that someday he may find peace. I have a personal friend who went through a similar situation with a priest in my diocese….Herself and her family however, did not leave the Church…They are struggling through their emotions and still clinging to Jesus in the sacraments, believing that only in HIM will true healing occur.
All in all I am leaving this one up to God and HIS MERCY…that is the only thing to do. Thanks for listening!
Lynda,
We ask how can someone can act in two different ways. St. Paul answers this in his letter to the Romans chapter 7. He realizes his predicament and points to God’s grace as the answer and not himself.
” who will rescue me from this body which is doomed to death?” The answer, of course, is Jesus.
Why did Jesus choose Judas knowing all along that he would be the one to betray him? To show that the church would always have to deal with many Judas’s and that there will always be scandals. The spiritual descendants of Judas are alive and well among us AND YET, GOD STILL USES THEM IN HIS OWN WAY.
We ask the questions how and why?
All of us are walking wounded and carry the effect of original sin. Does this excuse us? Certainly not. We know if in a moment’s weakness that we’re sinning. We wonder how a man called to the priesthood could carry on in such a way. People forget that before they are priests they are also human beings capable of fault like the rest of us.
If not by the grace of God, there go I.
Jesus told St. Faustina the the greater the sinner the more right he/she has to His Divine Mercy. Believe it or not, pedophile priests can still make it to Heaven, IF ONLY THEY REPENT.
The mercy of God is far greater than any sin that they have committed.
We can’t account for what a fallen priest has done. What we can do is to see to it that he is never in a postition to repeat his offenses ever again. To allow that would draw us in to sin too and would make us culpable.
Peace. Michael
4:08 AM
EWTN Radio is not always a good place for me to find solace, or information on. Personally, I find the personalities a bit much to take on a regular basis. Some of them, act as if they are on Prozac, and grate on my nerves, with their mile a minute conversations, who could get a word in edgewise. It’s usually a one way conversation if you do call in, and they make it a point they don’t like you, not worrying that they’ll be sued, because I’m not well off. Then I see that their priests at EWTN TV Mass, take pot shots at me as well. I find their conduct to me, deplorable,…and I have to wonder how they have managed to stay in business, all these years. Mother Angelica’s mouth spewed out “God,” when she talked. I was under the impression, saying “God,” was a sin. She did it all the time, for a woman who was supposed to be close to God, she sure did swear, like a sailer. She could speak well, but her very gift, could also be the very area, she needed to work on. I will be on a TV Program, and the Priest took a pot shot at me, yesterday on the EWTN Mass. I’m not going to be on American Idol, that priest couldn’t even get his lies right,…he just judged me 1000 miles away. That is totally wrong. Last time I checked it wasn’t wrong to enter a television contest. I will be prudent, but I don’t like being mocked by someone who doesn’t know me. It was humiliating, and meanspirited, to say the least, and hateful and a down right lie, to say the most. If I had money, I’d sue, for sure. If I won, this contest I was going to give money in the form of a tithe to EWTN, but that’s not going to happen. They have too much already,…if they have to take a public pot shot at me, what goes around will eventually come around to them. The sooner the better. For they’d stop their arm chair or in this case podium judging of someone they’ve never met. I won’t be mocked by their likes, ever again. And, they won’t preach to me. Shame on them for their Bad Form. I corrected them for talking about each other in their sermons, so they went after me, with a vengeance. Shame on them. Naming names isn’t going to do me any good,…nor them. THey’ll just turn it around and make it like they not I am the victim. Shame on them. Revenge via a sermon, is so evil, and usury of the homily,…for a preists own selfish revenge tool, is beneath the dignity of the priesthood. I go to Mass now, around here, and the local preist, and my sister apologized for offending me,,…so I never imagined, anything. People play that card too, to get out of public guilt for offend someone. I’m tired, and ranting, but it has bothered me all day, since I heard that Sunday Sermon yesterday. To have my life exposed for ridicule by a EWTN Wm, and then the priests who backed her up,…well, … it’s their own actions and words, that have sealed for me, … my opinion of them. They only have themselves to blame, for any negative press they get. They didn’t give a hoot about me, added to my statement, doubted my veracity, then said they hated me, then in Mass mocked the TV show they thought I was going to be on, yet, I’m not going to that TV Show, but another. I will never call them again. They aren’t helpful, and only have caused further alienation, in my heart for Catholic Professionals. I am still Catholic, and I won’t let no one chase me away. However, I won’t be someone’s fool, to kick around either. Fool me once, shame on you, Fool me twice, shame on me. SOmething like that. So pray4me, so I can calm down and get at least a few hours of sleep. Being humiliated, publicly several times, in one week by 2 priests, and a woman, is not easy. One priest veiled his remarks, the other opened his mouth and changed feet. He couldn’t even get the facts of my life straight. Yet, there could be no doubt, that he was making an example out of me Publicly in Yesterday’s EWTN TV Mass for March 8, 2009. God Bless em with a lot more sense that he had yesterday, when he humiliated me on TV Mass. God help that lady who was helped to obviously feel justified, in saying before she talked to me on the Radio that she really didn’t like this person,…then, she did all the talking. Donations are down for a reason at EWTN. If they treat people like me, like s…., then they are reaping what they’ve sewn in my life. Bless her heart. I wish I would have hung up, and not talked to her on Feb 27, 2009. Yet, she made it publicly known, her disrespect for my feelings, and my good name. I will never let that woman hurt me like that again. Any priest who tells someone in the confessional that it’s okay to hate another, ought to have his head soaked, for helping her feel sorry for herself, and not repenting of her sin of hatred. Ah, Catholicism 101: when will I ever learn? You don’t throw your pearls to the swine, so they can trample them and you under feet. God help me to post that to my memory, so I never forget it. Amen.
4:33 AM
St. Thomas Aquinas and Blessed Pope John XXIII, were over weight and they made it into Heaven. Frankly, I’m going to have a Bariatric Surgery, because I am obese, and unwell all the time. Plus the public pressure to be skinny is getting to me too, Fr. Joe. I had a Lap Band Surgery on 666 — no kidding — on June 6h, 2006,…I had Lap Band Surgery,.. I got lost going to the Hospital 150 Miles away,…especially since they took me off my diabetic med before surgery and my memory already is the pits, with the head injuries I’ve had,…then it the Lap Band Slipped around my Esophagus for 1 Year, and I had to promise not to Sue the Doctor, for him to finally take it out. Now I can’t sing good, and it really did a lot of damage to my throat. I wish I would have had the By Pass Surgery instead. Oh well. My feet keep swelling. THe Doc, took me off meds again,…and it feels like I’m walking on Pillows. SO Pray4 me,…and folks just like me. I used to be so healthy, and active. Getting old is not easy,…but I refuse to give into it hook, line and sinker, w/o a fight. I may be tired, but I am not stupid, just worn out, sometimes,…and pray I win the ___ ____ Talent thingy this summer, if it is God’s will. I won’t know until 6-8 weeks, if they accepted my audition to their contest. I had an “I Love Lucy,” type fiasco, when I went to the Big City of Chicago,…everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Yet, I guess it could have been worse. So, I am grateful to God, it wasn’t worse. I had an allergic reaction to the Lip Balm, and my face swelled up, and the piano stool fell 12 inches, and I played the piano loosey,…and I opened up my mouth & changed feet, during my interview….and my son bailed out on me the last minute, so I went by myself,…which was scarey. Do you know that Chicago has 15% Sales Tax. I didn’t want to BUY Chicago, I just wanted to Visit it! The people were nice, but rushed. I hate wearing dresses, for I’m a tom-boy type. I wore a green dress, and it looked like I was a gigantic leprocon,…oh well,…I guess God likes me, He allowed me to try out,…so I hope I do Him Proud,..and I hope I play well. I’m a bit taken aback by the men in drag, and the little girls who dressed and danced immodestly — so, I got out of the “promotional photos,” when those folks were on. I hope I can keep dodging their Cameras, when its something I don’t like. For the most part, most of the contenders, are okay. I like the Instrumentalists, probably because I am, one too. They are just as good as me, if not better. It will be fun, if I can only settle down and enjoy the experience. Pray I do. Thanks. Pray for Obama, and the Unborn. Thanks. Pray for everyone, that should cover it. Thanks.
