Saturday, April 30, 2011

The Campobella abuse case was not the only legal case in Geneva.

The following is taken from the website:  http://www.companionsinhope.com/  All the words are theirs.  They allege that there was more than a case of sexual abuse of a minor but a cover-up by the pastor in order to save a major expansion fund.  The cover-up may have allowed a second abuse to occur and further cover-ups continued until 2009. The parishioners petitioned Bishop Doran to make the subpoenaed Campolbella files available. Funds are withheld by contributors.  This is an unbelievable, never ending fight.

The following time line taken from the website is a good summary of the case.

 

Some historical facts about St. Peter parish and Geneva, Illinois:

  • The Kane County Courthouse in downtown Geneva was the site of a campaign stop for John F. Kennedy during his run for the U.S. presidency. The same courthouse is now the site for the civil proceedings against Fr. Mark Campobello and Bishop Thomas Doran.

  • The first St. Peter church was built in 1912 directly behind the Kane County Courthouse. The church has since been demolished for what is now the courthouse parking lot. The old St. Peter rectory, however, still stands and is currently occupied by the Kane County Child Advocacy Center which serves children who have been neglected or abused.

  • St. Peter School was one of the visits made by President Ronald Reagan while promoting his plan for school vouchers. The classroom he visited was that of then teacher/later principal Debbi Bray.

  • The altar of St. Peter church was blessed with the presence of Vicka, one of the visionaries of Our Lady of Medjugorie. During a spontaneous visit, Vicka briefly addressed the school children and teachers.

  • Former St. Peter pastor Fr. Jim McLoughlin was on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with several parishioners and other members of the clergy when the plane was hijacked by Lebanese terrorists. Fr. McLoughlin and others were held captive while others were released. All captives were eventually freed.

  • Click here for a timeline of parish history from its beginning. 

1997-98

  • Fr. Joe Jarmoluk is appointed pastor of St. Peter by Bishop Doran to replace Fr. Jim McLoughlin. Jarmoluk was transferred from St. John the Baptist parish in Savanna, Illinois which is a small town near the Mississippi River, a two and a half hour drive from Geneva. Fr. Mark Campobello is a priest in residence at St. Peter while working at Aurora Central Catholic High School.

  • Jarmoluk begins an $8 million parish expansion campaign for the renovation of the school and parish offices and the construction of an adoration chapel.

1999-2000

  • Campobello abuses an 8th-grade student of parish school.

  • The student confides in teacher Alison Ward about Campobello.

  • Campobello begins abusing a 15-year-old female student at Aurora Central Catholic High School where Bishop Doran has appointed him assistant principal and spiritual advisor to students.

  • Ward tells teacher Barbara Houston about the student and Campobello.

  • Houston reports to principal Deborah Bray at the end of that school day and urges her to make a report.

  • Bray tells Houston she has to think about it and that she'll get back to her.

  • The following Monday, Bray tells Houston she decided her report was not valid because it was really "hearsay".

  • Houston asks Bray if "hearsay" could be reported. Bray asks Houston if she understands that it could be gossip.

  • ACC H. S. students complain of Campobello's inappropriate behavior at the high school, "chasing" and flirting with a female student.

  • Campobello, who had taken up residence at Holy Angels Parish in Aurora, moves to Mooseheart, a Catholic orphanage in North Aurora, several miles south of Geneva.

  • Campobello's abuse of the Aurora Central Catholic High School student continues.

  • Bishop Doran pulls Campobello out of ACC mid-school year

  • Bishop Doran assigns Campobello to St. Patrick' parish in McHenry.

  • Bishop Doran sends Campobello to St. Luke's treatment facility in Maryland.

  • Bishop Doran assigns Campobello to St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Crystal Lake, Campobello's hometown, with the title of parochial vicar. St. Thomas also has a school yet parishioners are not informed of any propensity of Campobello's to abuse children.  

  • Bishop Doran transfers Campobello to St. James Parish in Belvidere with the title of parochial administrator.

  • Bishop Doran officially gives Jarmoluk the title of 'monsignor'.

2002

  • Mother of parish school student urges principal Bray to look at injuries on her son's back after a visit with his father.

  • Bray refuses and will have nothing to do with the matter.

  • Mother goes to parish priest Fr. Simon Akan for help addressing her son's injuries. Simon refuses and says he can't get involved because of problems at a previous parish. Simon tells the mother to get help from a woman in the chapel.

  • The woman in the chapel drives to the police department to report of what she had seen. They take the report. She then goes back to the school to inform Principal Bray that the incident was reported to the police and, as a mandated reporter, she had the responsibility to do that herself.

  • Houston hears that Campobello is ministering at Mooseheart so she visits principal Bray in her office to ask her about that. Bray tells Houston that it has been taken care of and they were all "moving on".

  • Bishop Doran transfers Campobello to St. James Parish in Belvidere.

  • Houston ends her teaching career at St. Peter School.

  • Houston calls Jarmoluk and asks if Bray ever told him about Campobello. He says that Bray didn't tell him about it.

  • Houston informs Jarmoluk of all that she knows regarding Campobello and the student.

  • Jarmoluk informs Houston that she was at risk of creating media problems and that others would attack the church.

  • Jarmoluk reminds Houston about the current building campaign and how a child abuse report would hurt everything.

  • Jarmoluk tells Houston that he had problems with Campobello when he lived in the rectory.

  • Jarmoluk tells Houston he will contact the diocese and that Rev. Barr would be calling her.

  • That evening, Houston finds on her caller ID that Rev. Barr had called but didn't leave a message.

  • Jarmoluk calls Houston to inform her that the diocese would not take the report, claiming it was "hearsay" and that they didn't want to be involved in "gossip".

  • Jarmoluk suggests Houston read the book The Courage to be Catholic to help her faith crisis.

  • Houston tells Jarmoluk she would find a way to have Campobello reported.

  • Houston contacts Alison Ward and urges her to try to get the girl to report since she was no longer a minor.

  • Houston calls DCFS to report what she knows. DCFS informs Houston that Campobello is not listed on the database and that there has been no report of him.

  • Jarmoluk informs the diocese of the allegations.

  • Officials from the diocese (attorney Ellen Lynch, Msgr. David Kagan, Msgr. Eric Barr) interview Ward in the St. Peter Rectory with the knowledge and/or presence of Jarmoluk).

  • Ward asks her interviewers if they are aware of a girl at ACC to which they assure her that has been dealt with.

  • Parishioners are not informed of the allegations.

  • Campobello remains in active parish ministry at St. James Parish in Belvidere.

  • St. Peter victim hires an attorney and contacts the Geneva police.

  • Geneva Police initiate and investigation which includes recording conversations between the student and Campobello.

  • Campobello is arrested in Belvidere on charges of child sexual abuse.

  • Doran strips Campobello of his priestly assignments after he is taken into custody.

2003

  • Campobello pleads not guilty to the charges.

  • The student from ACC comes forward with allegations.

  • A Grand Jury indicts Campobello, adding additional counts to the original charges.

  • In the discovery phase of the criminal proceedings, prosecutors request from the diocese it's files on Campobello.

  • Judge Timothy Sheldon orders the diocese turn over the it's files on Campobello.

  • Ellen Lynch, representing the diocese, refuses and asks to be held in contempt of court in order to appeal the ruling.

  • Judge Sheldon holds the diocese in contempt and orders payment of a fine.

  • Lynch appeals Sheldon's ruling to a higher court, claiming, among other things, First Amendment protections.

  • The St. Peter choir produces a CD and travels to Rome to perform.

  • The music director Jim Priovolos resigns and Jarmoluk hires Michael Pavone to replace him.

  • Organist/pianist Howard Clark resigns.

