A few bits and pieces of news on Father Joe LeClair
There were two more articles posted today:
08 June 2016: “Father Joe Leclair facing impaired driving charges in Guelph” & related articles (Accused/Accused G-L/LeClair: Father Joseph LeClair)
08 June 2016: Former P.E.I. priest facing drunk driving charges
As you see, his court date is 14 June 2016. I have been trying for days on end now to get the start time, but, the information from the OPP has not arrived at the Guelph courthouse yet! I will keep trying 🙂
Note too that Father Joe Leclair is now away for two weeks. On Friday 27 May 2016, six full days after he was charged, Father Joe was busy busy at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Guelph, Ontario. He had appointments booked through the entire afternoon. During my failed attempt to reach him by phone I was essentially told by a receptionist that he was booked solid and would not be free until after Mass that evening.
That was on the 27th.
On Tuesday 07 June he was said to be away for two weeks.
I suppose he may well be back in a treatment centre again?
It’s all very sad, is it not?
I said long ago when he entered his guilty plea after stealing money from Blessed Sacrament that I do not believe Father Joe should be in the priesthood. Gambling, drinking, stealing and lying to parishioners. No. I don’t think that’s the stuff of priests. This is akin to the blind leading the blind.
Let Father Joe work at achieving his salvation out of the priesthood. It would be better for all concerned: better for him in that he does not have the burden of our souls on his conscience, and better for us in that we then cannot excuse and/or minimize our own bad habits, sins and behaviour by saying ‘Well Father Joe does it so it’s not that bad.”
At the end of the day, that’s what it all boils down to: life on earth is all about each one of trying our very best to get to Heaven, to achieve our salvation. How best to do it?
That’s really all I have to say. It’s a shame that Bishop Prendergast has allowed this to go on and on, recycling Father after he was convicted, and then again after his ‘relapse.’ And, now, here we are with a fresh set of charges of impaired driving and so on.
So, now what? recycle him again? Send him off for yet another round of treatment, and then recycle him again?
Where? where next? Is there yet another bishop in this great land who believes that Father Joe is just the priest the flock need to help them attain their salvation?
Oh my! How many parishioners in how many parishes in how many communities will have to put up with this?
Craziness.
Scandalous.
I pray that Father Joe addresses his problems and finds the peace he seeks, but I pray that he does so as Mr. Joe LeClair.
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Does anyone out there know where Mike Gibbons is, or how to contact him? I really would like to get in touch with Mike – have been thinking of him quite often lately. I don’t believe he ever got too into emails and the internet so there is probably no hope of tracking him down that way. If you know an address or a phone number please send me an email.
For those who don’t know the name Mike Gibbons suffice at this time to say that Mike was a very brave man!
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A new page of information has been added for Cornwall-born, former teacher and now castrated convicted mosleter Father Richard Racine. Father Racine’s name was always there on the Accused list, but the link to the page with further information was to a page on theinquiry.ca website which no longer exists 🙁 As you know, theinquiry.ca is in the early stages of being re-built – I will get back at it pretty soon, but in this instance I felt that that page had to be posted now . So, a new page has been put together. There are a couple of things which must be added – will leave that until tomorrow.
Enough for now,
Sylvia