4:43 AM
I don’t like Obama, he is so pro-abortion, it’s not funny. I voted for McCain. Pray for the Unborn to be born, and Baptised, thanks. Pray for Conversions, and Good Confessions, and an Increase of Holy/Stable Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life, Holy Married, and Single Life. Pray for my 90 Yr. Old Dad, who is Living with a Woman. My Mom is Dead, now 5 Years. Pray for the Souls in Purgatory, and for the Pope, and his Monthly Intentions. Pray for Most Rev. Dolan and Cardinal Eagon, too. Thanks. Pray for my Diocese and all Dioceses to be Converted from their sins, and do penance, and close down the Family Planning Clinic that is on Catholic Property. Pray that these clowns, stop ad libbing the Mass, and saying “God’s Name,” instead of “His Name,” in their Masses and Songs. I am so offended by that. Who do they think they are messing with the Liturgy, without the Pope’s Permission. Pray for our priests, and religious. Especially the Sisters of St. Joseph, who have that Family Planning Clinic on their Property. The HHS, Health and Human Services Dept is leasing from the sisters. Shame on them. THey have Sisters, who are Massage Therapists, and Creepy ones too. SO pray for them. I won’t go into details, it would do no good. Just pray for them. Thanks. Pray 4 those offended by or who have had crimes occur to them, by other catholics, and/or clergy or sisters, or relgious, thanks. I had better get a few hours of sleep. Bye.
4:51 AM
I’ll pray for you Fr. Joe. I’m scared to find out what’s going on with my feet swelling. I guess, I’d better go tomorrow. Pray for me too. I too am chicken. I don’t want them to wrongly diagnose me, nor not find out why my feet are swelling. I am so tired of not being well. It gets old. Yet, sometimes, when I pray specifically, God answers my prayers. I did that once, and I was mixing my prescription, with Vitamin C, and I felt lead to watch the Today Show one morning, and found out you couldn’t take that drug with Vitamin C, and that is why I was sick. I was glad it was something simple like that. I just worry I may have heart problems. However, I have been eating that fake sugar stuff, and I notice when I use it on my food, my feet swell up. So tomorrow, I will also go online to see if that product has the side effects of swelling that I am experiencing. It’s called “splenda.” But, I will look up on the internet or call my Local Library to see if they know where to find information on it’s possible side effects. Bye.
Father Joe said: “Everyone feeds the priest. I am ashamed about it.”
There is no shame, Father Joe. Brave Warrior used up all the shame in the universe back in the Seventies:
I hope your doctor’s appointment goes well!
~Madalen
Dear bc,
Thank you for sharing your story of abuse by Fr Ken Roberts. Yes you are very courageous, for it is so scary to speak your truth, but your story needs to be told over and over again.
Unless all of the secrets and cover-ups about the sex abuse by priests are told, the abuse of kids will continue. Sexual predators count on your silence so they can continue to abuse, and therefore kids are still at risk.
Also, bc, if you have not already done so, please report you abuse to the local law enforcement. It does not matter how long ago your abuse happened, a crime was committed against you, and you deserve gain your power back and get that crime on record.
I admire you so much for sharing your pain. You are a true hero and you are NOT alone. You are believed by thousands.
Judy Jones, snapsteuebenville@gmail.com
636-433-2511
http://www.snapnetwork.org/
For more information about Fr John Bertolucci—- you can go to this web site:
http://www.steubenvilletruth.org/Bertolucci_John_pg1.html
Bertolucci was connected to Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio.
Tks, Judy Jones, SNAP director southeastern Ohio
Lady Godless
Thanks for that video – I needed a good laugh! I was a teen in the 70′s and disco days; if this video exemplifies the decade I too am ashamed to have been a part of it!
Fr. Joe- keep us posted on how things went ok?
Peace all
Janine
Judy, while I admire your concern for the victims of abuse, and while I am coming to terms with what Fr. John did, I still believe that Franciscan University of Steubenville is a blessing from God for the Church. I have personally grown in my faith because of the University. I am not going to discredit the University because of Fr. John….knowing what I know now, they are probably suffering a great deal to find out the truth.
I know from my own personal experience with the University that those who have gone there would be as grieved as I am over the abuse suffered.
There is no excuse for sin–period–either my sin or your sin or the sin of priests who have abused children.
I am thankful that Jesus went to the cross for all of us–and like Michael I believe that any one who is truly repentant of any sin can get to heaven. Does that mean that I think that this priest should be in active ministry-no. We have to protect our littles that Jesus loves so much.
Yeah Fr. Joe……….
Let us know how your visit turned out.
We’re here for you too.
Love and prayers, Michael
@ Father Joe…
You’ve been scarce recently. You did say that “if they find anything bad, I may not be able to post again for awhile”. How are you doing?
@ Janine…
Yeah, isn’t that video hysterical? I get the impression that the Seventies were a very goofy era. But those people do seem to be having a good time.
@ Town. Square…
You guys have “creepy massage therapist nuns”? How long has that been going on?
About your feet swelling, that could be lots of things. Edema is a known side effect of some of the drugs used to manage Type 2 diabetes, because they can affect the way that the kidneys handle sodium. But there are other possible causes for edema, and some of them are more serious. Your doctor will probably want to do tests.
By the way, overconsumption of the herb licorice can cause fluid retention and swelling. Much of the licorice flavoring that we encounter is actually made from the star-anise plant, and it does not seem to have this effect. But true licorice is an ingredient in some herb teas, and whatnot. Just something to consider, if you happen to be into that sort of thing.
My mind has played one of the best homilies I have ever heard given by Fr. Bertolucci, years ago. I followed his ministry for quite some time. Then, it was like he fell off the face of the Earth. Same for the “Playboy to Priest”. How sad. But it is important for all people to remember that priests are just that, people. They were born with the same stain of original sin as the rest of us (Jesus and His Holy Mother excluded of course) & prone to transgress. I am by no means condoning criminal behavior, but I am saying that we are not the ultimate judge. What we should be doing is praying for them and for increased vocations to the priesthood with holy & pious young men, so Mother Church will not have so much time in the fish bowl of life. There are good priests & bad. Good nurses & bad, good presidents & bad, good garbage collectors & bad…. sorry for beating a dead horse, but you get my drift. God, we pray for wisdom and discernment through all of our lives.
G-d loves us ALL. We can NOT out sin his ability to forgive.
Romans 3:23 (kJ) “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of G-d” There is only one unforgivable sin.
G-d loves us, satin doesn’t. We mean nothing to him except a ways and means of hurting G-d and proving a point. The closer to G-d, the bigger the trophy and the harder satin will try to trip us up. This is why it is so important to pray for Priests because they are potentially major victories for satin.
J-s-s fell three times on the way to the cross but he kept getting back up again until he made it. If you have never been tempted, you obviously aren’t trying hard enough and satin doesn’t consider you worth tempting. If he has tempted you, and you have fallen, get back up again and try harder. As long as you still draw breath, you haven’t failed, you just haven’t won yet.
“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.” If someone has sinned against you and you haven’t forgiven them, you better get face down and ask for help until you can. We won’t be judged on what happens to us – only on how we handle it. Handle it the way you want to see it played back on judgement day.
Father Joe, I’m sorry…
(((hug)))
Fr. Joe,
I have two words for you:
SAINT JOSEPH.
I’ll include you in my novena.
Michael
Iris Marie,
Amen to what you said about praying for our priests–including our fallen ones.
I too have been thinking in my mind of many of Fr. John s past homilies–I still believe that they were inspired by the Holy Spirit. The fact that I remember many of them that were given over 20 years ago, I think speaks to that.
