Aurora Parishioners Noisily Demand to Get Their Suspended Priest Back

By Marco Chown Oved
Toronto Star
February 3, 2015

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/02/03/aurora-parishioners-want-their-suspended-priest-back.html

Father Joe Gorman has been suspended from duties at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Aurora.

They stood up; they yelled; they walked out.

Members of Aurora’s Our Lady of Grace Roman Catholic Church had a raucous mass on Sunday, the first since learning that their pastor, Joe Gorman, had been suspended from his duties due to alleged financial issues and “ecclesiastical irregularities” at weddings.

When contacted by the Star on Tuesday, the 38-year-old priest said he had no comment on the allegations.

Auxiliary Bishop Wayne Kirkpatrick was dispatched by the Archdiocese of Toronto to explain the situation to the congregation, which is 6,000 families strong. But many in the church, which was packed with confused parishioners, were angry that their priest could be removed without warning.

Kirkpatrick read a statement issued by the Archdiocese and specified that there was no reason to suspect Father Gorman sought any personal financial gain, before he was interrupted by several people who stood and demanded their pastor back.

“They said the Catholic Church should be more open to change,” said Randall Gerrits, who regularly attends mass at the church. “There was a standing ovation and then people started walking out.”

“Nothing’s been explained; everyone’s still in the dark,” Gerrits said.

Father Gorman’s tight-knit congregation learned of his suspension the previous week and launched an online petition calling for his reinstatement. Within hours, it had hundreds of signatures. As of Tuesday, more than 2,300 people had put their names to the call addressed to Cardinal Thomas Collins.

“We, the parishioners of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, ask for your intervention to help heal our community, which has been wounded by the abrupt removal of our beloved pastor, Fr. Joe Gorman,” the petition states. “We ask your Eminence to appoint a mediator to assist us with the process of returning Fr. Joe as our pastor, and we ask for transparency, due process, and clear communication to help us through these difficult times.”

In the comments below the petition, many supporters shared how his temporary removal will affect them.

“His (departure) will tarnish all the progress we've made in introducing God in our family's lives. He is one of us. Tangible, approachable, compassionate and strong,” wrote Tracey Hache of Newmarket.

Several people who attended Father Gorman’s mass described him as young, down-to-earth and charismatic, a priest who welcomed non-Catholics into the church enthusiastically and made them feel comfortable.

“I’m not Catholic. My husband’s not Catholic, but we go to Our Lady of Grace because of Father Joe,” said Gerrits. “During mass, he’s funny. People laugh. He’s great with kids and makes them part of mass, so they have fun and want to go.”

On Monday, the Archdiocese explained that Father Gorman had presided over a wedding where one person had not annulled their previous marriage. Later he allegedly wed two Catholics in an Anglican chapel and altered the records to indicate another minister had officiated.

“This activity was contrary to the laws of the Catholic Church and violated the civil marriage act, putting his own licence to celebrate weddings in jeopardy,” wrote Archdiocese spokesperson Neil MacCarthy.

Gorman is also accused of not following accounting procedures for special collections. While this was the less serious concern, MacCarthy said, it was still an important issue.

“Clear accounting methods provide transparency to protect both the community and the pastor in tracking the collection and disbursement of funds. While we have no reason to suspect any personal financial gain for Fr. Gorman, these procedures were clearly not followed,” MacCarthy wrote.

According to Gerrits, Gorman was using church funds to help out members of the congregation who were “in need.”

Gorman was asked to tell his congregation about his suspension at his last mass in January, but declined to do so, MacCarthy said.

“I’m quite certain that if Father Joe doesn’t come back, that church will lose lots of people,” said Gerrits.

With files from Sadiya Ansari