But here is where it all becomes somewhat Kafkaesque. Rather than campaigning against Jefferts Schori and demanding to know why she accepted into ordination a man with such a grotesque record — reports that suggested he was likely to reoffend — the usual anti-Catholic brigade have set up shop locally to attack the Catholic bishop and the Catholic Church.

Ms. Jefferts Schori, of course, is now the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States, or in other words the head of the American version of the Anglican communion. She is also a roaring liberal, a darling of the left, the gay community and those who believe Catholicism to be reactionary, ultra-orthodox and on the wrong side of history.

Those of us who have had to study the ugly figures for sexual abuse knew some time ago that the rates within the Church of England and its international branches were generally higher than within Catholicism, though not as high as those documented in, for example, public education. No matter, if it’s abuse it has to be Catholic abuse, and why allow truth to get in the way of a good story.

A good story; which is precisely what I heard when I listened to Coach Joe Paterno speak a few years ago now, down at Penn State. I was there delivering a set of lectures on G.K. Chesterton and Edwardian English literature of all things, and “Coach,” as he was known, came to listen. It was as if the icon has suddenly come to life. Awe and invincible respect all round. He seemed a nice man, and it’s his assistant, Jerry Sandusky, not him who has been charged with hideous crimes of molesting young boys. Joe, we’re told, knew about some of them and did far too little to intervene.

Which has led most people to assume that pretty much every football coach is part of some enormous sexual underworld, covering up or committing rape and any number of sexual assaults. But of course not. We’re sane, sensible people and we would never make such banal generalizations. That sort of rubbish is reserved for Roman Catholic priests.

[[Visit blog to check out this spoiler]]

Read Full Article and Comments Here

Some more hypocrisy and Catholic-bashing
The Catholic Register
Michael Coren
November 22, 2011

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has issued the following statement concerning Bede Parry.

Bede James Parry was serving as organist and music director at All Saints Church, Las Vegas, when I became aware of him. His arrival preceded my own in the Diocese of Nevada.

He approached me to inquire about being received as a priest, having served as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church. At the time, he told me of being dismissed from the monastery in 1987 for a sexual encounter with an older teenager, and indicated that it was a single incident of very poor judgment. The incident was reported to civil authorities, who did not charge him. He told of being sent to a facility in New Mexico, serving as a priest thereafter both in New Mexico and in Nevada, and recently (2002) being asked to formalize his separation from the monastery.

In consultation with other diocesan leadership and the chancellor, we explored the possibilities and liabilities of receiving him. I wrote to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas and the Diocese of Santa Fe, receiving brief responses from each bishop, who indicated no problematic behavior. I wrote to Conception Abbey, from whom I received only an acknowledgement that he had served there, been sent for treatment to a facility in New Mexico, and had been dismissed for this incident of misconduct. Neither then nor later did I receive a copy of any report of a psychological examination in connection with his service in the Roman Catholic Church. His departure from the Roman Catholic priesthood had to do with his desire to take up secular employment.

Parry was required to fulfill all the expectations of the canons regarding reception of a priest from another communion in historic succession. He did undergo a psychological exam in the Diocese of Nevada, was forthcoming about the incident he had reported to me, and did not receive a negative evaluation. His background check showed no more than what he had already told us. He was forthcoming about the previous incident in his interviews with the Commission on Ministry and with the Standing Committee.

I made the decision to receive him, believing that he demonstrated repentance and amendment of life and that his current state did not represent a bar to his reception. I was clear that his ministry would be limited to an assisting role, under the supervision of another priest, and like any other diocesan leader, he would not be permitted to work alone with children. Since that time, as far as I am aware, he has served faithfully and effectively as a minister of the gospel and priest of this Church.

