Immorality, Consequences, and Contrition

The Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great
May 4, 2015

http://opcentral.org/bskowronski/2015/05/03/immorality-consequences-and-contrition/

The Archdiocese of Chicago recently received an allegation of an inappropriate relationship involving Fr. Brendan Curran, O.P. from an adult single woman. Though the incident occurred a number of years ago and ended, Fr. Brendan acknowledged his actions were inappropriate. Fr. Brendan affirms that this was an isolated instance, and he understands the consequences.

Father Brendan made a poor choice. Everyone does, to varying degrees. But he and his choices are held against a higher standard because he professed religious vows as a friar in the Dominican Order, Province of St. Albert the Great (Central Province, USA). His poor judgment in this instance casts a shadow on his enlightened and courageous ministry to Latino immigrants and the poor at St. Pius V parish and Chicago’s southwest side.

“I deeply regret not self-identifying sooner about my immoral behavior: that was a mistake,” Fr. Brendan said. “I failed to remember my ministry and my commitment as a priest, and for that I cannot apologize enough. I am heartbroken to know that my actions have caused pain to so many people. From the bottom of my heart, I apologize and ask for forgiveness. I plan on trying to make amends by seeking spiritual healing and rededicating myself to God’s service.”

To be clear, there is no indication or allegation of any action reflecting sexual misconduct with minors.

“The woman in this case came forward privately to the Archdiocese, and then to the Dominicans,” Fr. Charles Bouchard, O.P., Prior Provincial said. “She deserves a sincere apology and we also have a responsibility to respect her anonymity and her privacy. We admire her courage and we’re keeping her in our prayers.”

If Fr. Brendan were the CEO of a corporation and she were an employee, a colleague, or a customer, there would be no press release, no media story, and perhaps no apology. But, the Catholic Church is not a corporation, and its leaders inherently carry a larger responsibility to its patrons—a bond of trust, based on a moral code and a unique easement between God and His people.

In line with official protocol, Fr. Brendan’s faculties were revoked on April 30th, which means he can no longer celebrate Mass or the sacraments. He left his position as Pastor at St. Pius V and left the Chicago area shortly thereafter.

For its part, the Dominican Order committed itself to Fr. Brendan in 1995 when he committed himself to it by professing simple vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. It is now the Central Province’s responsibility to seek evaluation, treatment, and spiritual healing for Fr. Brendan. The first step, however, involves him taking public and personal responsibility for his actions.

“Brendan is leaving this ministry, but we, as a religious order, have a different level of responsibility to him,” said Fr. Bouchard. “He will live in another Dominican community and begin a program of spiritual healing and reconciliation.”

The Catholic Church is well aware that it has failed in the past. The anger, frustration and disdain caused by the sexual abuse of children and the manner in which allegations were handled is valid. Individual men and the organizations where they serve simply have failed. They made immoral decisions, inconceivable ones at times, and they have not lived by the higher standard they vowed to uphold. The Church has since acted in many ways to be more transparent and address misconduct truthfully and responsibly.

There is no justification for the behavior behind any allegations brought forward by men, women, or children involved with religious. There is also a template response for situations like these—a sad and troubling reality—best practices for press conferences, official statements, and standard language to be used when religious and politicians attempt to mimic corporate professionalism, leaving out the most important factor—the humanity of failure and consequence before the request for forgiveness and healing.

“The pain of the victims and the publicity surrounding priestly misconduct has brought the Church to a much deeper understanding of ministerial integrity,” Fr. Bouchard said. “We love and support Brendan and we will be here for him. But, at the same time, there is a purity of heart required to preach the Gospel with integrity and we know that only truth will get us there.”

The reasonable question now is, “What’s next?” A public statement is planned for each Mass on Sunday May 3rd at St. Pius V to inform parishioners of the allegations and the future course of action. For Fr. Brendan, the path forward begins with his public apologies here. There will be no press conference and this article will contain his only comments on the situation. The Archdiocese and the Dominican Order chose to publicly address this matter and take the opportunity to set a new course in which proactive transparency and genuine contrition attempt to meet the higher standards rightfully assumed by the public.

Too often, there is an allegation, an investigation, and then an aftershock of unanswered questions. No one talks about what happens when a priest breaks his vows. It forces us to acknowledge the humanity and fallibility of religious men and women.

“One of the biggest struggles in vocations work is that the first thing men will say is that they’re not worthy of such a high calling,” said Fr. Andy McAlpin, O.P., Vocations Director for the Central Province. “Men coming into the order are not perfect. Each one has a story and a past, and difficulties they’ve overcome.

“When a brother breaks his vows, it shows how human we are, how broken we are, and how in need of each other’s mercy we are,” Fr. McAlpin continued. “It’s not so much that a brother fails in his vows, as much as that he’s willing to humbly seek forgiveness and growth in his life as a vowed brother and stand up again. When a young man comes to me and he has a past void of mistakes or challenges, the Church cannot use him because he does not know the struggles of average human beings.”

Another understandable frustration voiced by laypeople pertains to the perception that religious organizations try to sweep unsettling issues under the rug by hiding priests away out of sight.

“I must take responsibility for my poor judgment,” Fr. Brendan said. “I owe a most sincere apology to the woman in question, her family, my Dominican community, the St. Pius community and everyone who has supported me and my ministry. I understand there are consequences and I am prepared to accept them as I take time away to work through this.”

“He’s stepping away from ministry which will give him an opportunity to reflect on his life and his vocation and engage in a program that will help him become a better priest and a better person,” Fr. Bouchard said.

These allegations are being treated appropriately. Moreover, this unfortunate situation has challenged all religious to evaluate the issue at hand. The issue is not whether priests should be allowed to marry or the difficulty of religious vows. Rather, the reality is that authority does not excuse consequences, and forgiveness does not erase (pain). Leaders everywhere–priests, doctors, politicians, school teachers, and parents are human and therefore they make poor choices. However, as leaders held against a higher standard, religious can set an example for contrition by taking responsibility, accepting appropriate consequences, and providing a genuine and sincere apology to those affected.

We expect the path ahead, and this account of it, will not satisfy everyone. At best, it will sound different and feel different than responses to allegations made in the past—because it is different. We expect the initial anger and disappointment will make that difficult to see. People do not talk about this—but they need to. And that is what Dominican Friars have been called to do for 800 years: To Praise, To Bless, To Preach, and also to encounter these difficult questions and provide a path forward.

Father Bouchard will ask Archbishop Blase Cupich to appoint a temporary bi-lingual administrator for St. Pius V Parish. A new pastor will be named before July 1.

If you have any additional questions, please contact Bill Skowronski at (312) 243-0011 ext. 736 or by email.