Ghost of Paedophile Priest Haunts the Blackened Ruins of St James

By Aisha Dow
The Age
April 3, 2015

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/ghost-of-paedophile-priest-haunts-the-blackened-ruins-of-st-james-20150403-1me6bl.html

Father Michael Gorriveau at the Star of the Sea Chapel in Brighton where he held the Stations of the Cross Good Friday service. Photo: Penny Stephens

There was no Good Friday service held at the blackened ruins of St James Church in Brighton, but that did not stop dozens of locals making a quiet pilgrimage to the gutted building.

On the first day of the Easter holiday, they stood behind a safety fence and gazed at the place they and generations of their family had been baptised and married.

But few were truly shocked, and some were not truly sad.

After Friday's service at the Star of the Sea Chapel in Brighton. Photo: Penny Stephens

Even before the fire on Monday morning, the crimes of paedophile Ronald Pickering – who served as the church's parish priest for 15 years – had tainted many people's feelings towards it.

One local couple who came to see the damage spent four decades as active members of St James. But they recently stopped going because of their deep disappointment with how the Catholic Church responded to child sexual abuse.

"It is very hard to give up your faith after having 60-odd years of going to church," said the wife. "But it was also hard going to this church."

One of the couple's children was groomed by Pickering, but they said nothing was done when they reported their concerns. Instead after he suddenly fled the country, they said they were approached by a church representative who asked them for money to support the priest who was living in Britain.

"I told that person to get lost," the husband said.

He wonders if the fire may help finally raze the ghosts of Pickering and those who failed to bring him to justice.

"If the church is rebuilt after the fire, it would have served its punishment to some degree."

At 9.15am on Friday a church service was held for about 100 of St James' current parishioners at the neighbouring Star of the Sea Chapel, where the crucifixion of Jesus was marked with a Stations of the Cross liturgy.

All seemed incredibly normal, despite the drama of the week. A toddler giggled through the silent prayers, as the generations of churchgoers joined each other in well-choreographed prayer and song.

After the service, they spilled out onto the lawn of the chapel, just a short walk from the scorched skeleton of St James, which looked almost like a medieval ruin in the bright autumn light.

Kevin Custerson, a parishioner of 35 years, said he was saddened by the fire.

"I know there was talk about [the] paedophile priest. That doesn't give anyone the right to burn down a church that is a lifeline of Christianity," Mr Custerson said.

"The church didn't belong to one paedophile priest. It belonged to the people."

There is strong speculation the blaze could have been deliberately lit, along with two other fires this week at Melbourne churches where notorious paedophiles served.