God does use weak, broken and fragile human beings to proclaim His glory.
The beauty of Christianity however is that if one is truly repentant, and for Catholics that includes the sacrament of reconciliation, God casts our sins as far as the east is from the west.
This I think is very hard for our secular society to understand as we all want and eye for an eye etc. But nevertheless, this is the beauty of our faith.
The question in all of this, however is best to avoid an occasion of sin–of course remove priests from regular ministry.
As awful and terrible as the priests scandals have been, I think that sometimes we forget that there are many victims. First of all the child and their families, but also the Church faithful and I think even the pedophile priests.We do not know the specifics of each priest who committed these evil acts, but I cannot help but think that perhaps many of them might have been abused themselves as a child. This does not mean that they do not have to take responsiblity for their actions,I just think that perhaps it helps us to try to get our heads around how something so terrible could happen. This whole tragedy, at least in my mind, shows how devastating it is when MORTAL SIN enters the picture. Everyone then becomes a victim of Satan, especially the innocent. I WISH THAT CNN AND THEIR CO-HORTS’ WOULD REMEMBER-REPORT THAT THE MAJORITY OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE CASES ARE NOT COMMITTED BY PRIESTS’ BUT BY MARRIED MEN WITH CHILDREN.
THANK GOD FOR FAITHFUL PRIESTS WHO TRULY REFLECT JESUS IN THEIR GIFT OF CELIBACY–THEY WITNESS TO THE WORLD THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO LIVE A CHASTE AND HOLY LIFE.
Fr. Joe,
I hope that you are feeling better–I too struggle with my weight…
Do you think it was by chance that the scripture writers had Eve being tempted with an apple… I do not think so..
The GOOD NEWS OF COURSE ( pun intended) is that Jesus refered to himself as the BREAD OF LIFE and THAT HEAVEN IS REFERRED TO AS A BANQUET–Obviously God knows how good cheesecake can be…
I guess like any good gift of God we have to use it in moderation.
Have you heard of the website lightweigh….There is a weight loss program developed by Catholic who combines weight loss techniques with scripture readings,lives of the saints etc. It is designed to use in a small group setting so that members can pray for each other, AND is really AFFORDABLE– I think members just pay ten dollars one time to off-set cost for the dvds that go with the program.
On a more serious note, I find that if I mentally put my intention in the chalice as the priest is consecrating the precious blood then I have more willpower for the day.
God Bless your DAY !!!
Lynda,
The media is evil because it works for the devil. The constant attack upon the priesthood and the church won’t ever end until the Lord returns.
Why don’t they leave Sarah Palin alone? Didn’t she lose in November? Why do they keep attacking her and her family? Because they’re cowards who work for the devil.
Father Joe — you are SO in my prayers. I wish there was something more I could say/do for your situation because you have helped me so much, and have helped me to help others, and you just seem like such an awesome priest. I know you have strength from God to manage whatever lies in your path, and the prayers of a multitude of fans. Your spirit filled comments and answers have made their way to more people than you could ever know — I always cut and paste with a reference to your site, so I hope people have been inspired to check you out for themselves. You are beyond special in the eyes of the Lord–
Pax-
How are you feeling, Father Joe?
I am facing more tests. It is hard to rest and to avoid stress.
i went to medjugorje in 1990 and met Fr. Roberts there for two masses and homilies, which were wonderful, several of his messages from ewtn i have listened to over and over, i was not catholic or even a faithful protestant when i went to medjugorje, now i am a daily communicant when possible as i am 60 years old and still have four children at home, the youngest is 8, thanks to my obedience to the catholic church, Jesus has blessed me more than you can believe!!! Fr. Roberts was a part of this blessing. it says in the bible in these times even the elect will be deceived!! this attack on the medjugorje priests is nothing less than satan’s revenge to fight back against all the good that has come from Mary’s apparitions there and other places around the world. i have four children inaddition to the three i had in 1990, these last four would not have been here if it weren’t for the events in medjugorje!!! Praise be Jesus and Mary!!! Now and forever, Amen!!!
Fr. Joe,
I have another priest friend in the same predicament as you. He is in need of surgery and has been putting it off because of his priestly duties.
This is why I get upset when I hear people say negative things about priests in general.
I usually tell them off.
Feel better. Michael
Hi Lynda, on March 9, 2009 at 10:52 pm–you wrote:
“We have to protect our littles that Jesus loves so much.”
I agree with you so much, deep down in the core of my soul.
I am not so concerned about whether those predators who sexually abuse kids might be truly repentant of any sin so they can get to heaven. I am more concerned about their actions here on earth.
What matters to me and to the thousands of victims who have been sexually abused by catholic clergy, is that NO child is ever abused again. These victims know the horrors of living the rest of their lives with constant memories of their abuse. They are called “triggers”…
I call it hell here on earth. They did not deserve to be treated so horrific by trusted holy priests.
I believe that god put us here on this earth to live it, and to be caring and compassionate to those who suffer. I also believe that if Jesus was here on this earth today, he would be angry, and he would be demanding that all sexual predators and those who enable them should be put away, far away from any child.
I understand yours and others disappointment about everything that you have been taught, and about those who have taught it… I was extremely disappointed to find out the my parish priest, Fr Robert A Brown, who baptized my siblings, and married me, had been a ‘career pedophile’. He had abused kids from the 1940′ – 1980′s for sure. and most likely until his death in 1991.
This is not about sin, this is about crimes committed against the innocent kids who have no voice. They have been ruined. and their souls have been shattered.
I hope that you all can understand just a little about what bc has been dealt….
ps: Also, Fr John Bertolucci is not the only priest, who has worked at Franciscan University, that I have received complaints of sexual abuse about.. other victims are suffering too.
Please keep them in your hearts and hold them and cherish them.
thanks for listening,
Judy Block Jones, SNAP director southeastern Ohio
636-433-2511
http://www.steubenvilletruth.org/
I would like to know if SNAP really cares enough about the children abused by priests to help those of us whose children have been taken from us, through the encouragement of priests using the annulment process to justify adultery.
In our case a catholic priest completed and sponsored an annulment petition that was clearly perjured, as it was contradicted, directly, in the conclusion of decision renedered in Rome. The priest himself refused to help me work to heal our marriage and told me to start my own religion when I tried to make him see his obligation not to encourage my wife in her divorce.
Priests like this man are responsible, due to their position as the gateway to nullity, which requires divorce to get through it, for the destruction of many childrens faith and the destruction of innocent spouses and marriages that are valid.
If SNAP is not will to address this abuse, then it is not true to its name, whiich is:
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
My life was destroyed through the actions and ongoing actions of many priests, who need to be held to account and removed from the priesthood for their, deliberate choices, to continue to support adultery and to support the annulment process, that has no method built into it to address these issues, immediately, and to punish priests who care little about the consequences of divorce and nullity.
Our children continue to suffer, in many ways, for the actions of these priests, bishops and even the Pope’s refusal to hear us, in Rome at a personal audience, at the expense of the diocesese which encouraged our marriages to be destroyed.
SNAP could do much to understand AND PUBLICIZE how our children and we, maliciously abandoned spouses, ARE SURVIVORS OF ABUSIVE PRIESTS. Our lives have been destroyed just as the lives of the abused children have been as well, but at least abused children in your situations have recourse now. We and ours have no recourse and their are a lot more of us than their are of you.
This is not at all said to minimize what abused children in your situation have suffered. It is said to open your eyes to others who have been and continue to be abused by priests, to which there is absolutely no response from the Catholic Church at all on any level, to bring these criminal priests and bishops to account, at least in the Church and, ultimately, civilly and criminally, for the horrors they continue to push upon us, though their collusion and support of our malicious, abandoning spouses!
@ Father Joe…
Sounds like that was a terrible day!
:(
It must be very tough to be a priest.
@ Karl…
From what I’ve read, SNAP exists to aid people who have been ~sexually~ abused by clergy. In other words, these are people who have been criminally victimized, according to the law. It’s pretty specific.
