Justice is only served when a person who is accused and found innocent gets fully reinstated to his or her previous job. Those who make false and misleading statements also should be held accountable. If there is no accountability for false accusations, then the legal system no longer works.Duluth Tribune
People in positions of power, such as Diocese of Duluth Bishop Paul Sirba, should stand by those falsely accused.
I ask what justice there is when Fr. William Graham, who I believe won in court ("Split verdict in Duluth priest's suit against accuser," Aug. 25), has his career and life ruined anyway. There is none.
Kathy Olson
Duluth
Showing posts with label Diocese of Duluth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diocese of Duluth. Show all posts
Duluth Op-Ed: No justice for falsely accused priest
Duluth Retired Priest's View: 'Yes, I am angry!': Alleged abuse did not happen
I am a priest who has served in the Diocese of Duluth for more than 52 years. I have been an associate pastor and the assigned pastor in many parishes, and now, as a retired priest, I continue to help out in parishes almost every weekend.continue at Duluth News Tribune
I have never before written to the News Tribune. However, the Aug. 6 story, "Diocese names two Duluth priests as 'credibly accused'," compelled this response. That this article came out just two weeks before a court trial involving Fr. William Graham did not seem coincidental.
Fr. Graham was accused more than two years ago, in May 2016, of sexual abuse decades earlier. The accusation came hours before a window of opportunity to sue elapsed.
I personally was shocked and upset. I contacted Bishop Paul D. Sirba and asked what this was about. He told me it was confidential and he could not discuss the details with me.
The Aug. 6 News Tribune article said Fr. Graham was found by the diocese to be "credibly accused." I was even more shocked at how there seemed to be no evidence.
Duluth priest successfully sues SNAP client after false claim
In a man-bites-dog case with few if any precise corollaries, a Roman Catholic priest designated as “credibly accused” of sexual misconduct by the Diocese of Duluth just last April has successfully sued the man who made the allegations against him.continue at MinnLawyer
After a three-day trial before 6th Judicial District Court Judge Theresa Neo, an eight-member jury awarded the Rev. William Graham $13,500 to compensate him for the $500 monthly stipend he did not receive during the period from May 2016, when he was placed on administrative leave from his job as parish priest at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Duluth, to August 2018, when the trial was held.
In answers to questions listed on a special verdict form, the jury said that Graham’s accuser, former Duluth police officer T. J. Davis, Jr., “intentionally interfered” with Graham’s employment and, further, that his actions were not justified.
But the jury also found that Davis’ conduct was not “so extreme and outrageous that it passed the boundaries of decency and was utterly intolerable to a civilized community” and it expressly declined to award additional damages that would “fairly compensate” Graham.
Priest accused in 124 Guam sex abuse cases ages quietly, alone
PINE CITY, Minn. – Statues of the Virgin Mary and portraits of Jesus loom over Louis Brouillard in his small apartment. He lives alone, two blocks from Pine City Elementary School and across the street from St. Mary’s Catholic preschool — close enough to hear children’s laughter when they play at recess.continue at USA Today
The retired priest no longer wears a collar, but the people in this small town an hour north of Minnesota’s Twin Cities still call him "Father." He is 96 years old.
Brouillard's peaceful life stands in stark contrast to the torment of 122 men and two women – all middle-age or retired now — who accuse him of sexually molesting them as children on the island of Guam. They have broken long-held silences and filed lawsuits. Some have protested and begged for justice. Somehave left the church.
A long time ago, some of them complained. Brouillard confessed, and was told to pray and try harder. Eventually, the island's Catholic church simply sent Brouillard away.
Minnesota priest, 96, gave sharp, unemotional answers on Guam child abuses
Former Guam priest Louis Brouillard did not show much emotion and remained fairly sharp mentally when he provided, over a four-day period, information about the "tragic circumstances that allowed him to have access to Guam's children for many years," according to one of the attorneys involved in more than 140 lawsuits accusing Brouillard of child sex abuse.continue at USA Today
Brouillard's Oct. 31 to Nov. 3 deposition in Pine City, Minnesota, where he lives, brought together attorneys for most plaintiffs and defendants from different parts of the nation.
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The Diocese of Duluth had confirmed that Brouillard was sent from Guam to Minnesota for "help with his personal problems" in 1981 and later barred from serving as a priest after questions arose about a young house guest from the island.
Three recent lawsuits accused Brouillard of separately bringing Guam boys to Minnesota in the '80s and continuing to sexually abuse them there.
