Police Were Called over Man Handing out Cards
By David Yonke
Toledo Blade [Toledo OH]
April 7, 2007
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070407/NEWS03/704070385/-1/NEWS
A member of a North Toledo parish is demanding an apology from his pastor and the bishop after police were called to stop him from handing out cards honoring slain Sister Margaret Ann Pahl.
"I feel I was being harassed, and the diocese owes me an apology," Mike Drabik, a parishioner since 1993, said yesterday. "I wasn't doing anything evil."
Mr. Drabik said he began handing out the cards "peacefully" in front of St. Hedwig's Catholic Church on Lagrange Street about 15 minutes before the start of the 7 p.m. Mass on Maundy Thursday, the 27th anniversary of Sister Margaret Ann's death.
 |
| Drabik Photo by The Blade |
The pastor, the Rev. Marek Ciesla, came out and asked him to stop.
Father Ciesla said yesterday that he confronted Mr. Drabik because the parishioner was passing out literature without permission. He said several people had complained to him about Mr. Drabik's actions.
"I told him it's private property and this is not an appropriate time to bring anything like this," Father Ciesla said. "My business is to protect the parishioners. I didn't know what he was passing out, but I didn't care. The first step was not taken - he did not ask for permission."
Mr. Drabik said his pastor accused him of "making a political statement" and "upsetting people."
In a letter to Bishop Leonard Blair, sent by e-mail yesterday, Mr. Drabik said, "I do not believe I was doing the former and, well, as for the latter, yes it is upsetting but I believe the memory of what happened to her must not be allowed to fade. She means much to so many who have been hurt by abusive priests and other agents of the church."
The homemade flyers, about the size of a business card, feature a black and white photo of Sister Margaret Ann, who was strangled and stabbed to death in the sacristy of the former Mercy Hospital on April 5, 1980 - Holy Saturday that year - a day before her 72nd birthday.
Toledo priest Gerald Robinson was arrested and charged with her murder in April, 2004, and convicted in Lucas County Common Pleas Court in May, 2006.
The 68-year-old priest, who lived in the St. Hedwig rectory from 1989-90, is serving a 15-years-to-life sentence at Hocking Correctional Facility in southern Ohio.
In addition to the photo of the slain nun, Mr. Drabik's cards carried a caption: "Sister Margaret Ann Pahl, April 5, 1980. Ritual Abuse Victim." On the back is a Bible verse, Deuteronomy 21:9, "If you wish to purge the guilt of innocent blood, then do right before the Lord."
Mr. Drabik said Father Ciesla warned him that he was going to call the police unless he left the church property immediately.
"That was at five minutes to 7 and I told him I was leaving in five minutes, so calling the police would be a waste of time," Mr. Drabik said.
Father Ciesla said he asked Mr. Drabik to come inside the church and pray, but he refused.
"I said, 'Well, sir, you don't leave me an option. I have to call the police.'"
A Toledo police spokesman said yesterday that Father Ciesla called at 6:55 p.m. Thursday. By the time police arrived at 7:10, Mr. Drabik had left St. Hedwig.
Mr. Drabik said he left "as promised," but "spent several hours afterward on pins and needles, in fear of being arrested" at his home.
His letter to Bishop Blair said, "I believe I am owed an apology for what happened from the diocese and Father Ciesla."
Father Ciesla said that if anyone should apologize, it is Mr. Drabik.
"He should apologize for not asking for permission. He should apologize to everyone in the church. And he should leave the bishop alone. It was between him and me. The bishop didn't know anything about it," Father Ciesla said.
The Thursday confrontation was not the first for Mr. Drabik and church leaders. In September, he protested to Bishop Blair about an announcement published in St. Hedwig's bulletin for a chicken dinner fund-raiser for Robinson's legal fees.
Contact David Yonke at: dyonke@theblade.com or 419-724-6154.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.