I can’t speak for Judy Jones or her group, but I do want to point out that there are legitimate reasons why an organization might not want to broaden its focus too much beyond its original mission. There’s a risk of losing effectiveness that way. Karl, your situation is a difficult and painful one, but is it sexual abuse?
You’re probably more familiar with the problems of unwillingly divorced Catholics than anyone else. Doesn’t your issue really deserve to have its own dedicated focus group? I bet if you started one, there are other people in the same predicament who would join. It might be possible to make some progress.
I was looking through some homeschooling materials and ran across a listing of Fr. Ken Roberts’ books and tapes as recommended supplemental materials. I have wondered from time to time over the years what ever became of this priest. I finally took the time to Google his name and now here I am at this blog-post.
Terry(4/12/08) ,in speaking of Fr. Roberts’ mother, wrote,”She loved Ken dearly and his ordination meant so much to her.” I was a big fan of Fr. Roberts. I never read any of his written work, including the infamous Playboy to Priest, but I watched his EWTN series, You Better Believe It, on a pretty regular basis. I thought he was an amazing talent and I still remember some of the script from that show, verbatim. I very distinctly recall on one of the episodes Fr. Roberts’ dramatic account of how his mother died the night before or very shortly before the day of his ordination. She never was able to witness his acceptance to the priesthood, which was the climax of his conversion from a previous dissolute life. He went on to recount his rage at God for having denied this to his mother and him. He even thought about not going through with his ordination. I guess, Terry, he is a good storyteller.
The stark duplicity of character of those such as Fr. Roberts completely baffles and confounds me. The subsequent deep-seated denial by these same persons further mystifies me beyond expression. In reflecting on all of this, one thought that comes to mind is that we must never become complacent about the effects of Original Sin. In the wise words of Fr. Benedict Groeschel,” One does not need to observe for long to realize that there is something terribly wrong with this featherless bi-ped that can laugh.”
I am sickened to the core by all of this.
The most important thing I want to state in my comment, however, is something that is not terribly popular with regard to the scandal of priests. That is, that we must cultivate in our hearts a true attitude of forgiveness toward these perpetrators. i have listened to several pastoral letters from my Bishop on the scandal of priests and this element always seems noticeably absent. In Tom’s comment (2/28/07) he states “I try not to wish ill will on Fr. Ken…” This is no small statement. It is an awesome, courageous act of the will and an impressive witness to what it means to take up our cross and follow our Savior, Jesus Christ. God bless you, Tom. We must will the salvation of the soul of Fr. Roberts and others like him. We must because this is the will of God for him as long as he is alive on this earth. I must forgive much because much has been forgiven me. The only person I know who had the right to deny forgiveness to His enemies died, crucified, over 2000 years ago. We know He forgave completely. History is replete with examples of great forgiveness and reminders of these stories might be helpful at this time. Let me make it very clear that I do not excuse a shred of the behavior exhibitted by Fr. Roberts or those like him. They must be prosecuted and justice served. One of the dramatic events of Pope JP II was his personal forgiveness of his would-be assassin. The act of forgiveness, though, DID NOT result in the release of the assassin from prison. As I understand it, however, the gesture affected the man spiritually in a deep way.
It is difficult to imagine Ken Roberts in Heaven with all the Elect. It is difficult for me to imagine myself there either. But if Fr. Roberts and others like him are converted before death and his soul purged, he will not be the despicable person that we see now. If Fr. Roberts and we are blessed to gain Heaven then we will not see “as through a glass dimly” but as God sees. Fr. Roberts and all the saved will be transformed through the Blood of the Lamb and ALL will be healed. All of us.
Does any know if I can still get tapes or cd’s of Fr. Ken Roberts teachings? I have a couple of tapes but they are kinda wore out as I have listen to them time and time again. Why do Catholics do that? Is a favorite.
I, too, like many other were blessed to hear Fr. Roberts. At the time I needed someone like Fr. Ken. I have read all his books (still do on occasion), listen to the tapes (still do on occasion), and attended many talks by Fr. Roberts. It is hard for me to believe that this priest did the things some people are saying. If true, I pray for both you and Fr. Roberts. Priests that were bringing people back to the church, touching their lives, changing their lives for the better, were being attack by the devil. He, the devil, does not want us to continue listening to Jesus. I miss Fr. Roberts’ talks and I pray that, if true, he repents before his death. I pray, too, for the accusers. They too need healing.
i was with fr ken in medjugorje in 1990 and had a very powerful experience. i can truly say that i witnessed many things that i would surely consider miraculous. fr. ken was truly wonderful to be with………..but there were a few things i thought irregular that i won’t speculate on further b/c they are in no way anything court admissible so to speak. right now i am dealing with many things in this realm of abuse. one priest, fr mcguire, i know very well, who is a wonderful man, being torched through the legal system in chicago, wisconsin etc. by an accuser i know and i KNOW it’s false, but others i know are true and fr ken is the ambiguous one in the middle i’m really torn on but am siding with it being true after he told a close friend he had no recollection of anything while he was an alcoholic and couldn’t comment and with what i did witness in medjugorje i lean to the side of guilt but know that only my prayers can accomplish anything so i don’t condemn at this point, i pray. i also support fr. mcguire financially in his legal battle now.
fr. joe, hope all is well.
Father Laurence F.X. Brett was my family’s friend. He often stayed at our home, sometimes for as long as two weeks. When we lived in California, when we lived in New York City, when we lived in Indiana. He had a particularly close relationship with my mother. She loved him and I felt he loved her. He was family. He baptised my two youngest sisters and gave my mother’s funeral mass. I visited him in Baltimore when I moved to Boston from North Carolina. Last year at the age of forty-nine, after the death of both my parents, my only brother had a mental breakdown and confessed that Larry Brett had abused him until he was thirteen years old. He is still reeling from the emotional fallout of a secret he kept hidden for decades.
We loved Larry Brett, cared for him, fed him and sheltered him. He was clever, witty, talented and the haze and scent of his Borkum Riff pipe smoke always surrounded a celebratory pleasure at having him in our company. For us, his affectations were part of his charm: we recognized them as merely his desire to be special and shine. (And now I think of that golden raiment my brother and I saw him wear for a segment of Share the Word on cable and how it amused us. Such a showman.) Now I know he was twisted and flawed in ways only my brother saw. I struggle with nostalgia for the past that wasn’t and with a pressing need to hate and forgive a man I loved. It’s a need I can’t meet.
Like you, I regularly watched Father Brett on the Paulist production of SHARE THE WORD. It was a great program. I was hoping they would revamp it into a bible commentary tape set. Now that is impossible. A huge amount of time, money and hard work has been ruined. I only knew of him after I was ordained. But he quickly became popular and he was invited to the parish where I was an associate. Father Brett did the Stations of the Cross and gave Lenten talks. They were quite good, although I never understood why he feigned an Irish accent. Maybe it was a sign that he was an actor in more ways than imagined? In any case, the abuse of children was a terrible tragedy.
I am so sorry for the destroyed innocence and hurt brought to your family. I will keep you all in my prayers. We can ask God for a healing of memories but that will never make right what happened.
In all the national cases, there is a duplicity that I find almost unimaginable. We are all sinners and hypocrites, but the magnitude of this sin makes me wonder if there was not a type of schitzophrenia? How can men preach and teach one set of values and then do things that utterly contradict them? How can they live with the disconnect?
Even if the love of God and neighbor was failing, did they not fear God?
Do you know if Fr, Ken is still living?
Mimi, I am so sorry for you and your brother. Please know that there is healing and help. There are many others who have been through the same abuse as your brother. One of the best forms of healing is to speak up, connect with others who have been abused, and know that is was NOT your brothers fault and he is not alone. He did nothing wrong. He was an innocent child.
Your story is very familiar. Pedophiles will go to great lengths to gain access to their prey. This is so sad, this Fr Brett used your family’s friendship in order to use and abuse your brother.
