Mendham Church Monument to Child Abuse Victims Damaged Again

By Michael Izzo
Daily Record
March 9, 2013

http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20130308/NJNEWS/303080026/Mendham-church-monument-to-child-abuse-victims-damaged-again?nclick_check=1

Pat Serrano speaks in April 2012 during the re-dedication at St Joseph's Church in Mendham of the Millstone Memorial, the nation’s first memorial in remembrance of clergy sex abuse survivors. It was destroyed a second time by a vandal. / NJ PRESS MEDIA FILE PHOTO/BOB KARP

A monument dedicated to victims of child sexual abuse has been destroyed for the second time in less than two years.

Local authorities say someone caused extensive damage to the 400-pound millstone that sits outside St. Joseph Church. No suspects have been identified.

Mendham Mayor Neil Henry said it appears the damage occurred late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.

“It’s troubling that this happened again,” said Henry, who added that he was close to the situation because he personally knew some of the victims. “It’s beyond belief.”

Henry said he could not comment further because the incident was under investigation.

The memorial was originally dedicated in 2004 on the grounds of St. Joseph's Church, where James T. Hanley, a former pastor who since has been defrocked, admittedly molested children decades ago. Some of Hanley's victims proposed the monument, inscribed with a biblical phrase that says it is better to be cast into the sea with a millstone than to harm a child.

In November of 2011, police charged 38-year-old Gordon D. Ellis with using a sledgehammer to destroy the monument. It was rebuilt and dedicated last April. Those charges are still pending against Ellis. His defense lawyer is awaiting the production of previous mental health records.

“I’m trying to keep my emotions in check right now,” said Bill Crane, who helped build the initial memorial, and the new one in 2011. “I’m trying to look at this as a positive, that we can revisit this issue.”

Crane, who belonged to the parish as a teen and was abused by Hanley, is 47 and now lives in Sandy, Oregon. Crane said he plans to build the memorial again with the help of donations which he expects to come from across the country.

“Last time we did the memorial in porcelain, which was supposed to last thousands of years,” Crane said. “This time maybe we’ll try bronze.”

Calls on Thursday and Friday to Msgr. Joseph Anginoli, pastor of St. Joseph Church, were not returned.