The records of his reception are retained by the Diocese of Nevada, and further questions should be directed to Bishop Dan Edwards.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori issues statement
November 16, 2011
The Episcopal Church
Office of Public Affairs

Source: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/newsline_130521_ENG_HTM.htm

I have since recognized that I may have acted inappropriately with at least one other member of the Abbey Boy Choir. - Bede Parry, May, 2011

Everything that I have done in my life has been with me, and haunting me, every day. I dream about it. I think about it. Not a day passes when I do not regret my conduct. I am truly sorry. – Bede Parry, May, 2011

View Statement as PDF… Here

Statement of Bede Parry
May 7, 2011
All-Saints Episcopal Church – Las Vegas, Nevada

My name is Bede Parry and I currently reside in Las Vegas, Nevada. In November of 2010, I was contacted by and subsequently met on two occasions with Patrick Marker regarding my knowledge of misconduct by personnel at Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota.

In my meetings with Mr. Marker in November of 2010, and in several telephone and email conversations since, we have discussed issues related to my background, inappropriate contact by members of the clergy (at Saint John’s and elsewhere, including my own), and a mutual desire to create a safe environment for children and vulnerable adults.

I have agreed to provide details of my background, as follows:

In 1973, I joined Conception Abbey, a Benedictine monastic community located in Missouri. Between 1974 and 1979, I was involved in three relationships that included sexual contact, and were thus inappropriate for a monastic. In 1979, I admitted my misconduct to Abbot Jerome Hanus of Conception Abbey. Later in 1979, I enrolled in the three-year School of Theology program at Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota.

In 1981, a student at Saint John’s University made allegations of sexual misconduct against me. I was asked to attend a meeting with [St. John's Victim #1], the student with whom I had indeed engaged in inappropriate sexual contact, Fr. Roman Paur and perhaps one other member of the Saint John’s community. During the meeting, I apologized for my inappropriate conduct and agreed to have no further contact with [St. John's Victim #1].

Immediately after the meeting with Roman Paur, I phoned Abbot Jerome Hanus at Conception Abbey and made him aware of my misconduct. After a discussion about the misconduct, Abbot Jerome simply said, “Don’t do it again.”

[Video: Additional Comments Regarding Abbot Hanus... Here ]

A few days after the meeting with Roman Paur, I met for tea with Saint John’s Abbot Jerome Theisen. Abbot Theisen said that he had spoken to Abbot Hanus about my conduct. There was an understanding, by all parties, that I would not do it again. I also agreed to get some counseling. I counseled with Fr. Finian McDonald for several weeks then met with a counselor in St. Cloud, Minnesota for additional therapy.

While attending the School of Theology, I lived with the other monks at Saint John’s. There was an awareness of my misconduct among the other monks. In addition to Fr. Roman Paur and Fr. Finian McDonald, Fr. Rene McGraw also knew details of my misconduct. I recall that other monks commented or joked about my misconduct in a light-hearted, but nonetheless inappropriate, manner.

I completed the School of Theology program in 1982 and returned to Conception Abbey that summer. I was ordained on April 16, 1983. Abbot Jerome Hanus reminded me at the time of my ordination that I would need to be “especially observant” of my vow of celibacy.

In the summer of 1987, Conception Abbey hosted a choir camp. I had been involved with the Abbey Boy Choir as organist, director, or both, for several years. During the camp, I had inappropriate sexual contact in my living quarters with [John Doe 181], a member of the Abbey Boy Choir.

My misconduct with [John Doe 181] was reported to the leadership at Conception Abbey the same day. At a meeting with [John Doe 181’s parents] and the Abbot, I admitted to the misconduct and apologized for my behavior.

Soon after the incident with [John Doe 181], I left Conception Abbey for Jemez Springs, New Mexico. Abbot Jerome Hanus drove me to the airport. I took part in a three-month program at the Servants of the Paraclete facilities.

I have since recognized that I may have acted inappropriately with at least one other member of the Abbey Boy Choir.

Late in 1987, I finished the Paraclete program and accepted a job, as choirmaster and organist, at St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Albuquerque. I continued to receive therapy from a female counselor, Margaret, in Santa Fe.

I am aware that in 1990, someone from Conception Abbey asked [John Doe 181’s parents] about my potential return to the area. I am unaware of the details of the conversation but was told by Abbot James Jones that it would “not be wise” for me to return to Conception Abbey.