Priests have been treated like god, and have become authority figures, therefore making children easy access to sexually abuse.
The sexual abuse of your brother extends to the families, and to those parishioners who believed in this priest. This is the ultimate betrayal for you, your family and your brother.
Thank you for sharing your pain..
Judy Jones, snapsteubenville@gmail.com
Thank you, Father Joe, for your prayers. And thank you, also, Judy.
I always assumed Larry Brett feigned that accent just for the fun of playacting and also maybe for the pleasure of the feel of it in his mouth, of making and hearing those sounds. He knew several languages and enjoyed singing and playing the piano. He was always something of a ham, occasionally wont to break out in operatic bursts of Santa Lucia, etc. He was a little, pigeon-toed orphan who needed to be admired. He had many estimable qualities and talents but at heart he was a needy, pouty, show-offy child who wanted to be wanted and who grew up and learned to work a glamor that included the mysticism and mysteries of Catholicism together with its accepted moral authority.
I will never understand what he did, either. Not just to my brother but to everyone and, ultimately, to himself. Perhaps obsession and compulsion overrode his morality. Perhaps narcissism made it impossible for him to understand the profound effects of his actions on others. Perhaps at some point he had been abused.
These men clearly did not fear God, nor the Church (with good reason, it seems, regarding the Church.)
No I don’t know if he is living. I would love to hear him again. He must be in his 80′s.
The last I heard, yes. But I know nothing else.
Mimi, on this web site you will find the information about Larry Brett..
http://www.bishopaccountability.org/assign/Brett_Laurence_F_X.htm
Bishopaccountability.org has all the publicly named predator priests listed in each diocese.
Take good care Mimi… hugs, Judy Jones, snapsteubenville@gmail.com
Fr. Joe:
I had not heard anything about Fr. Ken Roberts since 1995 when I read a short item about his being silenced by his bishop, but my wife pulled up your blog tonight when I told her I had pulled out an old tape of one of his sermons (“Be Calm”) and listened to it while driving back from the mountains to my home in the Owens Valley.
I’m atypical from what I’ve seen in your respones but understand every side very well. I have been a practicing attorney in eastern California (Sierra Nevada) for 33+ years and that has been hard because lawyers wallow in sin like physicians wallow in disease. In 1989 I was as far down as I could get when I heard a local fellow (who I knew from our local court system) talk about how Medjugorje changed his life. I was so impressed I told my Wife who went herself, only to come back and tell me I was going. I went after finishing a disgusting murder trial (aren’t they all) and was converted — but with a twist. I had been an Episcopalian since boyhood and what Medjugorje converted me to was Christianity. I was ordained an Episcopal deacon in 1995 and a priest in 2000 and put in charge of a little church in a remote part of California. It was never what I wanted but after Medjugorje it was something I could not resist. . . . and Fr. Ken Roberts and his sermons were, and still are, a big part of that.
I am still a practicing attorney and my experience has made me very cautious about convicting anyone, even in my heart, on accusations alone. Accusations are, often true — but not always — and I’ve seen too many lives ruined by accusations without trial that I cannot, even with all the accusations here, say that I am convinced without sworn evidence and cross-examination. Until I am convinced, I will not convict anyone.
But even if I did I will not throw the baby out with the bath water. I never heard Fr. Roberts preach the virtures of sin; rather the opposite. I will take the good and use it for the glory of God; I will not convict him, or anyone, without a trial.
Priests are accorded great respect. They should be. Priests are also held to rigid standards. They should be. Those are the rules; they are good; they are not subject to change . . . but both the Church and the world have their courts and standards of proof and if a priest is going to be charged he must be — has to be — given his day in court. The world’s courts have statutes of limitations; the Church courts do not. If the Statute has run in the World, then let the charge be brought in the Church — but let it be brought, and faced, and determined. Accusations are not enough.
All of which is not to say that there are no standards. I am part of that group of Anglicans which left the Episcopal Church because we won’t bless sodomy. I have always been, and always will be, grateful beyond measure for the blessings of Medjugorje and the kindness and support of my Catholic brothers and sisters who were, and are, my friends and some of the most important people in my lives.
Satan never tempts so strongly as at the foot of the altar. Those who serve there have especial responsibilities to resist him. It’s a tough job, but nobody ever promised it would be anything else.
In Christ,
Fr. Douglas Buchanan+
Douglas,
“I am still a practicing attorney and my experience has made me very cautious about convicting anyone, even in my heart, on accusations alone. Accusations are, often true — but not always — and I’ve seen too many lives ruined by accusations without trial that I cannot, even with all the accusations here, say that I am convinced without sworn evidence and cross-examination. Until I am convinced, I will not convict anyone.”
Accusations can hurt I agree, but so can the lack of justice. The fact of the matter is that the church has shielded Fr. Kenneth Roberts as well as other abusers for the past 40 or more years, and continues to do so. If this had been any other man, especially with as many complains as this man has had , he would most certainly have been brought to justice and the victims given their day in court. . How many other abusers do you know that have a billion dollar organization backing them that pays to have them relocated from town to town as trouble erupts and accusations fly. Most people, accused of such crimes, would have to stand and face the music,…not so with priests in the Catholic Church. We the victims are not asking for a conviction without a trial but we are demanding that these abusers be given no refuge from the the law and due process.
bc
This is in answer to those of you who were asking about copies of talks given by Fr. Ken Roberts. In addition to having a number of Fr. Roberts individual talks on tape, I also have the entire 14 part series, “You Better Believe It”.
At the time when EWTN carried the series, they had archived the program in their audio library, and so I copied it. I have subsequently put all of the episodes onto one CD. If you are interested, I can send you a copy for $10 to cover shipping and handling. Any amount in excess of my cost, I will donate to the Catholic mission in Vladivostok, Russia. For further information, you can check it out at: http://www.vladmission.org . This mission was founded by two priests from St Paul, MN, back in 1991, in response to BVM’s request to pray for the conversion of Russia. (Over 100,000 Catholic priests and religious were either murdered or shipped to the Gulag, under Stalin.
I can be contacted by email at: acsl@telusplanet.net
Blessings to you all,
Ron
PS. I also have a videotape copy of one 1/2 hour episode of Fr. Robert’s TV series on Catholic Faith and Practises, entitled “Love”, –probably one of his best. It was originally recorded off of the old style satellite TV dish, and so is rather grainy, but still very viewable. You can have it
for $5. Specify if you want in on VHS tape or DVD.
Judy Jones,
you say other priests at University of Steubenville are abusers. If you have names, then I would like you to mention them. To throw that out without naming names is not fair. I graduated from there and would like an answer.
Bronx,
Judy gave her SNAP email address and phone number, I would prefer that any further discussion about possible abusers be done privately and not on this blog.
Allegations and charges are very different things.
Thanks!
Agree with you Fr. Joe. Don’t like that an allegation was said by Judy out of the clear blue about the University without any background or information and was left out there for us to think that everyone at the University is suspect. You didn’t mention to her that she shouldn’t make allegations on here when she mentioned that others at the University have been accused. I will contact her.
Thank you Fr Joe, for reminding that my email and phone number are posted.
Judy Block Jones, SNAP director southeastern Ohio
636-433-2511
snapsteubenville@gmail.com
TV Priest, or unknown priest in a small desert parish; WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE? You are all cut from the same cloth. You have no control over your actions and don’t care if others, especially the innocent, suffer at your hands.
I had once left a pentecostal church to become a Roman Catholic because not because I was unhappy or discontent with being a Pentecostal but because I believed that being a Roman Catholic would allow me to have greater fullness of faith and grace as a Christian. I tried really hard at being a Roman Catholic. But there was an increasing nagging voice in my heart over the years and I could no longer fool my own self into believing that all was well where I was. I was seeing and hearing too many things that simply did not sit right with my Christian spirit. There were just too too many things wrong. It was not just the pedophiles in the church but other sex scandals, too – all known to many and most likely also to the church hierarchy. With everybody looking the other way, pretending there is nothing going on, or making excuses that we (priests, included) are all sinners as if these crimes are to be expected. If so, then, priests, religious, and the Pope can never pretend to be holier or closer to the Lord than any lay person. In fact, they, too, can be rotten and fallen. And that’s fine. But, if so, why are we to regard them with any special respect, admiration, and honor in the first place – only to be disappointed when a clear conscious, honest person says out loud for everyone to hear, “Look, the king is naked!”.