Diocese of Duluth announces new high school's name as "Stella Maris Academy"
The Diocese of Duluth announced on Friday that its newly formed Duluth Catholic school will be named Stella Maris Academy.continue at Duluth Trib
Duluth's Catholic schools are unifying into one citywide school with multiple campuses under the new name beginning next school year. Stella Maris is a name for Mary meaning "Star of the Sea." According to the diocese, "star of the sea" has a special significance to Duluth residents and emphasizes Mary's role as a sign of hope and a guiding star for Christians.
Duluth has a beautiful little church named Mary, Star of the Sea as well. For those not familiar with the area:
The Duluth–Superior seaport is the largest and farthest-inland freshwater seaport in North America. By far the largest and busiest on the Great Lakes, the port handles an average of 46 million short tons of cargo and over 1,100 visits each year from domestic and international vessels.It is probably the most beautiful city in our area.
Superior Diocese looking at virtual/distance education for high schoolers in city of Superior
Note: the entire Superior Diocese has no Catholic High Schools(a difficult prospect considering the remoteness of the area).
I guesss the question is, why not just send the kids over to the new Duluth HS for school?
The Diocese of Duluth is in the process of planning a bricks-and-mortar Catholic high school in Duluth, and Cathedral School is simultaneously studying the feasibility of launching a virtual/distance education Catholic high school in Superior.SupCathHerald
Our Lady of the Lake, Ashland, revived Catholic high school education in the diocese in 2015 through a partnership with Regis High School, Eau Claire, but the effort only lasted one school year.
However, all the schools benefited from OLL’s undertaking, and St. Francis Solanus, Reserve, utilized the distance/virtual model with Regis for two of its students this school year.
“We learned a lot from that experience,” Carr said.
The principal plans to meet with parents to see whether there is immediate interest in high school-level Catholic education. The Duluth school could take longer to establish, he said.
I guesss the question is, why not just send the kids over to the new Duluth HS for school?
Duluth Catholic Schools Plan to Add High School, Close Elementary School
continue at WDIOIt's been decades since Duluth has had a Catholic high school. But it's in the works.
The Diocese of Duluth has been working on its Called To Be One plan for almost a year, and Bishop Paul Sirba approved it Friday.
"I think we went to great lengths through planning of retreats, through numerous surveys, through various outreaches and focus groups to try and include everybody in that process," Sirba said.
They plan to take the current four schools and combine them into one school with three campuses. St. Michael's in Lakeside will close. The Holy Rosary campus will house elementary students. St. James will be an elementary and middle school. St. John's will have middle and high school classes.
The plan is for the first grade of the high school to be added in the 2017-2018 school year.
Also Duluth News Tribune
Duluth priest sues man who accused him of sexual abuse
A Duluth priest has turned the tables on a man who is accusing him of sexual abuse.continue at Duluth Tribune
The Rev. William C. Graham, pastor at St. Michael's Catholic Church in the Lakeside neighborhood, is suing his accuser, who claims that he was abused by the priest nearly four decades ago.
The filing identifies St. John's Church, St. Benedict's Church and the Marshall School (formerly Cathedral High School) as defendants. Graham is not personally named as a defendant, but is mentioned in the suit as the focus of the abuse allegations.
On Friday, Patrick Neaton, a Chanhassen, Minn., attorney for Graham, provided the News Tribune with a nine-page complaint that he said will be served on Doe 446.
Graham's suit accuses the man of engaging in a "last-minute effort to obtain some sort of pecuniary gain," citing the fact that the lawsuit was filed two days ahead of the expiration of the Minnesota Child Victims Act, which temporarily suspended the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse lawsuits.
The lawsuit claims that the man's allegations have interfered with Graham's contractual obligations to the church and inflicted emotional distress upon the priest.
"Fr. Graham has no intention of remaining silent in the face of the false and malicious charges that (Doe 446) and the law firm have made against him in the lawsuit," Neaton wrote.
Duluth diocese files for bankruptcy after $8M abuse award
The Catholic Diocese of Duluth filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday, a month after a victim of priest sex abuse there was awarded $8 million in damages. The diocese was found responsible for $4.8 million.continue at STrib
The northern Minnesota diocese is the 15th diocese in the nation to file for bankruptcy protection after clergy abuse litigation. It follows the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, which declared bankruptcy last January.
Given the "magnitude" of the jury's award, "the diocese was left with no choice but to file for reorganization," the Rev. James Bissonette, diocese vicar general, wrote in a public statement.
"There is sadness in having to proceed in this fashion," wrote Bissonette. "The decision to file today safeguards the limited assets of the diocese and will ensure that the resources of the diocese can be shared justly with all victims, while allowing the day-to-day operation of the work of the church to continue."