In 1995, Fr. Anthony Gorman from Saint John’s Abbey sent [St. John's Victim #1's] obituary to me. I do not know how Fr. Gorman knew to contact me, or the nature of Fr. Gorman’s relationship with [St. John's Victim #1].

In 2000, I was recruited by Mary Bredlau to work at All-Saints Episcopal Church in Las Vegas.

Also in 2000, I considered joining the Prince of Peace monastery in Riverside, California. Prince of Peace had me undergo a series of psychological tests. After the testing, Prince of Peace’s Abbot Charles Wright informed me I was no longer a candidate. The psychological evaluation had determined that I had a proclivity to reoffend with minors. Abbot Wright called Conception Abbey’s Abbot Gregory Polan with this information.

Abbot Polan would later share the information with Robert Stoeckig from the Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas, Episcopal Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and the human resources department at Mercy Ambulance in Las Vegas. Bishop Daniel Walsh, Monsignor Ben Franzinelli, Bishop Joseph Pepe, Archbishop Robert Sanchez and Rev. Bob Nelson were also made aware of my previous misconduct.

In 2002, I pursued a cooperative dismissal from the Catholic Church. Fr. Dan Ward, a canon lawyer from Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, prepared the documents.

I have only recently begun to understand how my misconduct has affected my victims.

Everything that I have done in my life has been with me, and haunting me, every day. I dream about it. I think about it. Not a day passes when I do not regret my conduct. I am truly sorry.

Bede Parry
May 7, 2011

View Statement as PDF… Here

Additional Comments Regarding Abbot Hanus… Here 

About the Statement and this Web Site… Here

Bede Parry… on Telling Jerome Hanus
Video from May 7, 2011

Question: And, do you remember anything about the [telephone] conversation [with Hanus in 1981] other than he said, “Don’t do it again?”

Answer: Well, I told him that I had, you know, been involved in some sexual misconduct and he said, is, is, “are there any legal issues, are the police involved?” and I said “no” and he said, “well, you know, we’re going to have to get some counseling because this just can’t happen again.”

Watch the Video… Here

Read Bede Parry’s Statement Here

]]> http://www.deceptioninconception.com/bede-parry-on-telling-jerome-hanus/feed/ 0 http://www.deceptioninconception.com/conception-abbey-covered-up-abuse/ http://www.deceptioninconception.com/conception-abbey-covered-up-abuse/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 01:31:07 +0000 admin http://www.conceptionabbeyabuse.com/?p=230 After a shooter killed two monks at Conception Abbey in June of 2002, the leadership at the abbey had to decide whether to disclose that they had knowledge of sexual misconduct by at least one member of its monastic community.  Instead of doing the right thing, Abbot Gregory Polan and Mr. Daniel Madden misled the authorities.

They withheld information that could have shed light on the shooting… that credible allegations of sexual misconduct had been made before 1979, in 1981 and again in 1987.

Daniel Madden would later brag about his ability “to manage national media coverage.” [ View ]

Madden and Abbot Polan did just that.

Below are some of the quotes taken from news coverage in the days following the shooting.

***

“Officials at the abbey and the seminary college connected to it said they have not found a link between Jeffress and the sex scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church, but they left open the possibility of one … The abbey and seminary have been only indirectly connected to the scandal.”

Abbey Rampage a Mystery
Lois Romano
Washington Post
June 11, 2002

***

“Rebecca Summers, a spokeswoman for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, which includes Conception, said church authorities had no reason to think the shootings were related to the sex abuse scandal that has shaken the Catholic Church.”

The Washington Post
Lois Romano and Annie Gowen
June 11, 2002
Gunman Kills 2 Monks, Wounds 2 at Missouri Abbey

***

“Investigators said they have no evidence connecting the shootings to the sex scandal in which Catholic priests have been accused of molesting youngsters.”

Mo. Abbey Gunman Is ‘Mystery Man’
AP Online
June 11, 2002

***

“Polan said the worst trouble the monks — who lead a simple life of work and prayer — had faced until Monday was a few dollars missing from an outdoor collection box.”

