Happy Hands …..Hanna????

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Two court dates tomorrow (Wednesday, 27 February 2013):

(1)  Father George Smith

Tomorrow morning, Cornerbrook Newfoundland courthouse (82 Mt. Bernard Ave.) starts the two-day hearing which will encompass the reading of an Agreed Upon Statement of Facts, the reading of victim impact statements by those victims who wish to do so, and the sentencing hearing.

If you are anywhere in the vicinity please do attend to show your support for the victims.

I just realized that I don’t have the start time but see that other start times were 10 am so I think 10 am is a good guess 🙂

Keep the victims in your prayers, and, as always, please post comment or links to media coverage of the outcome.

If you plan to attend please take along a notebook or stack of paper to jot down a few notes.  I really would like to hear as much as possible from the Agreed Upon Statement of Facts (that is the statement which both the Crown and defence agree upon regarding Father Smith and his crimes)

Remember the hearing runs for two days:  Wednesday 27 February and Thursday 28 February.

(2) Father Joe LeClair

This I am sure will be short and sweet again.  I doubt that Father LeClair will be there, but, one never knows:

27 February 2013: 08:30 am, courtroom #5,  Ottawa Ontario courthouse

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There are several new articles or times posted today on the Father Philip Jacobs verdict:

25 February 2013:  Excerpt from Victoria courthouse courtroom docket re Madam Justice Groper R vs Jacobs 

26 February 2013:  New sex-related charges filed against man 

25 February 2013: Former Saanich priest guilty of sexual exploitation (CTV Vancouver Island) VIDEO

25 February 2013: “Father Phil Jacobs guilty of sexual touching, acquitted of 3 other charges” & related articles

CHEK TV has good coverage.  I am unable to download the clip but can give you an external link:  Click here

Note Bishop Gagnon’s comment regarding prior knowledge by the Diocese of Victoria that Jacobs was a molester:

“There had been some sexual indiscretions in his [Father Jacobs] previous diocese in Ohio. There had not been any charges made in Ohio, but there was knowledge that there had been some involvement with young people in the 1990′s.”

Can you believe it?

Father Jacobs sexual abuse of his 14-year old cousin was, in the eyes of Bishop Gagnon, no more than “a sexual indiscretion”?
And the sexual abuse of how many young lads in the States was, in the eyes of Bishop Gagnon, no more than “some involvement with young people in the 1990s”?

What an insult to the victims.  “Some involvement with”  “Sexual indiscretion.”

I wonder how much money came from diocesan coffers to finance those two lawyers who, from what I hear and read, so mercilessly and in typical defence-lawyer-style worked the victims over on the stand?

Does anyone know?  Did insurance pay for it?  or was it diocesan funds?  I am hard pressed to think the diocese didn’t ante up.  After all, it was in the diocese’s interests was it not, to have Jacobs acquitted?  The diocese willingly recycled Father Phil Jacobs, a known predator.

So, did the dicoese pay Jacob’s defence team?  Was the diocese party to that nonsense about the boy not serving more once because he wasn’t very good?

Has any Catholic ever heard of such a  thing in a Catholic Church or Catholic school?   A boy serves once and that’s the end of it because someone decides he’s not good enough?!!!  How does a boy learn? It makes no sense.

Not only that, what about the Church?  Did the boy serve at the Church?  And who knows with any certainty when a boy did or did not serve?  Yes, parishes have lists, but I personally couldn’t count the number of times “Johnny” was supposed to serve and didn’t show up or was sick, and “Timmy” – whose name is not on the list to serve but happened to be at Mass – was put into service.

Defence lawyers run circles around the Crowns time and time again when it comes the whole business of altar boys.  I don’t know how things operate in Victoria, but my goodness I have never heard of a boy serving once and being cast aside because he wasn’t good enough .  Did they really do that at that school?  Really?!!!!   I   would love to see the transcript on all of this altar boy business to see exactly what was said.

Perhaps if I hadn’t seen this altar boy business used to make a victim out to be a liar I might not be skeptical, but I’ve seen it happen before.