  • Choir members meet at a members home to discuss recent changes and invite Jarmoluk to attend.

  • Cooler heads do not prevail, at least on the part of one individual.

  • The majority of the choir quits immediately. Some leave the parish.  Others leave the Church. 

  • Two choir members who work in the parish center are fired by Jarmoluk the following week.

  • Bishop Doran "breaks ground" with Jarmoluk and Bray for the new school and parish expansion.

  • Jarmoluk and parish finance council chair send letters to all parishioners, informing them of a "decrease in donations" and asking for more money.

  • Parishioners communicate with one another about not giving to the diocese unless they turn over Campobello's files.

  • Parishioner Frank Bochte calls diocese to inquire about the decision to withhold Campobello's files.

  • Bochte writes letter to editor of Daily Herald connecting the decrease in donations at St. Peter with the refusal of the diocese to turn over Campobello's files.

  • Jarmoluk calls Bochte and requests a meeting.

  • Bochte meets with Jarmoluk who is accompanied by pastoral council member Ray Benedetto. Benedetto informs Bochte that Doran is a canon lawyer. Jarmoluk tells Bochte that he is hurting parish ministries, then pressures him to recant his letter. Bochte refuses.

  • Jarmoluk spends 20 minutes at the end of each weekend Mass defending the bishop's refusal to release Campobello's files to prosecutors and railing into "the letter writer", claiming without evidence or debate that the letter was "full of falsehoods". Jarmoluk calls out several parishioners by name and asks them if they'd like their personal information released by their employer. He says he doubts "the women" would like their "height and weight" made public. None of the parishioners in attendance were under investigation of child molestation. Jarmoluk continues by claiming "the letter writer" had sinned by bearing false witness and warns parishioners not to associate with the Enemy. At one Mass is told parishioners that what "the letter writer" had done was "worse than murder". Houston confronts Jarmoluk after Mass.

2004

  • An anonymous outraged parishioner contacts a Chicago reporter about Jarmoluk's speech.

  • The Chicago Tribune publishes a column written by John Kass about Jarmoluk's speech.

  • NBC Channel 5 reporter Mary Ann Ahern broadcasts an interview with Bochte about Jarmoluk's speech.

  • Jarmoluk ignores requests by both journalists for his comment prior to printing/airing their respective pieces.

  • Tables are set up in the church narthex after weekend Masses and parishioners are urged to sign a petition defending Jarmoluk's speech as they enter the church.

  • SNAP has a silent protest after Sunday Mass and hands leaflets to parishioners urging them to contact civil authorities with any information they have regarding possible abuse at the parish. The flyer also urges parishioners to urge Doran to cooperate with law enforcement officials.

  • Jarmoluk tells the parish, at the end of each weekend Mass, that he is postponing a planned sabbatical because "the parish needs me". He tells a story about a parishioner coming up to him and asking, "What will this parish do while you are gone?" In his announcement, Jarmoluk doesn't mention the fact that he had received a subpoena in the criminal case against Campobello.

  • Rockford Diocese "passes" Bishop's self-audit mandated by the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

  • Howard Clark comes across Michael Pavone's name on a Crimestoppers web site regarding a murder in Buffalo, NY.

  • Clark contacts a friend who contacts an employee of the parish and informs her of Pavone's name on the web site.

  • The employee assures her friend that the administration was made aware of Pavone's name on the web site.

  • Pavone continues employment at the parish and parishioners are not informed of the Crimestoppers information.

  • Clark contacts Crimestoppers and informs them of a music director named Michael Pavone working at St. Peter's.

  • Pavone continues to work through all Lenten and Easter Services.

  • On Easter Monday, Pavone is arraigned in Buffalo on charges in the 1999 murder of Keith Sutherland.

  • On Easter Tuesday, parish communications coordinator Rama Canney tells the press that Pavone was fired "this week" for not being truthful on his employment application and then lying when approached about it.

  • Campobello accepts a plea bargain in which he receives an 8-year sentence for pleading guilty on one count of sexual assault for each of the two students.

  • Campobello is taken into custody without making a comment. Still nothing about the abuse is mentioned at the parish.

  • Parishioners request and receive permission to provide blessed prayer cards in the lobby of the Adoration Chapel, requesting prayers for the girls who were molested by Campobello. A total of 150 cards are placed near the sign-in sheet of the chapel, which is situated next to the parish office with a window providing full view of the lobby, and one by one they are removed. One parish center employee is seen intentionally tucking the prayer card behind the sign-in binder and hidden from visitors.

  • Jarmoluk is again asked if the parish could provide some kind of outreach to the girls to which he replies with stone faced silence.

  • Since coming to St. Peter, Jarmoluk had always opened prayer for those in attendance to share aloud after the other intercessions. A parishioner prays aloud for the healing of the girls, the parish and the entire Catholic Church during weekday morning Mass celebrated by Jarmoluk. The very next day, Jarmoluk stops the practice of sharing personal petitions aloud. None of the other priests open the petitions, either. One priest told parishioners that Jarmoluk instructed him not to open prayers "because some people were praying for the wrong thing". Two years later, a visiting priest, apparently not aware of Jarmoluk's directive, opened petitions to which there was dead silence. The priest said that in all his years of saying Mass and opening the petitions, that was the first time that at least one person did not have a petition.

  • Fr. Simon starts giving inappropriate homilies during weekday morning Mass and Sunday Masses. He accused the choir member who left the choir of having "little faith". He ranted, "anyone who thinks the bishop supports his priests are idiots". He judged, "Some people think they are Christians but they use the media and so they shouldn't even get out of their pews for Communion". He bragged, "Some people think they know about this parish but they don't and I do because I hear confessions here and they don't". At the end of one weekday morning Mass, he told everyone to sit down and then he informed everyone that there were people in the church who held a rosary of turned their attention to the tabernacle during the Mass and if they ever do it again, he would call their names out in front of everyone during Mass.

  • Doran transfers Simon to St. Patrick in nearby St. Charles. In Fr. Simon's last homily at St. Peter, he gives a 45-minute 'homily' about himself and Jarmoluk, nothing about the Gospel readings. During his long-winded speech, Simon claims Jarmoluk is the only priest he's met in the diocese who thinks he can "eat with a fork and knife". He also asks in his speech for anyone he has offended to forgive him without reaching out to them personally which would be in accordance to Catholic Christian teaching. There are several special collections/distributions at the Mass and a reception afterward. One parishioner gives a card with a check to Simon. Several weeks later, Simon sends the card back to the woman with the words, "You are the most vicious woman I know" hand written on the envelope.

  • The 2nd Appellate Court rejects against the diocese's argument, ruling the First Amendment does not allow entities from cooperating with law enforcement agencies in criminal matters and that conversations between clergymen do not have the same protections as sacramental confessions.

  • Judge Sheldon orders the diocese to turn over Campobello's files.

  • The diocese again refuses, arguing the files are no longer relevant since the plea of Campobello.

  • Sheldon allows the diocese to keep its files on Campobello in the vault with the others.

  • St. Peter victim files a civil suit against Campobello and Doran as bishop of the Rockford Diocese.

  • The ACC victim files a civil suit against Campobello and Doran as bishop. The girls share the same attorney.

  • The Daily Herald publishes an front-page article which includes comments from Alison Ward and Barb Houston. The article indicates the diocese probably knew about Campobello's propensity to abuse and kept him in parish ministry.

  • Jarmoluk is heard at the parish yelling "I'll have her house!".

  • Teacher questions Jarmoluk about article in the Daily Herald after weekday morning Mass.

  • Jarmoluk refuses to answer questions and suggests the teacher consider resigning.