Monastery locked up as killings are probed
Associated Press
June 11, 2002
By Connie Farrow

***

“This afternoon, the gunman’s daughter told Missouri detectives that in Mr. Jeffress’s youth he was a devout Catholic but that in recent years, he had occasionally attended a Methodist church. Why and when Mr. Jeffress left the Catholic Church remained a mystery, Sergeant Lyon said. That left equally unclear whether there was any tie between the killings and the American Catholic Church’s sexual abuse crisis.”

Monastery Gunman Ignored Pleas for Mercy From Monk
New York Times
Sam Dillon
June 12, 2002

***

“Abbey officials said they had found nothing in their guest, seminary and employment records to link Jeffress to Conception Abbey. Investigators said they had no evidence connecting the shootings to the sex abuse scandal in which Catholic priests have been accused of molesting children”

Abbey killer was upset with church about his divorce
USA Today
June 12, 2002

***

“Conception’s ninth abbot tries to make sense of the shootings. In an effort to understand and help authorities, the abbey staff went through press files, employment records, seminary rosters and guest registries looking for any tie between Mr. Jeffress and Conception.”

Peace, forgiveness ease monks’ pain
St. Joseph News-Press
Alanzo Weston and Ken Newton
June 8, 2003″

In this undated photo, Conception Abbey monks Bede Parry and Gregory Polan pose with members of the Abbey Boy Choir.

If you know the identity of any of the other adults in this photo, please send a note via the Contact page… Here

View larger version of the image… Here

The allegations stem from telephone conversations and emails exchanged between Abbot Gregory Polan, the current ordinary of Conception Abbey in Missouri, where Father Parry was only a novice when his sexual abuses of young men originally came to light in the 1970s, and a certain Patrick J. Marker. Until recently, Mr. Marker had remained anonymous as another victim of sexual abuse, who had been molested by a different Catholic priest, while a student at a preparatory school operated by a different Catholic abbey in Minnesota (St. John’s).

Bede Parry, before being ordained at Conception Abbey, had taken courses from 1979-1982 at the School of Theology also run by St. John’s in Minnesota, and had admitted to his then Abbot in Missouri that he had engaged in sexual misconduct with a teen-aged student there. The Abbot required him to undergo “psychological treatment”, but kept him on as a priest. Notwithstanding his treatment, Fr. Parry continued to molest young men in contact with him at the Abbey, and who had been enlisted to sing in its choir. It was during a summer camp for that choir in 1987 that Fr. Parry made the sexual advances which resulted in the current lawsuit on file in Missouri, and which the Circuit Court just ruled could proceed, over objections by the Abbey that the offenses alleged were outside the statute of limitations.

Patrick Marker, as a victim with ties to St. John’s, where there were already a number of lawsuits pending on account of apparently widespread sexual abuse of minors there, became aware of the allegations concerning the molestations which Fr. Parry now admits he committed while at St. John’s. As a result, Mr. Marker began investigating alleged abuses by the monks of Conception Abbey, and found credible charges concerning at least three of its members — including Father Parry. He contacted Abbot Polan, as noted, and attempted to persuade him to approach the prior choristers and students at the Abbey who could still be found, in an effort to allow the ones who were willing to come forward to reach closure with regard to sexual abuses which they had suffered there so long ago.

After Abbot Polan, on his attorneys’ advice, declined to try to make contact between the Abbey and other potential victims of its predator monks, Mr. Marker opened up a Website for the purpose of creating a point of contact for other victims of abuse at Conception Abbey. Frustrated by his inability to get anywhere with Abbot Polan, Mr. Marker put up a post on his Website last month which reproduced detailed contemporary notes of his conversations with the Abbot, both singly and in the presence of others, in order to document his efforts.