And back I come to:  Who pays for this?  And who pray tell sics the lawyers onto the victims? And who, for that matter, decides which lawyer has what it takes to try to demolish a victim on the stand?

A final thought here:  If it’s actually not the bishop who does the siccing, could it not be the bishop who calls them (defence lawyers) off?

On a final note here, it’s all so eerily quiet.  So terribly eerily quiet since the verdict came down.

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For those who may have missed it when I made note elsewhere, there is a small video clip on CBC Newfoundland and Labrador Here & Now worth a watch. It takes a minute or two to hone in on the clip but will give you an idea of what Gary Hoskins looks like, or at least what he looked like when he was still a priest and was charged in the late 80s (I believe that’s what the film footage is?).

Go to CBC Newfoundland and Labrador website Here & Now: http://www.cbc.ca/hereandnownl/

Click on “Here and Now – February 25, 2013 (the one with the two male and one female reporters). Once it’s playing, slide the view bar over until it’s around 55:12. And, there he is.

I spent a bit of time today trying to find Gary Hoskins in Ontario.  I think I found him, but must verify first.  I will be out all day tomorrow – will pick up the search  again on Thursday.

Does anyone by chance have a picture of Gary Hoskins, back in the days when he was Father Gary Hoskins?  If you do, could you can and send me a copy please?

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Over two years since charges were laid and the case of Father Piotr Sanczenko  is going to court for “possible resolution” on 05 March 2013 in the Chatham Ontario courthouse. That’s Tuesday 05 March -at noon.

I am hoping someone in the Chatham area can get there to find out what is going on.  Is there a guilty plea in the offing here?  Or, ………..what ????

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The next court date for Father Rheal LeBlanc csc is 10 April 2013 at 9 am, “to be spoken to,” in the Welland Ontario courthouse.  It is now just over a year since LeBlanc was charged. and no trial in sight.

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You will not believe this. Well, perhaps you will.  But, this is bizarre.

You remember that Father Hod Marshall was called “Happy Hands”?

Well, there’s another Basilian “Happy Hands.”    There truly is.

Happy Hands Hanna.

On 20 February I blogged “Basilain priest-teacher suspended in Houston – Canadian connections” – that was about Father Jack Hanna, the Basilian at St. Thomas High School who had been suspended, and not a word of it in the media in Houston.

Two days later I blogged “So very Canadian“, this re my difficulty finding out why exactly Father Hanna was suspended and where he is now?  Finding out is bad chocie of wrds there:  I didn’t find out.  No one’s talking.

Well, today I had some news about Father Jack Hanna and St. Thomas.

Look at this:

(i)   Father Hanna’s nickname among students since the 80’s was Happy Hands Hanna;

(ii) No one is surprised at the suspension;

(iii) It was only a matter of time before someone spoke up – more are sure to follow;

(iv) The entire St. Thomas community was advised of the suspension;

(v)  The word is that Father Happy Hands Hanna is in Canada!!!

I will leave it at that for now.   I need to check a few things out – as I said above, I will be out for the day tomorrow so, opportunity permitting,  will carry on on Wednesday.

Enough for now,

Sylvia

 

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2 Responses to Happy Hands …..Hanna????

  1. Sylvia says:

    This isn’t the first time staff at the Basilian-run St. Thomas High School in Houston have been in trouble for ‘misconduct.” In August 1997 Father Michael Cerretto was arrested on lewdness charges – according to media reports he exposed himself in an adult bookstore and movie theater. Cerretto, then Principal of school, was placed on administrative leave.

    More recently, in October 2012, Gordon Daniel Oehmig, the St. Thomas High School wrestling coach, was charged with the possession of child pornography. In May 2012 Oehmig was named Texas Prep Coach of the year for the 2011-2012 athletic season.

    And now, Happy Hands Hanna!

  2. Ken says:

    I have one more thing to say, he was seductive in his mannerisms. He knew if you wanted permission to do something he would touch you in a way that was not appropriate of someone of authority. That’s where “happy hand Hanna” or “Fr. Handsoff Hanna” would come from. And others of authority knew it too!

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