By Rick Holland
Milford Daily News
May 14, 2006
http://www.milforddailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=91708
BELLINGHAM -- She says she's old enough to remember being taught that priests were always right, but Jeanne E. Garrior is glad Cardinal Sean O'Malley is coming to Bellingham to acknowledge that the clergy is not infallible.
Late last week, O'Malley announced he will visit Bellingham as one of nine communities "that have experienced an especially painful history of sexual abuse of children by priests," according to a press released issued by the Archdiocese of Boston.
O'Malley will perform a prayer service at St. Blaise parish on June 2 at 7 p.m.
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| Cardinal Sean O'Malley |
St. Blaise was named the receiving parish for members of Assumption parish in South Bellingham, which was rocked by scandals involving sexual abuse by three of its former priests, Paul Desilets, Robert Morisette and Richard Matte.
Garrior was parish council president when Assumption was closed by the archdiocese in 2004. In the wake of allegations regarding the three former priests, she said the parish was devastated.
"There was a lot of healing that needed to get done," said Garrior in a telephone interview yesterday. "I think its a good idea for (O'Malley) to come out..to let us know he's there for the healing process."
The cardinal's prayer services and Masses will include "a public acknowledgement of the sins and crimes committed and...an expression of repentance for priests and bishops whose actions and inactions gravely harmed the lives of children and young people entrusted to their care," according to the archdiocese's press release.
O'Malley's predecessor, Cardinal Bernard Law, came under sharp criticism precisely for his actions and inactions in the handling of clergy sexual abuse allegations which rocked the Archdiocese in early 2002. Law ended up resigning as head of the Archdiocese in December 2002.
Among St. Blaise parishioners, O'Malley's visit is being seen as a positive and helpful form of reaching out, rather than re-opening old wounds.
"I don't think (O'Malley's) visit is going to stir up the dirt," said Bert Galipeau, a member of St. Blaise. "It's still something people are dealing with, it doesn't go away overnight."
Galipeau went on to credit O'Malley for his efforts since taking over for Law, noting that the cardinal "had a real mess on his hands" when he was appointed to head the Archdiocese.
Daniel Ranieri -- a longtime member of Assumption parish, who along with his wife have joined St. Blaise -- agreed with Galipeau.
"I commend (O'Malley) for a sincere effort," said Ranieri. "Nothing will change in terms of what happened, but we can learn from our past and having (O'Malley) be more open and accessible is a good thing."
O'Malley's outreach to parishes particularly hard-hit by the sexual abuse scandal is the latest example of a church trying to shed an identity associated with secrecy and denial on the subject.
Last fall, for example, St. Blaise welcomed the public for the first time to participate in its programming on how to recognize signs of sexual abuse.
"Publicly acknowledging the Church's faults and failures," O'Malley said in his press release, "is an important element of asking forgiveness of those who have been harmed by the Church."
Rick Holland can be reached at 508-634-7505 or rholland@cnc.com.
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