By Abbott Koloff
Daily Record
November 22, 2011
http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20111121/NJNEWS11/311210035/Mendham-church-memorial-sexually-abused-children-will-replaced?odyssey=nav|head
 |
| The destroyed millstone memorial at St. Joseph's will be replaced, but probably in a different form, the current parish priest says. BOB KARP/Staff Photographer Mendham, 11/20/11--The Millstone Memorial, located on the grounds of St. JosephÃ?s Parish in Mendham, New Jersey was destroyed sometime on Friday night. The memorial was dedicated in April 2004 to the victims of sexual abuse "at St. JosephÃ?s and everywhere." STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER/BOB KARP 2011 / staff photo |
A borough man charged with destroying a memorial for sexual abuse at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church with a sledgehammer has applied for a public defender and has a hearing scheduled for after the new year, according to court records.
Meanwhile, Paterson Diocese officials said Monday that the memorial, a black basalt millstone considered one of a kind because of its location at a Catholic church, would be replaced without significant changes. That statement came one day after the St. Joseph's pastor, Monsignor Joseph Anginoli, said a replacement would take a different form.
Ken Mullaney, the diocese attorney, said the church pastor wants to add something to the memorial that would be "a symbol of hope for the future," like a statue of Jesus embracing a child. "He has no intention of replacing the millstone, that's for sure," Mullaney said.
Gordon Ellis, 37, has been charged with criminal mischief, defacement of property, desecration of a memorial and possession of a weapon, the sledgehammer, for an unlawful purpose. He remained at the Morris County jail Monday in lieu of $25,000 bail and was scheduled for a Jan. 3 early disposition conference. He has not yet been assigned a public defender.
Police said a witness told them he watched Ellis destroy the memorial Friday evening and then drop the sledgehammer before walking away. The witness called authorities and followed Ellis down the street until police arrived to make the arrest, said Mendham Detective Chris Gobbi.
Police Chief John Taylor said Ellis was an out-of-work cook who grew up in the borough and moved back a couple of years ago. Authorities declined to discuss motives and said they could not get into details about a statement Ellis gave to police.
Neighbors said he lived with his mother in an Orchard Street house and helped with chores. A woman who answered the door at Ellis' home declined comment.
Victims advocates have said that the memorial, dedicated in 2004, has national significance because of its location at a Catholic church where children were abused. James T. Hanley, a former pastor, has admitted to molesting children there decades ago.
Hanley victims came up with the idea for the memorial and it was encouraged by the Rev. Kenneth Lasch, a pastor who succeeded Hanley and since has retired. The memorial refers to a Bible passage that says it's better to be cast into the sea with a millstone than to harm a child.
Victims advocates said on Monday that it should not be altered in any way.
"Survivors all over the country were very excited when it was built," said David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP. "I would hope that the diocese would consult with Hanley survivors. It would add insult to injury if diocese officials unilaterally decide to alter the memorial."
Mayor Neil Henry, a St. Joseph's parishioner, said he would like the memorial rebuilt "exactly the way that it was." He also said it should remain in the same place, in sight of the rectory where Hanley acknowledged molesting children.
"It was a way for me to remember friends who were victims of Father Hanley," Henry said.
Mullaney said it's too soon to say exactly what will happen to the memorial, and whether Hanley victims would be consulted about a replacement. He said the parish would be responsible for a $5,000 insurance deductible. Law enforcement authorities have said the statue is valued at between $6,000 and $10,000.
Contact: akoloff@njpressmedia.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.