Harrisburg bishop delivers message on clergy sex abuse to parishioners gathered for Mass

Patriot-News - 8/5/2018

Aug. 05--A letter from Bishop Ronald Gainer is being distributed to parishioners at mass this weekend in the wake of his decision Wednesday to make public the names of 71 clergy accused of misconduct, including sexual abuse of children.

Diocese officials said they were distributing the letter to be inserted into the weekly church bulletins, but were otherwise leaving it to the individual parishes to decide how and whether to address the news during services.

Priests in at least two churches -- Holy Name of Jesus in Dauphin County and St. Theresa Church in Cumberland County -- read the letter aloud from the pulpit.

At Holy Name of Jesus, copies of the letters also were made available.

"I apologize also to you, the people of our Diocese, whose faith and trust in our church and its leaders has been tested," Gainer wrote. "I pray that the caring ministry of today's priests, deacons and religious who have been faithful to their call, and who serve us so well day in and day out, will be for you a source of strength and renewed trust."

Father Edward Quinlan, at Holy Name of Jesus, spoke briefly after reading the letter of his distress that some of his fellow clergy would abuse those in their charge. He asked parishioners to pray for those who were victimized. The Rev. Michael McFadden at St. Theresa's made no further comments.

Gainer made the names public in advance of a grand jury report, expected to be made public by Aug. 14, that examines the history of child sexual abuse in six of Pennsylvania's Catholic dioceses. And Gainer also took the unprecedented step of ordering that the names of anyone accused -- or any bishop who has served in the diocese since 1947 -- be removed from any places of honor within the diocese.

The grand jury report will name 300 clergy members as "predator priests" according to court documents. It is expected to cover a period dating to 1947.

The list hit close to home in some parishes, such as Holy Name of Jesus. The late Fr. Daniel Mahoney, who served in the parish for 34 years and saw it grow from 1,900 members to 9,000, was among those on the list of accused. The diocese said the accusation was made after his death.

Likewise, Holy Trinity Church in Columbia now has the task of removing the name of the late Father Stephen Rolko from the parish center memorial garden. Rolko served as pastor at HOly Trinity for 18 years, and the garden was dedicated to him in 1994.

The Rev.Stephen Kelley told LNP that his inclusion on the diocese's list was a shock, saying that Rolko had been "a greatly beloved priest."

Even before the churches celebrated Mass Saturdy evening, they made decisions on how to address Gainer's decisions on their websites, and in their bulletins. Some did not mention the announcement in either place. Many included a link to the "Protecting Youth" page that Gainer unveiled Wednesday. His statement, the diocese's updated policies and the list of accused can be found on this site.

St. Catherine Laboure Parish, headquartered on Derry Street in Swatara Township, placed in its bulletin a Prayer for Healing Victims of Abuse, and a Prayer for Healing and Reconciliation "for those who have been profoundly wounded by abuse, especially those who have been hurt by Your ministers."

The bulletin also included information on how to report suspected abuse of a child.

St. Francis of Assissi Parish directed readers of its bulletin to the parish offices with any questions.

Holy Family Parish, based in Harrisburg, Wednesday urged readers of its Facebook page, "in light of the heartbreaking day we had today," to listen to a message from Father Paul Schenck posted on the website of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, in Mechanicsburg.

The July 22 homily titled "Good Shepherds" poses the question: "What are we to do when the people of God we've trusted betray us this way?"

The diocese in Allentown and Pittsburgh this week also announced that they intend to release the names of accused clergy when the grand jury report is made public. The Erie diocese previously did so.

PennLive reporter Joe Elias contributed to this report.

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