  • Parishioner who oversees this exchange in the church narthex calls Jarmoluk at the parish and gets his voice mail on which she leaves a message expressing her shock and disappointment in his conduct in the Narthex toward one of his teachers. He never gets back with her.

  • The parishioner then calls the diocese and speaks to an employee who suggest she write a letter to the bishop about it.

  • Having had the bishop ignore signed letters she has previously mailed him, the parishioner then writes to members of the pastoral council and others close to the pastor with a complaint of misconduct on the part of Jarmoluk against the teacher.

  • Jarmoluk shows up at the workplace of the parishioner the day his council members and others receive her letter, though he says nothing to her about the letter verbally. 

  • Diocese (attorney Ellen Lynch and Sr. Patricia Downey) fires teacher Alison Ward two weeks after Ward is quoted in the Daily Herald. The diocese claims to Ward that she is being fired for not reporting the abuse.

  • Judge rules diocese can keep files from criminal investigators.

  • Parishioner who wrote to diocese and pastoral council is told by parish religious education director John Lamperis that she can no longer teach religious education at the parish because of the letter she wrote to pastoral council members.

  • Lamperis recruits a non-parishioner to teach the third-grade class the other parishioner had signed up to teach.

  • Lamperis admits that he has non-parishioners teach religious education.

  • Lamperis admits that he is unsure if all of the religious education teachers are Roman Catholic.

  • Simon pulls his car in front of the house of the parishioner who wrote the pastoral council members. As she approaches his car, he drives off.

  • Simon keeps returning to St. Peter. He shows up in the morning and tells the priest assigned to celebrate Mass that he will do it instead.

  • During one weekday morning Mass, Simon speaks of his telephone conversation with Jarmoluk who was on vacation. Simon explains that Jarmoluk inquired as to how everything was going at the parish. (At this point, Simon is assigned to St. Patrick, not St. Peter.) Simon goes on to say that he told Jarmoluk everything was good because he "almost kicked a couple of people out of the parish". Simon is laughing when he tells this story.

  • Simon is directed by the diocese to stay away from St. Peter parish.

  • Campobello's victims' attorney seeks records of 33 priests from the Rockford Diocese.

  • Diocese offers to settle lawsuits with two of Campobello's victims.

  • Group of parishioners, along with member of the Rockford Chapter of Voice of the Faithful, hold a candlelight vigil at Peck Farm in Geneva for Campobello's victims and all others who suffer from abuse.

  • Diocese fight the release of audio tapes of Campobello recorded by the St. Peter victims and the Geneva Police Department.

  • Bishop's attorney, Ellen Lynch, criticizes victims' attorney for not accepting her offers to settle the case.

  • Michael Pavone is found guilty by a New York jury and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

2005

  • Victims' attorney expresses frustration as the diocese continues to "stonewall" and "drag it's feet" in the civil case.

  • Rockford Diocese 'passes' another Gavin Group audit in which victims. The two girls abused by Campobello are not counted as victims in the audit. They were not counted in the 2003 or 2004 audits, either. To date, there is no record in any audit of the Rockford Diocese of Campobello's two victims, even though he pled guilty and is now incarcerated. Numerous calls to the Rockford Diocese to inquire about why the girls haven't been counted have been ignored.

  • Diocese fights release of files in civil case.

  • Simon returns to St. Peter parish to celebrate Sunday evening Mass the weekend Jarmoluk leaves on his sabbatical to Australia. Simon asks the Knights of Columbus for monetary help for his mother's medical expenses. The K of C sponsor a spaghetti dinner which raises $14,000 cash for Simon. The dinner is heavily advertised at St. Peter and most of the volunteers are parishioners of St. Peter, the parish in which the bishop had ordered Simon no contact.

  • Dave Huen of the Daily Herald writes in his column that Fr. Simon was spending his vacation in "exotic" Geneva at St. Peter parish because of his love for celebrating Mass there. Huen was apparently unaware of the bishop's order. Jarmoluk, claimed to have no knowledge of the order. The diocese insists Jarmoluk was well aware of it at the time.

  • Former choir director Michael Pavone is sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

  • Civil case judge rules on the release of Campobello's files. First they are ordered sealed. Later, the diocese is ordered to hand them over to the judge to review, though are ordered sealed from public view.

  • Civil case judge issues a gag order in the case.

  • Jarmoluk's personal attorney, Canice Rice, files complaints at the workplace of Frank Bochte, at the Geneva Mayor's Office, with the State's Attorney's Office, and with the Geneva Police Department. In all cases, either the complaint failed to meet the threshold to merit an investigation or an investigation was done and the complaint was found to have no merit.

  • Jarmoluk dismisses parish respect life coordinator who criticized the parish's lack of prayer for, and outreach toward, Campobello's victims and parishioners. He suddenly starts approving committee projects and activities that he rejected under her leadership such as bulletin inserts, lawn crosses, and a parish garden.

  • Rice sends multiple copies of letters under separate cover to parishioners and newspaper editors demanding they recant statements that were made and threatening "financial peril" if they don't.

  • The Rockford Diocese puts out a new brochure on responding to suspicions of child abuse. The hotline number to call in the new brochure is the telephone number to the Rockford Diocese in which any caller would get an answering machine any time of day. No where on the new brochure lists the telephone number for DCFS.

  • Alison Ward sues the Rockford Diocese for wrongful termination and the dioceses agrees to a settlement with Ward.

2006

  • Rockford Diocese "passes" another self-audit. Basically, the Gavin Group asks employees of the diocese if they are complying with the Charter and the employees say "yes" and a passing grade is awarded. No victims, witnesses, or parishioners who have publicly criticized the diocese's response to abuse allegations are asked for comments and no other attempts are made to verify that what employees of the diocese say is factual. This system of auditing was adopted by the bishops.

  • The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops advertise for a new auditing firm to replace The Gavin Group.

  • Former St. Peter music director Michael Pavone passes away while incarcerated in the state of New York.

  • Jarmoluk signs all of the teaching contracts for the 2006/07 school year, except for the veteran teacher who expressed concern of the parishes handling of the abuse allegations. School parents call the diocese and demand the teacher's contract by renewed immediately. The diocese directs Jarmoluk to sign the teacher's contract and he does so but only after first writing "with reservation" on it.

  • The Rockford Diocese quietly settles with Alison Ward. Jarmoluk had renewed Ward's contract after knowing she did not mandate report suspicions of child abuse. Lynch and Downey fired her only after she spoke to the media. A mediator had previously judged she is entitled to unemployment compensation by the diocese.

  • Robert Serrini from New York claims to be filming a documentary about the Campobello case. Two parishioners speak with him outside the courthouse the day of the Rockford/Ward settlement. Serrini gives each parishioner his business card.

  • Serrini turns out to be a hotel worker who enters film contests for kicks and monetary prizes. His pseudo-film company is called CTLNYC which stands for Cross The Line New York City.

  • On his myspace.com page, Serrini brags about filming pornographic mockumentaries and taking a pornography course at University of California at Santa Barbara.

  • Serrini writes on myspace that he was "contracted" to film a documentary about Jarmoluk and an alleged "conspiracy" against him by the mayor, police department, state's attorney's office, and an FBI agent. The title of the alleged documentary is "Forsaken: A monsignor's fight to save his faith".

  • CTL - supported by Jarmoluk, his attorney and his followers - starts a message board and a radio show on which the majority of comments are personal attacks on the victims and others who have publicly supported them.

  • The remaining comments are highly complimentary of Jarmoluk to point of one anonymous post saying "Fr. Joe is Truth".

  • All of the comments by Jarmoluk's supporters are posted anonymously on the message board. Several supporters of the victims post using their real names.

