Shock and Grief in Msgr. William J. Lynn's Parish after His Conviction
By Dara McBride
"Abominable," "shameful" and "sad" were a few of the words the parishioners of St. Joseph Church in Downingtown used Sunday to describe the conviction of their former pastor, Msgr. William J. Lynn, of child endangerment in the landmark clergy sex-abuse trial in Philadelphia. On Friday, Lynn, 61, became the nation's first Catholic church supervisor convicted for covering up abuse by a priest. He faces up to seven years in prison. On the first Sunday after that dramatic outcome, cars packed St. Joseph's two parking lots as usual. But inside, Masses were different. Some parishioners cried. Others expressed confusion over the verdict as they spoke with clergy afterward. "He was the lovingest and most supportive man I've ever known. He was there in my hour of need, not just for me, but for my family," Bernadette Louden said after the 10:30 a.m. Mass. Without providing details, she said Lynn had helped her when she became seriously ill. Louden said those outside the St. Joseph community who have been following news reports of the trial do not truly know Lynn, who served there until he was charged in February 2011 with two felony counts of endangerment and one of conspiracy in connection with his role as clergy secretary for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. In that job as an aide to Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua, Lynn investigated abuse complaints and recommended priests' assignments. Lynn was acquitted on the second charge of endangerment and the conspiracy charge. The jury failed to reach verdicts on attempted-rape and endangerment charges against his co-defendant, the Rev. James J. Brennan. "I keep saying, 'We have to keep our hearts and minds on Jesus,' " Msgr. Joseph McLoone said between Masses. He is the brother of Pat McLoone, managing editor of The Inquirer's sister paper, the Philadelphia Daily News. McLoone, who joined the parish 16 months ago, said the church must help parishioners cope with their feelings and pray for those involved, including Lynn. Volunteers from the archdiocese's Office for Child and Youth Protection handed out literature encouraging parishioners to respect the different reactions to the verdict and offering support information for victims of or witnesses to sexual violence. Many St. Joseph's parishioners said Lynn would be in their prayers, including Kieran McCauley, 20, who has attended St. Joseph's since he was 5. He said Sunday's Mass was not too different from any other in that people still came to pray and work to become better people. "There's a bit of a dark cloud, but everyone's here for the same reason," McCauley said. Contact: dmcbride@philly.com
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.