How exactly would a priest molest someone in the confessional with the wall between priest and penitent and a line of people waiting ?
All priests need our prayers. I think we lay people forgot that along the way. It’s good that the Holy Father has designated a whole year to priests. If anyone needs prayers, they do. Which saint was taken by the Devil to a nearby city; demons were not doing much because the people there either were fallen or they were lukewarm. But when the Devil took this saint back to his monastery in the desert, demons were everywhere. Only once in my life have I seen a demon-it was on the back of a priest who was giving us a retreat, and was so close to him it was as if they two had become one. Now you may think I’m crazy, but I was wide awake at the time, and the two others giving the retreat had no such devils on their backs. All have fallen short of the glory of God. I am also saddened that some of my contemporaries who graduated from high school 50 years ago are now writing blogs or putting out messages about priests in our high school who were molestors. Some of the accusations are simply not true. I pray all the wounded will get help and be healed with the love and mercy of our Divine Saviour before they leave this vale of tears!
The love and concern in your comments are all duly noted but I see a mixing of apples and oranges here: the priests vs sinner vs crimminal vs predators vs the enemies of the church vs satan. One could equally in defense or advocate of the victims equally wear the above hats when no longer justice is served but rather profit and the destruction of Christ’s Church is the principle. I also see you questioning the validity of graces and the good received by these priests though the validity of their ordination was not the problem. You should be at peace with your conversions and renewals and truths and sacraments and sacramentals received by these priests. The priesthood is an indelible mark and the priest is Christ and the priest is the Face of Christ. These marks are not loss to sin or acts of any man because what God has declared no man can put asunder. Our Lady does not call fallen priests or priest who abandon the priesthood “the poor men” but rather “my…poor priests.” This consecration and setting apart for God alone is for all eternity. The Church has no authority to remove these marks but can bind their the authority to bound its use and invocation. This is why it is not permitted to tear at the priest for one tears directly Christ and to insult the priest for one insults directly Christ…even the satanist knows this. This why the priest should be repected to do otherwised is profane and blasphemy. This standard also heavily weighs upon the salvation of the priest soul regarding his Holiness along with salvation of souls under his care. Remember what God did the king who raid the temple of its utensils and ate and drink out of them and saw the Hand of God writing on the Wall? What do you think he will do for profaning of the priesthood, the priest, or the soul of every soul? I believe the writings of St Peter Damien addresses these issues. The order of priesthood and it’s office isn’t the problem but too many times I see it attacked inappropiately. The marks of Christ is not the problem but its profanation is the problem. The body of Christ his Church is not the problem but its members…so why not address the cupable person(s) and stop using the victims of abuse to divide his garments and crucifed Christ again. I believe the playing of the left hand against the right is what causes the victims to suffer and scourge all who loves the church. To do otherwise is to slap the blinded Face of God and ask Him to guess who hit him… Friend or Foe?
Here’s a good one for you, SNAP, that just could effect a nation’s way of treating its youth. Is this “change you can believe in”? I say, go for it – a really big fish.:
The homosexual activist picked by the Obama administration to oversee the Office of Safe Schools in the U.S. Department of Education now claims he should have handled a situation while he was a teacher involving a sexually active student “differently,” but the statement from Kevin Jennings fails to express “regret.”
WND has reported on Jennings’ philosophies several times, including just days ago when the Washington Times encouraged him to “come clean” about his actions in the encounter with the 15-year-old student.
“A teacher was told by a 15-year-old high school sophomore that he was having homosexual sex with an ‘older man.’ At the very least, statutory rape occurred. Fox News reported that the teacher violated a state law requiring that he report the abuse. That former teacher, Kevin Jennings, is President Obama’s ‘safe school czar.’ … Clearly, the process for vetting White House employees has broken down,” the Times editorial board said.
“In this one case in which Mr. Jennings had a real chance to protect a young boy from a sexual predator, he not only failed to do what the law required but actually encouraged the relationship.”
more…..http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=111537
In Jefferson City and Columbia, Missouri. yesterday was another day of reaching out to victims of Fr Kenneth Roberts and Fr Sita, (who changed his name to Fr.Howard).
Anyone who was harmed by either of these priests, please contact law enforcement.
cut and paste these links to view…articles.
http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/video.aspx?id=357104
http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=357104
http://www.komu.com/satellite/SatelliteRender/KOMU.com/ba8a4513-c0a8-2f11-0063-9bd94c70b769/0c546f63-80ce-0971-00d0-29356df0cdaa
watch video..
tks, Judy Jones, SNAP Ohio Valley Regional Director, snapsteubenville@gmail.com
New records show “Playboy to Priest” lived in mid-MO
His presence here is publicly disclosed for the first time
A new IL court ruling last week let predator ‘off the hook’
He faces allegations of molesting children in three states
But a St. Louis area firefighter’s case against him is now thwarted
Clergy sex abuse victims seek out others who were hurt by 2 notorious clerics
Jeff City bishop should “aggressively reach out” to victims and witnesses, group says
WHAT
At a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims and their supporters will
– disclose that a notorious Texas predator priest lived (and may have worked) in mid-Missouri,
– provide two copies of previously-secret church records proving this, and
– discuss a new Illinois Supreme Court ruling that lets the suspended cleric to escape legal action.
Afterwards, they’ll try to hand deliver a letter about 2 high-profile predator priests to local Catholic officials.
The letter urges church staff to
– admit that both priests are dangerous and spent time in their diocese,
– put notices about the two predators in every parish bulletin, begging victims and witnesses to come forward,
– ‘come clean’ about other secret settlements involving predator priests and other church employees, and
– disclose the identities of any other child molesting clerics who have changed their names.
WHEN
Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 10:45 a.m.
WHERE
At the Jefferson City Diocese headquarters (573-635-9127), 2207 W. Main St. (near Forest Hill Ave.) in Jefferson City
WHO
Three victims who belong to a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org), including a St. Louis man who is the organization’s long time national director
WHY
New court records show that a notorious, nationally-known author and predator priest, Fr. Kenneth J. Roberts, lived in the Jefferson City Diocese. Last week, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that a civil case against Roberts could not proceed because the victim didn’t come forward quickly enough.
The group will release copies of two documents proving this. One is a letter from Roberts to his bishop, indicating that he’s living in Osage Beach and has “a close priest friend” and other friends there. The other is an “intake form” for pedophile priest cases, filled out by hand by a church official. In it, Robert’s home is listed at the Osage Beach address.
Since he faced allegations nearby (St. Louis and Belleville IL), SNAP suspects that Roberts hurt others in Missouri who are still suffering in silence, confusion and self-blame. The group wants to seek them out and help them.
SNAP has also just learned new information recently about another mid-Missouri pedophile priest, Fr. Jerry Howard, who has been in the news in recent weeks. Former staff and patients at now-closed Charter Hospital in Columbia, report that Howard worked there in the 1980s as a counselor to troubled teenagers.(SNAP will provide copies of a recent letter from one of Howard’s former co-workers who is now a Columbia police officer confirming Howard’s employment at the hospital.)
Born Carmine Sita, he legally changed his name after being convicted in New Jersey of molesting a boy in 1982. Catholic officials sent him to treatment, then to Boonville’s St. Peter and Paul parish, where he molested at least one boy. That victim, Dr. Mark McAllister, won a $600,000 settlement in late June from three defendants – the Newark archdiocese (where Howard is from), the Jefferson City diocese (where Howard was sent), and a St. Louis-based Catholic group called the Paracletes (which allegedly ‘treated’ Howard between diocesan assignments). Until August, when SNAP announced the deal, church staff kept silent about Howard’s crimes and McAllister’s settlement.
