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	Parishioners Reeling Amid Abuse Inquiries One church in shock; another tries to heal By Jon Yates and Charles Sheehan Chicago Tribune February 6, 2006 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0602060172feb06,1,4298839.story?coll=chi-newslocalchicago-hed While parishioners at a South Holland Catholic church were informed officially Sunday that their pastor was under investigation for alleged child sexual abuse, members of a West Side church began the healing process amid similar allegations against another priest. In a letter read at mass at Holy Ghost Catholic Church in South Holland, Bishop Joseph Perry told parishioners that Rev. Joseph Bennett has been "temporarily withdrawn" as pastor because of allegations accusing him of abusing minors more than 35 years ago. The letter, written by Perry and read by Rev. Michael Enright, urged members with additional information about the 65-year-old Bennett to call the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago or the Cook County state's attorney's office. Perry asked parishioners to pray "for the adults who brought this concern to the archdiocese, for Father Bennett and for all those affected by the horror of sexual abuse." Archdiocese spokesman Jim Dwyer said some form of the letter was read at other parishes where Bennett had been assigned over more than three decades, including St. John de la Salle, Our Lady of Fatima, St. Christina and St. Agnes in Chicago, and Our Lady of the Ridge in Chicago Ridge. The decision to remove Bennett was prompted by the widening sex-abuse case against Rev. Daniel McCormack of St. Agatha Church in Lawndale. McCormack, 37, was charged this month in the abuse of three boys. For the first time in nearly two weeks, parishioners at that West Side church gathered in relative solitude, with little press presence and none of the high-ranking church officials who arrived last week to discuss abuse allegations against McCormack. Rev. Matt Eyerman, who was associate pastor at St. Agatha before McCormack arrived, returned to deliver a fiery sermon about adversity. "We've had tough times before," shouted Eyerman. "But we've never had it this tough." He and Rev. Tom Walsh, who has stepped in to head the parish, repeatedly assured the congregation that they could weather the storm. When accusations against McCormack were first made in August, archdiocese officials assigned him a monitor to make sure he was not alone with children. The third accuser to come forward allegedly was abused during the monitoring period, court documents state. In an angry meeting with Cardinal Francis George on Jan. 30, St. Agatha parishioners expressed outrage that McCormack was not removed from the church immediately when the first allegation was reported. Walsh, appointed by the archdiocese to monitor McCormack, said the archdiocese must do better to protect children. He would not discuss the monitoring program in detail but said there needs to be better communication. After the second allegation against McCormack, the archbishop announced the decision to remove Bennett. Accusations against Bennett came in 2004, when two women reported that the priest abused them at St. John de la Salle Church in Chicago in the late 1960s, when they were 8 and 12 years old. In March 2005, archdiocese officials assigned a priest to monitor Bennett pending the investigation. An archdiocese review board made a recommendation about Bennett in October 2005, but no action was taken until this week. George said Thursday that there was a delay in removing the Holy Ghost pastor due to a "slip-up," which failed to provide the priest with an attorney. The archbishop also announced Thursday that reforms would be made to the monitoring policy, which apparently had failed to protect children. At Holy Ghost on Sunday, many parishioners said they were shocked by the allegations against Bennett. "We're a broken-hearted parish," said Linda Kammert, 50, as she left the service. Many said they would wait until the allegations against Bennett are investigated before making any judgments. "I've had three children serve mass for years here, and there's never been a problem," said Cindy Copenhaver, 49. "It's just sad for everyone involved, and we pray it's not true." ---------- jyates@tribune.com csheehan@tribune.com
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