  • Bishop Doran places two precepts on Jarmoluk and directs him to fire his attorney, stop the filming of the 'documentary', and reach out to those parishioners whom he has offended.

  • Jarmoluk sends a letter out to some but not all parishioners, writing about forgiveness and announcing a 'liturgy of healing' at the parish.

  • Jarmoluk did not send the 'letter of forgiveness' to six registered members of the parish who had publicly expressed support for the victims.

  • Followers of Jarmoluk anonymously announce on the CTLNYC message board a boycott of the liturgy of forgiveness and exchanged plans to meet in the Adoration Chapel during service.

  • The same followers exchange plans to attend the Geneva city council meeting in order to confront Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns regarding comments he had made to the press.

  • Parishioner Kim Koechley reads a statement about Jarmoluk and St. Peter at the end of the meeting.

  • Burns and council agree that Koechley's statement is unrelated to city business and adjourn the meeting.

  • Followers of Jarmoluk groan and jeer from their seats. Parishioner Maureen Pott yells out to the mayor from her seat without raising her hand or being recognized by the mayor or any other council member.

  • Burns invites anyone with questions or concerns to meet him on the public sidewalk after the close of the meeting.

  • Followers of Jarmoluk surround Burns and several - including parishioners Pott, Koechley, and Bob McQuillan - voice their complaints to Burns, question him, and defend Jarmoluk.

  • None of the followers acknowledge their anonymous participation on the CTL message board. Koechley and McQuillan each claim to have posted one comment on the board using their real names.

  • There is an anonymous post on the the CTL message board claiming that Jarmoluk will be deposed soon in the civil case.  This post came from either a supporter of Jarmoluk, Jarmoluk's attorney, or Jarmoluk himself.

  • Supporters of Jarmoluk begin aggressively taunting and verbally assaulting other parishioners before, during, and after 8:30 am weekday Masses.  A complaint is made against Cat Richter, Debbie Nelson, Kim Koechley, and Angela Pavelich with the Geneva Police Department after one assault and an investigation is conducted.

  • Bill Pott waits in the Narthex while other parishioners enter the church for Mass.  He remains in the Narthex even after the start of Mass.  He shakes his fingers and says "Shame on you" when a certain parishioner, but not all parishioners, enter after the start of Mass.  Geneva Police officers interview Pott and Jarmoluk and advise Pott to discontinue that type of behavior. 

  • St. Peter parishioner Debbie Nelson continually tells others, "You can leave now" as they gather in the narthex after 8:30 weekday Mass.  She opens the door, looks at them, and tries to wave them out of the narthex.

  • Jarmoluk submits a letter he claims to have written to the editors of various newspapers. It is a lengthy letter about showing respect for the dignity of human persons. It is unknown the last time Jarmoluk spoke from the pulpit regarding any of the issues his letters addressed. The letter is posted in it's entirety approximately ten times on his followers' message board. A few of his followers are current members of the parish respect life committee. One poster called the letter and/or the pastor 'genius'.

2007

  • Rice files motions to the judge in the civil case in an attempt to prevent Jarmoluk from being deposed or providing any documentation to the victims' attorney.  In his motion, Rice requests that if Jarmoluk must be deposed, that his deposition not be videotaped and that the victims' attorney not be present.

  • Judge Keith Brown strikes down the majority of Rice's arguments and rules that Jarmoluk will be deposed, that the victims' attorney will be present, and that the deposition will be videotaped.

  • Weekend collection at St. Peter totals $18,087 after a front-page headline about Jarmoluk's attempt to be excused from his scheduled deposition. In 2003, the weekly collection goal was $36,000 "just to break even".

  • Select parishioners of Jarmoluk's former parish, St. John the Baptist in Savanna, receive invitations to attend a benefit to raise funds for Jarmoluk due to his "financial problems" and/or "medical problems". The diocese confirms with a caller that all diocesan priests are covered with health insurance provided by the diocese. The diocese claims to be unaware of any financial troubles Jarmoluk is experiencing.

  • Parishioners Angela Pavelich, Paul Schneider, and Debbi Nelson write separate letters to the Kane County Chronicle, each of which deny Jarmoluk's attempt to excuse himself from his scheduled deposition.  They also accuse the Chronicle and Frank Bochte of misrepresenting the point of the court filings and of "attacking" Jarmoluk.  Bochte had a letter printed in the Chronicle in which he advised Jarmoluk to rid himself of Rice and to show up for his deposition, to tell the truth and "be done with it". 

  • Jarmoluk kicks off another fundraising campaign, this one called "Upon this Rock".  The "challenge goal" of this campaign is $3.2 million. Meanwhile, the collections for the weekend of February 17/18 was $18,940, one of the lowest collections in recent years at the parish.   

  • A hearing is conducted in Judge Keith Brown's courtroom regarding motions Jarmoluk's attorney Rice had filed earlier.  Judge Brown strikes down all of Rice's motion. Rice then insinuates at the hearing that Brown had a conversation outside of court with the victims' attorney and that he is biased.  Brown then threatens Rice with a charge of contempt of court if he says another word. 

  • About 15 of Jarmoluk's followers who had attended the Thursday morning hearing meet at Geneva restaurant Villa Verone to pose and speak before the press. 

  • The following Sunday, a bus is parked in the St. Peter parking lot in time for 11 am Mass, celebrated by Jarmoluk.  The bus contains parishioners from St. John the Baptist Parish in Savanna, Illinois which is the parish Jarmoluk was transferred from in 1997. 

  • A fundraising benefit is held later that day at the Villa Verone to help raise funds for Jarmoluk's "legal fees".  Select St. Peter parishioners were mailed invitations to this benefit and the parishioners from the bus from Savanna also attended.   

  • A couple of Geneva residents, including a child, are spotted wearing "I'm an FOFJ (Follower of Father Joe)" buttons.

  • Angela Pavelich, Debbie Nelson, Maureen Pott, Paul Schneider and Donna Schneider write letters to local newspapers expressing their love and support for Jarmoluk.

  • Debbie Nelson continues to harass parishioners in the narthex after 8:30 weekday Masses.  She tails others, stares at them, and motions for them to leave.  One morning, she stood right up against the back of an elderly parishioner, pretending to read the bulletin.  The following morning, she put her face within inches of the same parishioner who then had trouble breathing and others feared she might collapse.  The other called on Fr. Max who had said Mass and was nearby to please intervene to which Fr. Max responded, "I don't want to get involved".  Fr. Max has since been transferred from St. Peter to a parish in Woodstock, Illinois.

  • Bill Pott, who had been advised by Geneva police officers to leave other parishioners alone, continues to harass others in the Narthex of the church.

  • A complaint was made to the Rockford Diocese for the violations of the Rockford Diocese Code of Conduct by several volunteers at St. Peter Parish.  Bill Pott, Maureen Pott, Debbie Nelson, and Angela Pavelich were all named in the complaint.  According to the Code of Conduct, harassment and intimidation are prohibited and volunteers are required to sign an acknowledgement form each year.  Penalties for breaking the code include being dismissed from their respective ministries.

  • The Rockford Diocese agrees to pay the two victims of Fr. Mark Campobello $2.2 million.  The agreement, in effect, dismisses the civil case against the diocese.  

  • Collections at the parish continue to dwindle.  The weekend of May 19/20 brought in a total of $17,736.  The following weekend collections totaled $19,350.  These numbers are about HALF of what St. Peter Parish would be expected to collect each weekend.  Even the monthly Parish Pay decreased from April to May by over six thousand dollars. 

  • Several internet bloggers/journalists, including Matt Abbott, Fred Martinez, and Rev. Randy Kanipe give mention to the "Forsaken Documentary" featuring Jarmoluk in their posts or articles. The folks behind CTLNYC seem to be contacting every Catholic in the nation trying to drum up support for their phantom project. 