View Entire Article and Associated Links Here

“I also request that you end all speculation regarding your conversations with [PB] Katharine Jefferts Schori and [Bishop] Dan Edwards. They ignored your warnings and are rewriting history to serve their own agendas.” Patrick J. Marker

By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
October 26, 2011

A request to dismiss a civil child sex abuse lawsuit against Conception Abbey, the former spiritual home of the Rev. Bede Parry who later was admitted into the Episcopal Church by Bishop Jefferts Schori, was denied by Nodaway county judge this week who ruled that the civil case should proceed.

Officials at the monastery petitioned to dismiss the suit, filed in June 2011, on the grounds that it was beyond the statute of limitations.

The suit claimed the Rev. Bede Parry, who at the time was a priest at the monastery, allegedly had sexual contact with a minor child while serving as director of a residential choir camp in 1987. The lawsuit also alleges that officials at Conception Abbey knew of sex crimes committed by the Rev. Parry as far back as 1973.

Parry, a former Catholic monk and priest, was received as an Episcopal priest in Nevada in 2004, when Jefferts Schori was the local bishop before her 2006 election as presiding bishop.

Her successor in Nevada, Bishop Dan Edwards, took the fall for his Presiding Bishop when these charges came to light.

Edwards said on July 5 that a thorough review of church records showed that Jefferts Schori “handled the situation perfectly appropriately.”

Edwards said the process that accepted Parry as an Episcopal priest was careful and long, stretching from 2002 until 2004. Parry told church leaders, including Jefferts Schori, that in 1987 he had inappropriately touched an adolescent in Missouri, and that the police had been called but charges had not been filed. He also disclosed that he had gone to counseling.

The implication is that Jefferts Schori was simply the victim of bad advice and was not aware of the results of tests (she has been completely silent on this). However, it is clear from the following conversation that took place between a victim and the abbot of the monastery that she was informed and therefore failed to uphold the church’s child protection responsibilities.

In a website http://www.conceptionabbeyabuse.com/letter-to-abbot-gregory-polan-2/ is an account from Sept. 11 of this year, which refutes the statement released by the Bishop of Nevada. The following exchange of emails backs this up. This statement is from a survivor.

View Marker’s Statement/Letter Here

View the full VOL article and comments Here

Marker told VOL in an e-mail that in response to the letter he sent Polan, he received letter from Polan requesting that he direct all future correspondence to the abbey’s attorney.

The ruling allows the attorneys from John Doe 181 to proceed with their lawsuit.

The Court’s October 21, 2011 Ruling:

Defendant Conception Abbey Inc. has moved this Court, pursuant to Missouri Supreme Court Rule 55.27(a) (6), to dismiss Plaintiff’s Petition for Damages for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. The Defendant asserts that dismissal is required because the pleaded facts in the Petition establish that Plaintiff’ s cause of action is barred by the applicable statute of limitations. The Motion to Dismiss has been fully briefed and argued and the Defendants Motion to Dismiss is hereby denied. 

View Judgement as PDF… Here

John Doe 181′ Original Lawsuit… Here

Gregory Polan

During a May 18, 2011, telephone conversation, we discussed … Your failure to disclose misconduct by Bede Parry and other monks following the 2002 shooting at Conception Abbey.

Letter to Abbot Gregory Polan

July 19, 2011
Abbot Gregory Polan
Conception Abbey
37174 State Highway Vv
Conception Junction, Missouri
Abbot Gregory,

Attached please find an exchange of emails with a subject line of “Being Proactive” that we exchanged in April and May of this year. The exchange begins with my email to you on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 wherein I reference to our telephone conversation of Monday, April 25, 2011, and ends on May 3, 2011 with an email relating your telephone conversation with Bishop Dan Edwards.

In addition to the emails we exchanged, below please find notes from four of our phone conversations.

*** During our first telephone conversation, on Monday, April 25, 2011, you shared the following information:

1) You heard something about Bede’s 1981 misconduct at St. John’s “at the time of the incident”.

2) You were aware of an incident involving Bede Parry with a member of the abbey’s choir in the summer of 1987.

3) Bede Parry was sent to New Mexico soon after the 1987 incident.

4) When Bede Parry tried to enter another monastery, he took psychological tests that showed a “proclivity toward sexual misconduct with minors.”