The diocese, on its website, notes that the $4.8 million award was greater than its annual operating budget of $3.2 million in the past fiscal year.
New Superior Diocese assistant teaches Latin and Hebrew
full at Superior Catholic HeraldThe new administrative assistant in the Diocese of Superior’s Office of Worship is a self-professed “language geek” who teaches Latin and Hebrew.
Born and raised in Duluth, John McLoughlin attended St. John Vianney Seminary at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, for two years before realizing the priesthood was not his calling.
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He also plays organ at St. Benedict, Duluth, and served in the church’s Latin Masses.
He was hired this summer to replace Becky Stuart, a 21-year employee of the diocese. He can be reached at gro.sodcilohtac@nilhguolcmj or 715-392-2937, ext. 2212.
Duluth priest's abuse trial likely a first under Child Victims Act after removal of statue of limitations
article at STribJury selection began Monday in a clergy sex abuse lawsuit against the Diocese of Duluth, marking what attorneys say is the first such a case to go to trial under Minnesota's Child Victims Act.
The Child Victims Act, enacted by the Legislature in 2013, suspended the statute of limitations for victims of child sex abuse who wished to sue, even if the abuse took place decades ago. The previous law prevented legal action after victims reached age 24. The new law allows such claims to be brought until May 2016.
..,.
In 1978, Doe 30 claims, Fitzgerald brought him to St. Catherine's Parish in Squaw Lake, Minn., in the Diocese of Duluth, where the priest molested the boy. Doe 30 was 13 years old at the time.
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In an effort to show how the diocese handled accused priests and what officials knew and when they knew it, Doe 30's attorneys [SNAP - not mentioned until the end] requested that the diocese turn over documents related to all reports of abusive priests. The diocese has yet to turn over the documents.
Not mentioned in the article is the fact that Fitzgerald has been dead for six years. Although documents can still be produced of which apparently SNAP assumes is sitting organized chronologically on a file cabinet from 40 years ago, it is another example of the unhealthy relationship between Anderson and the media. That's not to say it's not time to pay the piper for dioceses that were poorly run through the abuse era.
Duluth priest offers thoughts on Confession in NCRegister
Very good. A snippet.
Most Catholics in our culture have about a second-grade level of their faith. I mean that not as an insult — that’s a description. Ask them: “What are the Ten Commandments?” The vast majority can’t name the Ten Commandments.Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/the-confessional-is-a-place-of-victory/#.VQJPPFtLwQY.twitter#ixzz3UHUB9Yk7
So the examination of conscience is still a second-grade exam — “Did I pull my sister’s hair or disobey my parents?” It should be: “How am I treating my co-workers? Do I tell white lies on a daily basis? Have I harbored grudges or forgiven people? How do I treat my wife?”
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Were you ever shocked by a penance a priest gave you personally?
At the time after college, in my heart I had been away from the Church and finally went to confession. It was a missionary priest. He gave me a penance of one Hail Mary. I said, “Isn’t there more than that?!”
He said to me, “There is, but I’m going to be fasting for you for the next month.” It was incredible to realize that’s what he did. It was a really powerful reality for me to know that. I didn’t realize that priests are required to do penance for the people who go to confession to them. It was striking.
Photo: Aquitaine Rose
Duluth priest to host “The Papacy: A Living History” on EWTN
continue at Duluth TribThe Rev. Richard Kunst from Duluth’s St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church will host a show on papal artifacts airing next week on the Catholic cable television station ETWN. The five-part series, called “The Papacy: A Living History,” was filmed in Duluth with episodes shown at 2 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. He is joined by the Rev. Ryan Moravitz from Immaculate Heart Catholic Church in Crosslake.
EWTN can be viewed on expanded cable in Duluth or on satellite systems.
Monday: Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II
Examine rare pieces such as John Paul II’s zucchetto and walking stick, and Pope Benedict XVI’s ordination card as he entered the priesthood.
Prayers for Duluth/Superior area flood victims
"The damage to both the public and private property is going to be extensive," Duluth Mayor Don Ness said, adding that the city likely will need help from the federal government to clean up the mess from the heaviest two-day rainfall in nearly 150 years.
In one harrowing tale shortly after noon, an 8-year-old boy fell into a culvert in Proctor, was swept away by rushing water and washed up about a half mile away. He popped out crying and with only a cut to his head.
"How he survived it is unbelievable," said Jim Hansen, Duluth police spokesman. "I'm not sure how he came up for air." [Angel of God, my guardian dear...]
Ness said that by late Wednesday, authorities had heard of similar "close calls" after people got too close to the raging water or sinkholes.
more photos at Star Tribune
I saw on Twitter that the Superior Diocese Chancery office was closed due to flooding.