  • Persons representing CTLNYC show up at the parish Barn Sale Fundraiser with cameras.  They approach barn sale attendees, including children, and ask them questions on camera, including what kind of pastor they think Jarmoluk is and how they think he handled the Campobello case.  The interviewers failed to identify themselves as CTLNYC associates.

  • Jarmoluk allows the CTLNYC cameramen to attend the Barn Sale Mass for volunteers with cameras rolling.  In his homily, he pandered to them, bragged that the parish had 4,000 families which is an extreme exaggeration of the actual number, and focused, as usual, on himself instead of the many volunteers who worked very hard for many, many months to raise money for the parish and school.  After the Campobello arrest, Jarmoluk often requested that any members of the media in attendance at Mass turn off their recording devices.  At the Barn Sale, however, it seemed that not only did he not object to the presence of CTLNYC 'media' but, rather, welcomed it and felt empowered by it.

  • Information begins to surface regarding James W. Grice of Wayne, Illinois and his criminal history of fraud and deceptive practices.  The Grice name appears on a caller I.D. on a returned call from CTLNYC's Rocky number.  The name "Farnsworth" which was supposedly a CTLNYC 'producer' also happens to be listed as an 'associated name of James Grice.  At least one witness claims to have seen a man resembling James Grice's mug shot at a recent Geneva/St. Peter function.  Grice happens to hail from St. Louis, the same city as Jarmoluk's attorney, Canice Rice.

  • St. Peter parishioner Debbie Nelson continues to harass other parishioners.  Other Jarmoluk supporters continue to report on their anonymous blog the activities and whereabouts of other parishioners and residents.  Note:  It is clearly a violation of the Rockford Diocese Code of Conduct to behave in the way Nelson and other parish employees/volunteers are behaving.  Yet, the Rockford Diocese, though well aware of these incidents, refuses to take appropriate action against them, thereby condoning the harassment of innocent members of their parishes. 

  • St. Peter parishioners receive in the mail the 2007 parish financial report.  In it, Jarmoluk and members of the parish finance council explain the necessity of making a hefty withdrawal from savings and taking out two new loans from the diocese in order to pay the bills.  The report reveals that, even with the loans, the parish is only able to pay one-half of its assessments from the Rockford Diocese.  It also is admitted that the Upon This Rock, which was promoted as endowments for the future, actually has 75% of the money raised going toward getting the parish out of severe debt and only 25% going toward endowments.  Meanwhile, weekend collections continue to come in under $30,000 each week, well below the amount expected and significantly below the totals of smaller neighboring parishes. 

2008

  • The parish weekend collections continue to lag under $30,000 per week, well below the budget requirements. 

  • Mark Campobello is released from prison after serving not even half of his 8-year sentence.  He registers as a sex-offender as required by Illinois State law and moves back to Crystal Lake, Illinois. 

  • The vulgar CTLNYC message board continues with several anonymous bloggers using multiple fake names to spread their hate and disdain for anyone and everyone in sight except for Jarmoluk and 'Rocky' toward whom the blogger's often express praise and adoration.  These hooded cowards act like wild animals cornered in their cage and going berserk with anger and resentment.  The pathetic bullies attack and assault victims of child abuse, their families, and their advocates.  They overtly display their lack of ethics and morals by posting details of abuse either taken from police reports, known from their own personal witnessing, or "confided" to them by the molester himself.  The more the CTL/Forsaken scam is exposed, the more the blogger's rage - cockroaches scattering when the light shines upon them.   The ranting and venting of the CTLNYC blogs are the nastiest when posted in the wee hours of the morning - midnight, 1 am, 2am.  It's hard to imagine any sane or sober individual engaging in such behavior.  The message board itself is sad display of addiction, mental illness, and unaccountable Catholic clergy.   Bishop Thomas Doran and Francis Cardinal George are well aware of the blog, the scam, and the scam artist.  Still they do nothing to stop it, so long as parishioners keep giving them envelopes filled with money. 

  • St. Peter parishioners Debbie Nelson and Bill Pott, both school bus drivers with the Geneva School District, continue to harass and mock other parishioners on parish property. 

2009

  • Campobello is taken into custody again for violating his parole.

  • Jarmoluk continues to lose support among parishioners with many of them counting the days until he is replaced at St. Peter.

  • Jarmoluk's supporters continue to decline in number and the web site created to support him is all but non-existent. The documentary that was supposedly about him and his faith struggles never came out even though it was advertised to be released in 2006.

  • The few supporters Jarmoluk has left are planning a party to celebrate the anniversary of his ordination. Staff member Rama Canney is putting together a book to present to Jarmoluk at the party in which all of his followers create pages expressing their love and adoration of him.

  • Former St. Peter parishioner threatens to sue Companions in Hope for posting his picture on the site, blaming the web site for lost business with absolutely no proof.

  • Jarmoluk is finally removed from St. Peter parish in Geneva. However, Rockford's negligent bishop, Thomas Doran, chooses to transfer him to another parish, St. Peter in Spring Grove, Illinois.
  • It doesn't take long for Jarmoluk to divide the parish of St. Peter in Spring Grove. The turmoil continues as Doran sits cozily behind his bullet-proof windows.

How much did the Mark Campobello cost the Rockford Catholic Diocese?

According to the Rockford Diocese’s Observer newspaper.  A $2,200,000 total settlement with diocese paying $500,000 and the rest from insurance.

May 18, 2007 * Settlement reached in abuse lawsuit

Settlement reached in abuse lawsuit
KANE COUNTY—The settlement of two civil lawsuits involving the Diocese of Rockford and Mark Campobello, a former priest of the diocese, filed by two women identified as Jane Doe and Jane Roe, was announced May 10, 2007. The diocese was able to work with the plantiffs and their counsels toward a resolution short of trial.

The settlement amounts are $1,150,000 and $1,050,000. The Rockford Diocese contributed from diocesan funds $250,000 toward each settlement, and insurance covered the remaining amounts.

Mark Campobello was removed from ministry on December 3, 2002, when he was arrested and formally charged with criminal conduct. Campobello was penalized by the church by being expelled from the priesthood by the Holy See on June 3, 2005, on the petition of Church authorities here. He is currently serving an eight-year prison sentence for two Class II felony charges to which he pleaded guilty.

Although the settlement amounts were a heavy burden for the diocese, the diocese owed restorative justice to the two women for their injuries.

The Rockford Diocese reaffirms its pledge and commitment to ensure a safe environment for children and young people in its churches and schools, and restates its special care for and commitment to reaching out to victims of sexual abuse.

Click on the following for this source:  Settlement reached in abuse lawsuit

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Beware of jury duty scam - Freeport, IL - The Journal-Standard

 

The perpetrator calls a resident and informs them that they have not responded to a summons for jury duty, and that an arrest warrant has been issued.
When the victim says they did not receive a summons, the caller asks for their Social Security number and date of birth so the information can be verified and the arrest warrant can be canceled. Then if the victim complies, the caller has enough information to steal their identity.

Click on the following for more detailsBeware of jury duty scam - Freeport, IL - The Journal-Standard

U.S. census shows big changes, but no home rule - The Woodstock Independent.com

 

U.S. Census Bureau data showed Woodstock’s population at 24,770, more than 100 residents higher than the special census. The increase since 2000 shows significantly higher gains, however, with 4,619 more residents — about a 23 percent increase.
Even with the gains, the city missed the 25,000 population mark, which puts Illinois municipalities into automatic home rule status, by 230 residents.
“We’re disappointed that we didn’t realize the numbers … to become home rule,” said City Manager

often the most associated powers. Home-rule municipalities can constitutionally impose additional taxes on certain items or uses that are not income, occupations or earning without voter approval. Examples could include a home-rule gasoline tax, a vehicle tax or other product or service-specific taxes

important to remember such uses would not be employed unless the city chose to implement them. Home-rule status is automatically given to municipalities with populations of 25,000 or more, though a qualifying municipality can remain non-home rule via referendum.