After being ousted from his Boonville church, Howard moved to Columbia and reportedly took counseling courses at the University of Missouri. SNAP is upset that Jefferson City’s bishop has disclosed virtually nothing about either predator, nor has he tried to find and help other victims or witnesses. This is especially callous and reckless, the group feels, since both priests are alive and walking free. (Cooper County law enforcement authorities have a pending investigation into Howard.)
At least eight other men have contacted SNAP indicating that they too were sexually assaulted as kids by Howard.
For five years, starting in 1983, Howard repeatedly gave drugs and liquor to the then-teenaged McAllister, and severely sexually assaulted him. (McAllister’s devout family belonged to the parish.) The crimes took place several places, including church property, and on trips to Manhattan, New Jersey and elsewhere
Almost two years ago, McAllister reported the abuse to church officials, who quickly found him credible but chose to keep his allegations secret. In late June 2009, McAllister agreed to the settlement. Howard remains a Newark priest, though he’s allegedly not working in a parish. Church staff refuse to disclose his whereabouts. As part of the settlement, McAllister insisted that church authorities begin defrocking Howard.
For six years (1976-1982), Howard worked at a Jersey City Catholic parish, where he abused a young parishioner. Howard was born in 1945, is now in his 60s, and was ordained in 1976. McAllister is in his 30s, married and lives in Roanoke VA now. He is represented by two Missouri attorneys Ken Chackes of St. Louis (314 872 8420, 314 369 3902 cell) and Bryan Bacon of Columbia (573 874 7777, 314 566 8386 cell). Attorneys representing the defendants include Charles Carella (for the Newark diocese, 973-994-1700), Lucie Huger, Bernard Huger, & Ed Goldenhersh (for Jeff City diocese, 314 241 9090) and Jeffrey Jones (for the Paracletes, 505 466 3426).
At 1:15 p.m. today, outside the police station in downtown Columbia, SNAP will hold a similar event.
CONTACT
David Clohessy 314 566 9790,
Judy Block Jones, 636 433 2511,
Don Asbee 573 864 1459
I’m not condoning Roberts’ acts or that of any other…It is erroneous to look at these abuses and the priesthood as one in the same…that judas’ behavior call all the offices of apostleship into questioned and any action or benefits thereof of that office is now questioned or worst yet invalid. You see and hear tailgating these scandalous events “the priest is just a man”…just a man you see which denies his divinity and precedes to discredit the supernatural events(graces) of his office eg celibacy, abilty to call Christ to the Altar in the Eucharist, forgiveness of sins, any sacrament activity, good works, etc. This ultimately leads to loss of Faith Hope with Charity as well flees as the faithful erroneously struggle with linking evil acts to the priesthood. Remember Caiphas the High Priest who condemn innocent Jesus spoke not of himself, but because of his office as high priest, prophesized Jesus’ condemnation under influence of the Holy Spirit (John 11:50-51). Also, Caiphas was a betrayer of Truth Himself. Judas was condemn for his sin and rejection not his good works yet Jesus still addresses Him as Friend. I will still augur for the reverence of the priesthood. This reverence due to his consecration to God should be maintained regardless throughout these dealings just as it is mandatory to honor the image of God of your personhood with dignity and respect in each one of you.
Father Joe, I have not left the Roman Catholic Church yet. I am taking time to think everything through in my mind…… It seems whatever faith I had previously in the holiness of the Roman Catholic Church has come to be questionable. Yes, there are many serious problems in churches of every denomination. But with the other denominations, crimes end with the persons actually comitting the crimes in individual institutions. In the case of the strictly centralized Roman Catholic Church, the crimes seems to rise through the hierarchy which demand absolute “obedience” from everyone within the Church.
Even serious crimes which are normally persecuted in the secular court of law seem to be somehow ignored, excused, or even silently condoned if those are the positions taken by the Pope and the hierarchy.
And people seem to have no problem with this kind of “obedience”. But, I do. And, yes, it may be true that most priests, religious, and Bishops are good people, truly intent on serving God and His flocks. But if they are silently condoning acts that are abominable to God because they are hurting His children, for Whom and for what does this Church exist? What good is it if it and its people do not fight for righteousness?
I have never lost faith in Christ but my faith in the holiness of the Roman Catholic Church and its obedience to God are fast fading and with them, my faith in the validity and exclusivity of all the sacraments the Church offers.
The Church needed to “get tough” on the issue of sodomites in the priesthood and religious life, a long time ago.
Banning them (mandating that, Bishops and seminary directors do so) under pain of mortal sin or excommunication, would no doubt have gone a long way to preventing situations like this.
Padre Pio received many fascinating and startling visions during his life. In March 1913, Padre Pio wrote his confessor, Fr. Agostino, and told him the following:
“Friday morning I was still in bed when Jesus appeared to me. He was very sad and upset. He showed me a multitude of priests regular and secular, among them various ecclesiastical dignitaries. Some were celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Others were putting on the sacred vestments; still others were taking them off.
“The sight of Jesus in distress gave me much pain, so I asked Him why He was suffering so much. He did not reply, but kept looking towards those priests. When He became tired of looking, He glanced away. He raised his eyes towards me and two tears ran down his cheeks. He walked away from the crowd of priests with an expression of disgust and scorn, crying: ‘Butchers!’ Turning to me He said: ‘My son, do not believe that my agony lasted only three hours. No, I shall be in agony until the end of the world because of those for whom I have done the most. During my agony, my son, we must not sleep. My soul seeks a few drops of human pity. But alas, they leave me alone under the weight of indifference. The ingratitude and the sleep of my ministers make my agony more difficult to bear. Alas, how they return my love. What pains me even more is that they add scorn and unbelief to their indifference. How many times I was ready to destroy them, but I was held back by the angels and the souls that love me. Write to your confessor and tell him what you have seen and what you have heard this morning. Tell him to show your letter to the Provincial.”
http://hprweb.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=213:can-clergy-sex-offenders-be-helped&catid=34:current-issue
Can Clergy Sex Offenders Be Helped
What modern treatment programs for sexual abuse leave out is faith in Jesus Christ and the notion of repentance for one’s sins.
By Regis Scanlon
…………………………………………………………………………
AFTER ASCETCISM: SEX, PRAYER AND DEVIANT PRIESTS
PATRICK GUINAN (GUYNAN)
$24.95 AMAZON PRICE
After Asceticism provides a close up look at the clergy sex abuse crisis still rocking the Catholic Church. The first study of its kind, it shows how the infiltration of therapeutic psychology on the training and lifestyles of clergy spawned a cavalier attitude in many priests and bishops about sex and prayer, causing the collapse of ascetical discipline with its devastating effects in the sex abuse crisis. Chapters probe the findings of the John Jay Report on clerical sexual misconduct; that sexual misconduct by priests was rare in the first half of the twentieth century because of the dedication to ascetical discipline; why the volumes of past research on the psychology of priests failed to predict the sexual crisis; whether homosexual priests can remain chaste. After Asceticism moves beyond criticism to an eye-opening explanation on how self-denial, fasting, and religious devotion work together to bolster attitudes and behavior for complete sexual abstinence. After Asceticism draws the connection between the ancient ideas about sex, prayer, and spiritual friendship with modern scientific research on the biology of fasting and the psychology of hope. It warns, however, that as society becomes more deeply immersed in pagan sexuality, the Catholic Church will remain mired in sexual crisis absent a return to its ascetical tradition.
Here is a much more realistic article..
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/lessons-clergy-sexual-abuse-crisis
Judy Jones, SNAP Ohio Valley director, 636-433-2511
Long drawn out Illinois Supreme Court Decision regarding the statue.
http://bettifranks.com/sexual-abuse-lawyers/supreme-court-john-doe-diocese-dallas/
You also might find the article,
If I am not for the children, then how can I argue I am not for the predators?