5) You called Parry’s boss at an ambulance company and a woman bishop with the Episcopal Church with the information.

6) You identified the woman bishop as Katharine Jefferts Schori.

7) You told Katharine Jefferts Schori not only about the allegations [plural] against Bede, but also of Bede’s attempt to join another monastery, the psychological testing and his “proclivity”.

8 ) That Katharine Jefferts Schori, despite your revelations, “allowed him to continue to work.”

9) You are a 1977 graduate of the St. John’s University School of Theology and knew my abuser, Fr. Dunstan Moorse.

10) You didn’t know why there was so much misconduct at St. John’s.

11) At least two other members of your community had allegations against them.

12) After I suggested that you take what the public would consider a proactive approach to the Bede Parry problem, you suggested a letter to all members as a form of outreach.

13) You were waiting to create or post a page on your web site to address concerns regarding sexual misconduct.

*** During an April 28, 2011, telephone conversation you shared or confirmed (with Fr. Patrick Caveglia and Fr.Daniel Petsche in your office and all on speakerphone) the following information:

1) You agreed that Katherine Jefferts Schori had known about Bede’s “propensity to reoffend” for nine years.

2) Bede Parry is a sick man.

3) No one is monitoring Bede Parry.

4) After we discussed two of Bede Parry’s victims you offered pastoral help, claiming that it was “hallmark” of the way the abbey deals with things.

5) You will contact Jerome Hanus.

6) Bede’s return to Conception Abbey would never be possible.

7) You will call the new Episcopal bishop in Nevada, Dan Edwards.

*** During a May 12, 2011, telephone conversation, you shared or confirmed (with Fr. Patrick Caveglia and Fr.Daniel Petsche in your office and all on speakerphone) the following information:

1) Jerome Hanus told you in a phone conversation that he did not remember conversations with Bede or Jerome Theisen about Bede’s misconduct prior to 1979 or in 1981.

2) When I asked whether Hanus denied participating or couldn’t remember, you said he couldn’t remember.

3) Abbot James spoke to the family of one of Bede’s victims in approximately March of 1997 about the possibility of Bede returning to Conception Abbey.

4) You would be happy for me to facilitate a meeting between you and the two known choir victims

5) You consulted a lawyer and a few parents about the letter to choir members. They didn’t think that it was a wise thing to do because it could open wounds.

6) According to Abbey records, Fr. Reginald was overseeing the choir. Bede was only an assistant.

The phone call ended after I expressed disappointed that a choir letter was not going out.

*** During a May 18, 2011, telephone conversation, we discussed:

1) My May 16, 2011 email [ View ] … You said that I crossed the line by making overly judgmental statements.

2) You asked that I not call again.

3) My call with a third choir member who was a victim of misconduct by Bede Parry.

4) The fact that I am actively looking for victims because Conception Abbey is making no outreach.

5) Your failure to disclose misconduct by Bede Parry and other monks following the 2002 shooting at Conception Abbey.

6) After I read the letter from one of Bede Parry’s victims, you apologized for Bede’s misconduct and to me for the misconduct I endured at St. John’s.

7) You said that you had to listen to your conscience and your calling – and that I should do the same.

***

In our last conversation, you said that you had to trust your conscience. I find it hard to believe that your conscience is telling you to stonewall.

My conscience has led me toward numerous phone conversations and email exchanges with parents, choir members, former monks, and seminary students. I have learned a great deal about the history of misconduct at Conception Abbey.

I respectfully request that you make a public statement regarding misconduct by the members of your community. Those who offended must be held accountable — and publicly named. Those who protected the offenders must also be held accountable.

I know of at least twelve victims who would have benefitted from such accountability years ago. My guess is that there are dozens more. Please ease their burden.

I also request that you end all speculation regarding your conversations with Katharine Jefferts Schori and Dan Edwards. They ignored your warnings and are rewriting history to serve their own agendas. Please do not fall victim to that trap.

The entire Conception Abbey community deserves the truth. The victims deserve no less.

Sincerely,

Patrick J Marker