U.S. census shows big changes, but no home rule - The Woodstock Independent.com

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Renesas in Japan Scrambles to Make a Critical Car Chip - NYTimes.com

70 miles northeast of Tokyo, belongs to Renesas Electronics, which supplies about 40 percent of the world market for those crucial chips, known as automobile microcontrollers.

automobile industry has evolved in the digital era, microcontrollers are usually customized for each car model.

Renesas is that it is the product of mergers involving three Japanese semiconductor companies. Hitachi and Mitsubishi Electric merged their semiconductor operations in 2003 to form Renesas Technology. Then, last April, Renesas Technology merged with NEC Electronics, the former semiconductor division of NEC, to form the current company, Renesas Electronics.

Renesas’s main competitors include Freescale Semiconductor and STMicroelectronics.

microcontrollers are different in small but important ways,” said Tom Starnes, an analyst at Objective Analysis, a technology research firm. “That makes it very difficult to switch to alternate suppliers, at least not quickly.” Switching could take six months or more, analysts say. …highly customized software that provides instructions for the various chips. From automaker to automaker, “there’s no software compatibility

the long term, automakers will probably spread their bets more to other major suppliers,” said Egil Juliussen, an auto electronics analyst at IHS iSuppli, a research firm. “And there will be more reason to push the industry standardization efforts

Renesas in Japan Scrambles to Make a Critical Car Chip - NYTimes.com

President Obama's Long Form Birth Certificate | The White House

The White House Blog

President Obama's Long Form Birth Certificate

Posted by Dan Pfeiffer on April 27, 2011 at 08:57 AM EDT

Ed. Note: Read the transcript of the President's remarks following this release or watch the video below:

In 2008, in response to media inquiries, the President’s campaign requested his birth certificate from the state of Hawaii. The state sent the campaign the President’s birth certificate, the same legal documentation provided to all Hawaiians as proof of birth in state, and the campaign immediately posted it on the internet. That birth certificate can be seen here (PDF).

When any citizen born in Hawaii requests their birth certificate, they receive exactly what the President received. In fact, the document posted on the campaign website is what Hawaiians use to get a driver’s license from the state and the document recognized by the Federal Government and the courts for all legal purposes. That’s because it is the birth certificate. This is not and should not be an open question.

The President believed the distraction over his birth certificate wasn’t good for the country. It may have been good politics and good TV, but it was bad for the American people and distracting from the many challenges we face as a country. Therefore, the President directed his counsel to review the legal authority for seeking access to the long form certificate and to request on that basis that the Hawaii State Department of Health make an exception to release a copy of his long form birth certificate. They granted that exception in part because of the tremendous volume of requests they had been getting. President Barack Obama's long form birth certificate can be seen here (PDF):

Click on the photocopy to enlarge: 

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Birth certificate-long-form

Correspondence with the Hawaii State Department of Health can be seen here (PDF).

At a time of great consequence for this country – when we should be debating how we win the future, reduce our deficit, deal with high gas prices, and bring stability to the Middle East, Washington, DC, was once again distracted by a fake issue.  The President’s hope is that with this step, we can move on to debating the bigger issues that matter to the American people and the future of the country

President Obama's Long Form Birth Certificate | The White House

Monday, April 25, 2011

Explaining the recent decline in the unemployment rate

This article speaks as to if things are getting better or worse for working Americas.  The conclusion is more akin that things are no longer getting worse.

Explaining the recent decline in the unemployment rate

by Lisa Barrow, senior economist Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago


The unemployment rate fell by nearly 1 percentage point between November 2010 and March 2011. Was this drop due to unemployed workers exhausting their unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and choosing to stop looking for work or due to more positive labor market developments, such as fewer workers losing their jobs or more workers finding new jobs?

Conclusion
The recent sizable drop in the unemployment rate seems to be have been largely driven by the decline in the LFS [Labor Force Status]  flow from employment to unemployment

In this Chicago Fed Letter, I [Lisa Barrow] examine the data on labor force status (LFS) flows from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Survey (CPS) to assess their contributions to the recent decline in the unemployment rate. I conclude that this decline seems to have been driven by a decline in the number of employed persons becoming unemployed rather than by either an increase in the unemployed becoming employed or an increase in the unemployed leaving the labor force.

The entire study is available at:  http://www.chicagofed.org/digital_assets/publications/chicago_fed_letter/2011/cfljune2011_287.pdf

Chemtool’s good paying jobs? Chemtool Salaries in IL | Simply Hired

A full time minimum wage worker in Illinois working will earn $330.00 per week, or $17,160.00 per year. Illinois's minimum wage rate as of April, 2011 is $8.25 per hour

Average of all job listings in Illinois with the name Chemtool—$24,000

Click on the photocopy to enlarge:

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Click on the following for Illinois Chemtool salaries:  Chemtool Salaries in IL | Simply Hired

Average salary of all job listings for “Chemtool, Roscoe, Illinois”—$21,000

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Average salary of all job listings for “Chemtool, Rockton, Illinois”—$21,000.

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Sunday, April 24, 2011

Rockford Diocese: Policies concerning sexual abuse as published on its website

 

image   Sexual  misconduct by clergy, Church personnel, Church leaders and volunteers is contrary to Christian morals, doctrine and Canon Law. It is never acceptable and Bishop Thomas G. Doran has declared emphatically, that "one case of abuse, is one too many." We acknowledge that sexual misconduct can have devastating consequences and effects on the victims and their families, the Church community, and for the transgressor.
The Rockford Diocese remains committed to preventing abuse and remains vigorous in its efforts of education, prevention and healing.

"To report an instance of sexual abuse by clergy, religious or
laity affiliated with the Diocese of Rockford,
contact local police authorities
and call the Victims Abuse Line: 815-962-9347."


If the abuse involves a minor, also contact the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services at 1-800-25-ABUSE.
Quick links

Communications Policy: Media relations regarding sexual abuse allegations
Sexual Misconduct Norm Booklet - (Order Form)
VIRITUS training schedules (www.ceorockford.org)
USCCB Office of Child & Youth Protection

Frequently asked questions

What was the Diocese of Rockford's procedure in the past when handling sexual abuse or misconduct allegations?
Since 1987, the Diocese has had a policy in place outlining the response to sexual abuse allegations. The policy called for a Diocesan Intervention Team (now Committee) to investigate the allegations; for the alleged victim to be given information regarding how to report the allegations to civil authorities; for the Diocese to make counseling services available to the alleged victim. The policy further stipulated that in instances where allegations against a priest were deemed credible, the priest would be removed from any parish assignment or any other assignment which would permit him access to young people.


What is the procedure since the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' meeting in Dallas in June 2002?
The Diocese of Rockford adheres to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which was approved by the bishops in Dallas and became particular law for the Catholic Church in the United States after Pope John Paul II approved it in October 2002. In keeping with the Charter, when an allegation is received, it is reported to civil authorities and referred to the Diocesan Intervention Committee. Additionally, if the abuse involves a minor, the Department of Children and Family Services is notified. The committee's findings are reported to the Bishop of the Diocese. If the allegations are credible, the accused will be removed from all ministry duties and the allegations will be referred to the Vatican for appropriate investigation and resolution according to Canon Law. Counseling is offered to the alleged victim, as well as to the accused. In no case is a priest who is credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor permitted to function as a priest.
What is the Church doing for the alleged victim?
When the Diocese learns of an allegation, the alleged victim is offered counseling and the Diocese reaches out to the alleged victim to begin the process of pastoral healing. The alleged victim is immediately encouraged to contact the appropriate civil legal authorities, and report the matter to the Department of Children and Family Services, or if the provisions of mandatory reporting apply, diocesan officials contact civil authorities on their own. At the same time, the Diocesan Investigator and the Diocesan Intervention Committee investigate the allegation with the intention of being able to substantiate it. Diocesan investigators make a good faith effort to investigate every allegation even if the state's statutes of limitations on civil and criminal proceedings have expired.


