Yes. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. 16 times. Or, was it 17?
I’m not sure. I do know that at least 16 times Father William Hodgson Marshall csb said the words.
I had the ‘good fortune’ to be there, to watch, to hear, to ‘feel’ the dynamics in the Windsor courtroom.
I have much to think about, and much to say. Most of the day was spent listening to victims read their victim impact statments. There were the statements of 16 victims, and those of two mothers, one father, one sister.
It was overwhelming. A sea of suffering humanity in that room. So much pain. Such anguish. Despair. Lost dreams.
The heartaches.
All this the doing of one William Hodgson Marshall. FATHER William Hodgson Marshall CSB. A Roman Catholic priest.
That one priest could inflict such suffering is boggling my mind. There were about 70 people in the court room. Each in some way impacted by “Hod.” None positively.
There are more victims out there. There are others who have not come forward. And there are mothers, and fathers and brothers and sisters, – and ex wives and sons and daughters. What we heard yesterday is the tip of the iceberg.
So many broken lives.
Most, if not all, to a man or woman finished with “the church.” Such proclaimations were not uttered with pride, but, with pain.
All Hod’s doing.
I will blog further when I get home.
The pain and anguish aside for a moment, I had the privilege of meeting so many victims face to face. These are men who have blogged on the site – I have known them only by their blogging names. Yesterday it was real names and faces. It was almost surreal. An emotional day.
I wish everyone could have been there to hear these victims speak. They spoke so very well. I want to say that I am proud of them, but wonder if I am in any position to make such a statement? But, yes. I feel I got to know them via the blog. I am proud of them. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that all of you who follow the site would be too.
I think everyone needs to hear what we in the court room heard yesterday. In that vein I have asked for copies of the Victim Impact Statements. As they come in I will post them. Once I get home I will open a page to make these and other such statements readily accessible to all who visit Sylvia’s Site. They are important.
Things wrap up tomorrow morning at 09:30 am. It seems that it is a given that Hod will receive a two year jail sentence with three years probation.
Two years. For this sea of suffering and pain.
Two years.
Tell me this makes sense? Some one please tell this makes sense.
Two years.
We shall see.
The articles posted to date are:
Patrick McMahon: Victim Impact Statement
08 June 2011: Former priest pleads guilty to 17 sex charges
08 June 2011: UPDATED: Priest pleads guilty to sexually assaulting 17 victims
08 June 2011: Toronto priest pleads guilty to molesting children
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I have a few pictures which Ii will post when I get home. John MacDonald made the trip too. we will launch for Ottawa tomorrow. I should be home late evening and will get the site up to date.
Enough for now
Sylvia