Interesting.
For those of you who say that Fr. Roberts’s sin was caused by an attack by the devil are not understanding the situation. Using this rational implies that the evil came from some other place. Please stop making excuses for creepy, sick behavior.
These priests are Satan. They are the ones trying to fool you. Could the devil make you murder a parent? Burn down a church? Of course not. Satan has been revealed here, in this case his name was Fr. Ken Roberts (and others). Satan is able to fool us. Those who defend the Evil One need to stop doing that. OK. Just because you knew Satan doesn’t mean you should defend him.
Merely giving a verbal confession of faith and receiving a water baptism in and of themselves do not make one a true Christian unless one’s faith in Jesus Christ as his own Lord and Savior is genuine and is the reality written in one’s heart. It is one’s faith in Jesus Christ that makes one a Christian, truly saved in the Lord’s Name.
Merely sitting in a pew on Sundays, going along with all the required motions and rituals, saying the words of this or that of devotional prayers, even singing songs of praise and worships, receiving Communion… will not make any person a true and saved Christian if Jesus is not Lord in his heart and mind and in all his actions.
Merely being “ordained” by a church does not make one a true priest unless one being ordained genuinely is of Lord Jesus Christ in all his ways. The real priests are priests forever. But we must know that not all “ordained” priests are really of the Lord. Some are clearly counterfeit priests.
How do we know? How do we really know if we are true Christians? By our fruits, we shall know what we truly are. How do we know if any priest or minister truly is of Jesus Christ? By their fruits, they shall reveal who they really are.
Lord Jesus, come! Come, and shine Your Light upon us all that all that is hidden shall be revealed. Amen.
When I was a 10-year-old child, my friends and I experimented during a Halloween pajama party with a Ouija board and seance. Afterward, I had profound personality change and fell into a deep depression. I went from a happy, normal little girl to becoming anorexic and suicidal.
By the time I was in high school, I began reading the satanic bible and started buying and using wiccan charms and spells. In short, I had become a witch and a satanist while attending Catholic high school.
During my college years, I learned about Medjurogje and went there on one of Father Ken Roberts’ pilgrimages. After witnessing and experiencing supernatural events there which I will not elaborate on here because very few would believe it anyway, I was blessed by God to know the errors of my past ways, and I went to the most sincere and profound confession of my life with Father Roberts. Since then, I have become a devout Catholic and I have completely turned from the occult.
We are all sinners, and I’m grateful for Father Roberts’ words to me during that confession. “You are forgiven. Now forgive yourself, and try to forget the past.” If he’s reading any of this, all I can say is: Yes, and thank you, Father Ken. I wish the same peace and grace to you that you conducted to me that day. You’ve been in my prayers and will continue to be.
Thanks, Father Joe, for allowing me to express this.
I stumbled upon this posting after doing some research about Mejugorje. I remember Ken Roberts book and his claims about miracles he witnessed there so I googled him and found this. The truth about pedophiles is that they are attracted to occupations that involve trust and a lot of those occupations involve wearing a uniform. Pedophiles groom children and have plans to accomplish their goal. Being a priest does not make one a pedophile, pedophiles become priests on purpose. The dirty secret is that all religions have this problem. Because the catholic church has centralized authority and is a largely populated faith it makes our church seem to be the worst offender and harborer of these heinous individuals. The best we can do is thoroughly scrutinize our priests, pray for them, and as the laitey and parents be vigilant and educate ourselves to the tactics of pedophiles.
Keep them,I pray thee, Dearest Lord, Keep them for they are Thine..Thy Priests whose lives burn out before Thy consecrated shrine.. Keep them, For they are in the world, Though from the world apart..When earthly pleasures tempt, allure…Shelter them in thy heart.. Keep them and comfort them in hours of loneliness and pain, When all their life of sacrifice for souls seems but in vain..
Keep them, And O remember, Lord, They have no one but thee, Yet they have only human hearts with human frailty..
Keep them as spotless as the Host that daily they caress..
Their every thought and word and deed, Deign dearest Lord to Bless.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Mary Queen of the clergy pray for them!!!!
Never Attack A Priest,,,,Pray for them!
” Jesus, Mary, I Love You,, Save Souls “
My mother, Donna Gerhart, worked for Fr. Ken Roberts for several years. She was constantly getting calls from young men who claimed to have been abused by him. And yet, the church continued to shield him. Why? Because he generated a great deal of REVENUE.
I now call myself a “recovering Catholic” and have moved to a non-denominational church.
I find the whole Catholic experience to be very unenlightening.
The scandals have not been handled properly and even in the posts I’ve read on this site, people continue to attack the accusers and/or sweep the whole affair under the rug. It sickens me. Clergy should never be allowed to spend one-on-one time with youth without another responsible adult monitoring the situation. The same holds true for the Boy Scouts. Satan will tempt and man will fall. We must assure the situation that allows that temptation with regard to our youth DOES NOT EXIST. Again, stop allowing clergy unfettered access to our youth, plain and simple.
I live in England. In 1989, at the age of 18, I found a copy of ‘Playboy to Priest’ by Fr Kenneth Roberts in a second-hand book shop. It moved me more than any other book I’d read. I adored it and read it countless times in my late teens and early twenties. I was struggling with a vocation in those days and that book really seemed to speak to me.
I wrote to Fr Roberts in the early 90s asking how I could get a copy of his book ‘The rest of the week’ which had never been published in England. This was before I had the internet so God knows how I found an address. He sent me a copy back along with a catalogue of all sorts of books and tapes of him and Padrio Pio and Mother Anjelica or someone like that. The liberal in me screamed at the conservatism of it all. I enjoyed his book ‘The rest of the week’ although nowhere near as much as ‘Playboy to Priest’.
I found Playboy to Priest on my bookshelf last night and it must be about 15 years since I last read it. I am fascinated to rediscover what I loved so much about Fr Robert’s journey so I’m reading it again.
I then decided to google his name this morning. I have now discovered he is yet another priest who has abused his ministry. I feel quite shocked this morning and kind of wish I’d not googled him.
The book will not be the same now.
I now understand completely why ken roberts wasn’t defrocked…Dallas tried to make it happen, but Ratzinger sat on it. The truth of our dealings with the Catholic Church in regard to the abuse my husband survived at the hands of ken roberts will all come to light. We’re not priest bashers, anti-Catholic or Church haters. Just from reading all the lovers of ken roberts…looks like he groomed you too. As I read this blog…and the timelines of when people went on trips with him and had all these amazing experiences…just know that while he was having those amazing times with all of you…he was molesting my future husband and other boys.
bc…please report to civil authorities…please, please, please get that information documented outside of the church. Unfortunately, my experiences have been that when the church is involved, they “lose” documents, lie for each other, and give you the “We’re taking care of it,” approach…and that’s as recently as 1 year ago.
Praying for all the victims of this abuse…it is devastating to all involved.
I recently came to this website. I assure all of you who are unconvinced of Ken Roberts actions; I know that these are all true; my brothers live everyday with what he did to them. Wen it was brought to the attention of his superiors all they did was send him to another church. You can’t imagine how my brothers have suffered at the hand for their Parish Priest. All of the good that some of you say he did, does not negate the breech of trust and humiliation that he brought on to my bothers and many others. Because he has covered himself in the cloth of a clergy man or because he might have helped some people does not any in way overshadow what he has done.
During one of Father Ken Robert’s retreats many years ago, he helped me open the tremendous gift of my Catholic faith. For this I will always be grateful! Child abuse of any kind is most abhorrent to me. After reading about the repeated allegations against Fr. Roberts, I literally felt ill and void of any compassion or desire to pray for him or any other priest with a history of committing such horrific crimes against children. I have since learned so much from you, Father Joe, and will now extend my prayers to include our fallen priests. In regards to your clarifications and comments about Medjugorie, thank you! I so appreciate your wisdom, guidance and unwavering obedience to the Church.
Thank you and hope this finds you in good health.