Does anyone from the Diocese meet with alleged victims of sexual abuse?
At the minimum, every alleged victim meets with the Misconduct Officer of the Diocese, who is also the Vicar General/Moderator of the Curia.


What if I am an alleged victim of sexual abuse by a clergyman?
You should report every instance of sexual abuse by anyone to the proper legal authorities immediately, including the Department of Children and Family Services at 1-800-25-ABUSE. If the alleged abuser is anyone associated with the Diocese of Rockford, after you have reported the abuse to legal authorities, call the Diocese's victim abuse line at 815-962-9347.


Why are these allegations becoming public?
Part of the reason is the national publicity that has occurred. After years of silent pain, victims have learned that they were not alone and have begun to come forward. That explains why most of the alleged instances reported have been reported in just the last few years, and why most of the reports concern allegations dating back decades ago.


Why didn't bishops and dioceses know that these clergymen were doing such terrible things?
A priest commits to a life of celibacy and it is presumed that he lives according to that vow. When a man is ordained to the priesthood, he has every intention of adhering to that vow. However, no bishop can know of every priest's actions at all times. The phrase "knew or should have known" is the standard for legal liability, not reality.
Sexual abuse of minors is a societal problem, and it is more widespread than most people knew until quite recently. Most abuse occurs in the home, and most abusers are family members or close, trusted friends of the family. Of course, that does not mean that most adult family members or friends of the family are abusers. In the same way, most clergy are not abusers.

What is the Diocese doing to eliminate the problem of abuse by clergy?
The Diocese is doing many things. It screens and tests candidates for the priesthood and diaconate. It conducts ongoing training and education programs for clergy. It responds promptly and decisively to allegations of sexual abuse. It removes clergymen from ministry when the allegations against them are credible.


Can you guarantee that sexual abuse of minors will never happen again in the Diocese?
No, we cannot guarantee that. No one can. However, we have policies and programs in place designed to prevent abuse by anyone associated with the Diocese. Policies call for us to screen all employees and volunteers who have contact with children. Programs assure that we educate children, parents, clergy, lay employees and volunteers. The VIRTUS program, for example, teaches church personnel, parents and volunteers ways to avoid situations that could lead to sexual abuse, as well as to recognize the warning signs of a perpetrator.


What is being done for the continuing education of clergy?
In addition to requiring that all clergy participate in the VIRTUS program, the Diocese has held a series of mandatory educational programs for clergy for the past several years. The focus of these programs is on prevention and detection.


What is being done in the seminary to assure us that future clergymen will not be abusers?
Our seminarians attend various seminaries, so the particulars of prevention efforts in their seminary experience will vary slightly. However, in all cases candidates for the priesthood in the Diocese undergo fingerprinting and background checks, as well as a battery of psychological tests and one-on-one interviews with several officials of the Diocese who are trained to spot the telltale signs of abusers. Candidates must also have lived a celibate lifestyle before being considered for ordination. Every effort is made to assure that candidates for the priesthood are well-suited in every way to live chaste lives of service and fidelity to Catholic moral teaching.

Click on the following for mother information:  Welcome to the Rockford Diocese

Archdiocese of Milwaukee | Restricted Diocesan Priests

 

Restricted Diocesan Priests

Due to Substantiated Reports of Sexual Abuse of a Minor

In line with the assurances given in the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, these are the names of diocesan priests of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee who have been (or would be if they were still alive) restricted from all priestly ministries, may not celebrate the sacraments publicly, or present themselves as priests in any way. In addition, in accordance with the canonical norms that have been established, the allegations against any living priest are sent to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome.

Raymond A. Adamsky, Fully Restricted from Priestly Ministry

James L. Arimond, Laicized

Ronald J. Bandle, Deceased

James W. Beck, Left Priestly Ministry

Franklyn W. Becker, Laicized

Michael C. Benham, Laicized

Frederick J. Bistricky, Deceased

Daniel A. Budzynski, Laicized

Peter A. Burns, Laicized

S. Joseph Collova, Excommunicated

Andrew P. Doyle, Laicized (Deceased)

William J. Effinger, Deceased

Ronald Engel, Fully Restricted from Priestly Ministry

George A. Etzel, Deceased

William J. Farrell, Deceased

James M. Flynt, Laicized

James M. Godin, Laicized

Edmund H. Haen, Deceased

David J. Hanser, Laicized

Harold A. Herbst, Deceased

George S. Hopf, Deceased

James N. Jablonowski, Fully Restricted from Priestly Ministry

Marvin T. Knighton, Fully Restricted from Priestly Ministry

John T. Knotek, Deceased

Michael J. Krejci, Fully Restricted from Priestly Ministry

Eugene T. Kreuzer, Deceased

Oswald G. Krusing, Deceased

Jerome E. Lanser, Fully Restricted from Priestly Ministry

Eldred B. Lesniewski, Deceased

Daniel J. Massie, Laicized

Lawrence C. Murphy, Deceased

Michael T. Neuberger, Dismissed from clerical state (case in appeal)

Richard W. Nichols, Deceased

George A. Nuedling, Deceased

John A. O’Brien, Laicized

Donald A. Peters, Laicized

Roger W. Schneider, Laicized

Clarence J. Schouten, Deceased

Vincent A. Silvestri, Deceased

Thomas A. Trepanier, Fully Restricted from Priestly Ministry

Jerome A. Wagner, Laicized

John C. Wagner, Fully Restricted from Priestly Ministry

Charles W. Walter, Fully Restricted from Priestly Ministry

Siegfried F. Widera, Deceased


Updated: December 2009

Archdiocese of Milwaukee | Restricted Diocesan Priests

Judge orders Vatican to show files in abuse case

image

A federal judge in Oregon ruled Thursday that the Vatican must respond to certain requests for information from a man who says he was molested by a priest [Rev. Andrew Ronan] in the 1960s.

The Vatican will be required to answer written questions within 60 days related to its process of defrocking, its policies regarding sexual abuse and its regulation of priests' conduct, among other requests made by Doe, but Mosman limited all of the discovery to files involving Ronan.

The Vatican has argued it wasn't responsible for Ronan or his multiple transfers. Amid allegations of sexual abuse, court documents say, Ronan was transferred from Ireland to Chicago and then to Portland, where Doe said the abuse occurred.

papers filed last summer, Vatican lawyers said hundreds of documents from Catholic officials showed that U.S. officials of the priest's order "knew of Ronan's propensities and transferred Ronan," but the Holy See "had no prior knowledge regarding Ronan" and no role in moving him.

Click on the following for the entire story:  The Associated Press: Judge orders Vatican to show files in abuse case

Editorials & Opinion | Conservatives, the undisputed champions of untruth | Seattle Times Newspaper

 

Conservatives, the undisputed champions of untruth

by Leonard Pitts Jr. / Syndicated columnist

The capacity for mendacity is not exclusive to any party or ideology, writes Leonard Pitts Jr. But when it comes to the most absolute contempt for the facts and for the necessity of honest debate, it's not even close. Conservatives have no equal.

"If you want an abortion, you go to Planned Parenthood. And that's well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does."

— Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., April 8

"(The statistic Kyl used) was not intended to be a factual statement ... "

— Statement from Kyl's office to CNN, later that day

Actually, about 3 percent of Planned Parenthood's services are abortion-related. The overwhelming majority of the organization's work involves cancer screenings, contraception and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. Granted, the 3 percent figure is self-reported and PolitiFact, the nonpartisan, Pulitzer Prize-winning fact-checking website, suggests it could nudge higher depending on how you crunch the numbers. But it also rules that Kyl "vastly overstated" the organization's involvement in abortions. In other words, he lied.

Conservatives seem to do that an awful lot.

No, the capacity for mendacity is not exclusive to any party or ideology. Yes, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Harry Reid have all, at one point or another, been at variance with the truth. But when it comes to serial lying, to the biggest, most brazen, most audacious lies, the lies repeated ad nauseam until people mistake them for truth, when it comes to the most absolute contempt for the facts and for the necessity of honest debate, it's not even close. Conservatives have no equal.

Consider: PolitiFact has six categories for judging veracity. A statement is true, mostly true, half true, barely true, false, or "Pants On Fire," after the old schoolyard taunt that begins "Liar! Liar!" PolitiFact uses this designation for statements that are not only untrue but also make some "ridiculous claim."

I reviewed 100 such statements on PolitiFact's website. By my count, of the 70 that originated with an identifiable individual or group (as opposed to a chain email or miscellaneous source), 61 were from the political right. That includes Rush Limbaugh saying President Obama is going to take away your right to fish, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer saying beheaded bodies are being found in the desert and Sarah Palin claiming death panels will stalk the elderly — 90 percent of the most audacious lies coming from conservatives.

And that word is used advisedly here. There is little that is truly conservative about what we are seeing.

No, this is extremism, true believers so rigidly committed to their ideological crusades that they feel justified in vandalizing reason and sacrificing integrity in furtherance of their cause. The end justifies any means. So, as was the case with Jon Kyl, if you can't prove your point with the facts at hand, make up some facts and prove it with those.

It says much about the intellectual state of what passes for conservatism and the intellectual state of the union itself that this sort of behavior has become business as usual, just another day in the Zeitgeist.

This cannot end well. To continue down this path is to carve out a future of intellectual incoherence and international irrelevance, to doom ourselves to yet more of a fractured political discourse that is loud, ignorant and incapable of reason, much less resolution.

And maybe Sen. Kyl's claim was "not intended to be a factual statement," but just so you know? Mine is.

Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts Jr.'s column appears regularly on editorial pages of The Times. His email address is: lpitts@miamiherald.com

Editorials & Opinion | Conservatives, the undisputed champions of untruth | Seattle Times Newspaper

Friday, April 22, 2011

Out with the Old In with the New St. James’ Gothic Structure Slated to Become a Memory

By Lisa Palmeno

image


St. James Church, the only Catholic Church in
Belvidere, is slated to be replaced by a new, larger
facility to accommodate a growing parish. While many
that worship at the 125-year old Gothic have donated
funds and support the move, others are against it.


In March, Robert and Dan Casey, two brothers
who grew up at St. James, submitted letters with
strong language to Bishop Thomas G. Doran of the
Rockford Diocese. In those letters, they addressed
their displeasure with the project Bishop Doran and
Father Brian Geary, who came to St. James in 2008,
deem necessary to meet the growing needs of the
church.

The Casey brothers say they are disappointed that
they and other parishioners were not allowed to vote
on the decision and that the beautiful Gothic “elements”
of the church will be but a memory when the new
Romanesque-style church is completed.

This year marks the 125-year anniversary of the
church, located at Caswell and Church streets, which has
undergone many changes. Those changes have included the
renovation of the sanctuary and basement after a fire in the
1960s, new furnishings and more throughout the years.

However, the congregation has grown right along with
the population in Boone County. The flock has grown from
711 families in 1979 when Father Miller was there to more
than 2,000 families.


The new church will have enough seating to accommodate
1,000 people at each of the eight masses held at the church;
an expanded narthex; a choir/music section for 50; four
confessionals (everyone’s favorite spot); special inside
features; and an expanded parking lot.
The church brochure, “Building On our faith Capital
Campaign St. James Catholic Church,” shares much
information about the project, complete with artist renditions.

The brochure opens with a letter from Father Geary, who
states that “Bishop Doran has directed that we may initiate
a capital campaign to build a new church for St. James in
Belvidere. I enthusiastically support the effort to build a
new church to meet our present and future needs.”

He said that the small church accomplishes quite a bit:
it offers eight masses each week; teaches 180 students at
the school; puts more than 800 members through Catechism
each year; and outreach is growing.

Geary added in the letter, “Everywhere you look there
are signs of growth and vitality. God is doing great things
through us and now God is calling us to do even greater
things in His holy name.”

Plenty is included about the finances, interest rates, and
the Master Site Plan, Phases One and Two, with diagrams
of what it will look like from an artificial aerial view, from
side views, and from the entryway toward the sanctuary.
The brochure ends with a campaign prayer.

While Robert Casey said he knows the lack of space is
“putting pressure on attendance,” he said other options could
be pursued. He offered alternatives, such as lengthening
the church and building a wing to the north, “with similarcolored
bricks and make it really nice. But those ideas
were shot down immediately,” he said. He also brought up
issues about financing, down-payments on the project, and
donations.

Dan Casey talked about the “Rainbow Club Raffle,” that
he organized 27 years ago to save the school. Since founding
the event, he has raised $270,000-$300,000 in funding from
the raffle. He and his brother Robert are hoping that others
who are disagree with the new plans will come forward to
express their feelings and that, just maybe, Bishop Doran
and Father Geary will change their minds about tearing St.
James down.

Dan Casey said that, although he will still attend St.
James because it’s where he has always gone, he will not
support the church financially if they continue with their
plans. However, he said his wife will continue to support
the church.

His most memorable event at the church was his wedding
on Dec. 1, 1973. His four siblings were married there, as
were his parents and uncles and aunts; he added that his
98-year-old aunt is also very displeased about the plans to
tear down the existing structure. However, he said some
of the other long-time members are very supportive of the
new church and that he has no doubt they will get the funds
they need to finish the project.

Dan Casey said, that in one of the meetings called to
inform parishioners of the new plans, several members
told dissenters to sit down and be quiet. Dan said all the
meetings were “post design,” and that no one got a chance
to vote on the issue and that he and his brother, and about
40 others with whom they have spoken, feel that they as a
members should have had some input.

Dan Casey also said that some of the neighbors in
the nine or 10 houses that will have to be torn down to
accommodate more parking might have something to say
when they find out the parish wants to buy them.

Most of all, both brothers expressed their feelings
about the beauty of the church that is already there; the
stained-glass windows with the names of the families that
donated them back in the 1880s on them; the Stations of the
Cross, which Father Miller had repainted in the 1980s; and
particularly the depiction of the Last Supper.

Dan Casey said, “I’m not against expansion, I’m for
expansion if it’s done in the right manner.”

Robert Casey said, “I could buy into an addition, I can’t
buy into this destruction.”

Father Geary’s return call was missed by the author of
this piece last week, and he has since been busy with other
obligations when calls were attempted. However, attempts
will be made to speak with him about the plans. Contact
with Bishop Doran is still pending.

St. James Church is located at 535 Caswell Street.

For more information, call the church at 815-547-6397,
or visit www.stjamesbelvidere.org.

The above is taken from page 4 of April 22, 2011’s Boone County Journal which is available free of cost at merchants across the county or can be viewed on the internet at:  http://boonecountyjournal.com/news/2011/Boone-County-News-04-22-11.pdf#page=3