Alleged incident dates back to 1953; priest is now 88 years old
Toronto Globe and Mail
23 September 2010
Adrian Morrow
Toronto — Globe and Mail Update Published on Wednesday, Sep. 22, 2010 11:20PM EDT Last updated on Thursday, Sep. 23, 2010 8:20AM EDT
Now, living in a Toronto retirement home and battling cancer, the 88-year-old priest is facing a raft of sexual abuse charges related to incidents at different points of his career. The latest of these were laid Wednesday in connection with an incident alleged to have happened in 1953 at St. Michael’s College School, a private Catholic boys’ school in Toronto.
In the fall of that year, Father Marshall was a recently ordained priest working as a math and religion teacher at St. Michael’s. According to police, a former student has alleged that he was sexually assaulted. Police say the alleged incident occurred during an after-school basketball program.
The victim, now 72, only recently came forward to Toronto police, said Constable Tony Vella. The priest turned himself in Wednesday morning at 52 division on Dundas Street. He was charged with two counts of indecent assault and released. He will appear in court Nov. 3.
Police went public with the charge in hopes of discovering whether there are others with similar allegations.
“If there are victims out there who haven’t come forward, we urge them to contact us,” Constable Vella said.
Father Marshall himself could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but Windsor lawyer Andrew Bradie, who is representing him, said his client has not decided how he will plead.
Ordained in 1951, Father Marshall taught at St. Michael’s in two stretches, from 1952 to 1954 and 1957 to 1958. In the interim, he worked as a teacher at Assumption College School in Windsor and St. Thomas high school in Houston. Later postings would take him to Saskatoon, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie. He worked another stint in Windsor, this time as principal at Holy Names high school in the 1980s, before heading to the island of St. Lucia as a missionary, where he read mass and ministered to the sick.
In 1996, the Congregation of St. Basil, the order to which Father Marshall belongs, received a complaint about the priest. Father Thomas Rosica, the order’s spokesman, said he didn’t know the exact nature of the complaint or who filed it, but that it was serious enough that he was recalled from Saint Lucia. He was sent to Saint Luke Institute in Maryland, a mental-health facility that primarily treats Catholic officials. Afterwards, he moved into a Basilian retirement home in downtown Toronto.
Over the years, others contacted the congregation and the church attempted to help them, in one case paying for psychological care for a Sudbury man. None of the complainants went to the police, Father Rosica said.
Earlier this year, however, other alleged victims began contacting the authorities. In May, Father Marshall was charged with sexual abuse dating to his time at Holy Names. In August, Windsor police laid charges based when three other alleged victims came forward. One of the charges related to Holy Names, the others to the priest’s time at Assumption College School in the 1950s.
When Father Marshall was first charged in Windsor, St. Michael’s staff began contacting alumni and donors to let them know what was happened, said Michael De Pellegrin, a spokesman for St. Michael’s.
“For me, it was personal, because not only do I work here, but I was a student here,” he said.
Father Rosica said the Basilians didn’t receive any complaints before 1996 and that Father Marshall’s frequent moves were typical for a priest at the time.
“He was an effective, charismatic teacher and coach. He has a lot of people who appreciated him as a coach, teacher and missionary,” Father Rosica said.
The priest lives in a Basilian home and has suffered from cancer for about two years.
“He is completely aware of the seriousness of the situation. He has expressed sorrow over what has transpired,” Father Rosica said.
There it is:
It’s taken a while, but the truth is finally oozing out
Note too:
“Others.” Plural.
How many “others”?
“He was an effective, charismatic teacher and coach.” I suppose that under the circumstances one would need to know what Father Rosica’s defintion of “effective” is?
Note that Father Marshall has not yet decided how he will plead. This I never understand. He is a priest. Either he did it and therefore is honest and enters a “guilty” plea, or he didn’t do it and therefore has been falsely accused and enters a “not guilty” plea. What’s to decide? Why drag this out forever? What about the victims?
“He has expressed sorrow over what has transpired.” What does that mean? What kind of sorrow can there be when he can’t decide whether to enter a guilty or not guilty plea?
Let us count the lies ……
1.“ He has expressed sorrow over the incidents”. To whom??
Not to me I know that much. Not to any other victim to my knowledge. Perhaps he expressed sorrow to the Basilian Order as if THAT was who his actions harmed.
2. “ He has expressed sorrow over the incidents”.
“Windsor lawyer Andrew Bradie, who is representing him, said his client has not decided how he will plead.”
What would he have to be sorry for if there any question as to his plea???
3.“In 1996, the Congregation of St. Basil, the order to which Father Marshall belongs, received a complaint about the priest … serious enough that he was recalled from Saint Lucia”
Windsor Star August 10: Marshall retired from public ministry in 1997 at the age of 75. Rosica said Marshall was not forced to retire because of psychological or spiritual problems. “He retired because he was an old man and he was living in a country where there was great strife.”
So which is it?? He retired because he was old and in a strife-ridden country OR he was recalled by the Basilians due to a complaint of sexual abuse?
4.“… the island of St. Lucia as a missionary, where he read mass and ministered to the sick.”
Funny how NOW his missionary work was reading mass and ministering to the sick but when he went it was to work in the school and/or orphanage. All of a sudden his missionary work no longer revolved around young people.
Sure….
5.“Over the years, others contacted the congregation and the church attempted to help them, in one case paying for psychological care for a Sudbury man.” Father Rosica said.
Funny again how Rosica left out how they paid for his care ONLY AFTER having him sign legal papers forfeiting his rights to any compensation or complaint.
6.“None of the complainants went to the police”, Father Rosica said.
Ted Holland went to the police.
7.“ Father Marshall’s frequent moves were typical for a priest at the time.”
I seem to recall priests at Assumption High School that had been there from my father’s days. Can anyone tell me if Fr. Cullen or Fr. Armstrong were in seven different schools in nine years? I believe (but do not have the facts handy) they were in ONE school for FIFTY years.
8. Father Rosica said the Basilians didn’t receive any complaints before 1996.
What about Ted Holland and his father complaining to St. Charles’ principal, Rev. Anthony Lococo in January of 1970?
What about the victim in the 1950s who complained in confessional to a Basilian priest and was called a sinner for making up lies? What about the entire student body of St. Charles’ knowing of Hod as “Happy Hands Hod” thirty years ago?
I could go on ……… but what is the point? Lies, lies and more lies.
Excellent points OMG. Well said! Contradictions abound.