St Benedict Church, Duluth, MN
This from New Lit. Movement. When we were in Duluth this past summer, we were going to go to Mass here at St. Benedict's but we ended up going to Mary, Star of the Sea.... We'll be going to St. Benedict's if we get the opportunity again.
I get email every day about EF Masses popping up around the country - certainly more than I can keep up with. The latest comes from St. Benedict's Catholic Church in Duluth, Minnesota.HT Ray @ StellaBorealis
St. Benedict's will celebrate the Extraordinary Form 1:00pm as a high Mass with Incense to the polyphonic setting - Missa Pange Lingua by Des Prez. This celebration of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary will feature a mixed chorus of men and women raising their voices in polyphony.
The above photo was taken just this week. This looks like a typical 1960s church in the round. Rev. Hastings reports:
The Triptych depicting the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection evoking the Ascension in the style of Raphael - imaging the Paschal Mystery made present in the bloodless Sacrifice of the Mass.
Hastings offers as well these earlier photos of the same sanctuary as it underwent transformation.
Use of color to help a drab space during Advent.
Beginning of the Pope Benedict altar crucifix/cross to begin reorientation of the liturgy ad Deum/ad orientem/ad apsidem.
All the Masses at St. Benedict's parish (with the exception of the early Sunday morning Mass) are celebrated in the common posture turned towards the Lord (ad orientem) in the direction of the liturgical east. The Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite is offered on the 1st & 3rd Sundays at 1 PM. The other Masses are offered in the Ordinary Form with an increasing use of chant (vernacular plainchant and simpler forms of Gregorian chant) for the ordinary and some antiphons.
St Mary, Star of the Sea Church, Duluth, MN
We had left home at 4:30 AM last Sunday and with construction and kids ended up late for Mass. We were passing through Duluth and at the tip of Ray at Stella Borealis chose to stop at Mary Star of the Sea for Mass. Beautiful church, horrible music. The "closing hymn," and I use that phrase loosely, was started with "and a one and a two and a three" and the last verse was met by rhythm clapping through the whole church(I mistook "dancing" for the mad dash to the door by everyone as they applauded the guitarist). Okay, not only was it guitar music, but the guitarist was not able to play his instrument well either. At any rate we had to wait only briefly for the church to clear out before we could spend some time in prayer(you know, because we were in a church).
The one person who was still there 60 seconds after Mass was over. I wondered how long he had been at the parish and if he was praying to save it from Guitar Man.
Someone hoping to get some holy water.
The organ which was NOT used.
The rest of the photos on Flickr
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary, Duluth, MN
jgardner @ Flickr
From belltower
damiendude @ Flickr
Looks like the former Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart(located in the heart of Duluth) was turned into a concert hall. uhhhhg! UUUUUHHHHHG!
The new cathedral is not horrible, although incredibly bland. For example, look at the stained glass in the sanctuary. Umm, I think I saw that same pattern on carpet in the 70s. And white washed walls? ..........zzzzzZZZZZZzzz.... oh sorry I fell asleep staring at them. The good news is that it was build in a way that a minor renovation could vastly enhance its beauty. As the episcopacy is recovered(as it has in Duluth), so will our cathedrals.
Bps Christensen(Superior) & Sirba(Duluth) visit Benedictines
From the Benedictine Sisters in Duluth
Bishop Paul Sirba (left), Bishop of Duluth, and Bishop Peter Christensen (right), Bishop of Superior, were the guests of St. Scholastica Monastery recently (Prioress Lois Eckes center). Bishop Sirba and Bishop Christensen joined the Sisters for evening prayer and were then their guests for supper.
After supper Sister Lois, on behalf of all the Sisters, presented Bishop Christenson, in honor of his twenty-fifth anniversary of ordination, with an icon written by +Sister Mary Charles McGough. She then gave Bishop Sirba, who is celebrating twenty-four years as a priest, a jar of jam made by +Sister Mary Paul Ludwig. Sister Lois joked with Bishop Sirba saying “If you come back and celebrate your 25th anniversary with us you will get an icon, too!”
Both Bishops later addressed the Sisters. In his remarks Bishop Christenson said that he found his time at prayer with the Sisters to be refreshing to his spirit and soul. Bishop Sirba thanked the Sisters for their work in the Diocese of Duluth and said that he is “touched to the heart by the powerhouse of prayer at St. Scholastica”.
In a closing prayer by Sister Lois, she promised the prayerful support of all the Sisters to both Bishops and their ministries. Everyone then sang Sing with Gladness Overflowing. And the evening was rightly concluded with a blessing given by the Bishops.
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