A busy court day tomorrow. There are three court dates:
(1) Father James Boudreau: Guelph court house, Guelph, Ontario for continuation of pre-trial. This is not open to the public and it is highly doubtful that Boudreau will be in attendance;
(2) Holy Cross Father Rheal LeBlanc: Welland, Ontario court house. I don’t unfortunately have the time. It is probably early, around 9:30am or 10 am. But it could be earlier, i.e., 9 am. If I were going I would be there for 9 am just to be sure;
(3) Frequent flyer Father Eric Dejaeger omi is due in the Edmonton, Alberta court house at 9 am, courtroom #256 “for election and plea.”
Please remember the complainants in your prayers, and please, as always, pass on word of the outcome by posting a comment and/or link to media coverage. Because it is a pre-trial conference I doubt that there will be any media coverage on the Father Boudreau court date, but there should be coverage on the other two.
Enough for now,
Sylvia
Whenever I read a list of the abusers and the holy words associated with them (“Holy Cross”; “oblate Mary Immaculate”; “Sacred Heart”; “St Joseph”) and then juxtapose that with the so unholy words of their crimes (“pants down”; “fondling” and the rest of it) it always strikes me as especially hurtful that the holy words and saints names that I grew up with, and learned as a child, right along with my own name, would be associated with people who stand for the direct opposite. It really is still so unfathomable. Maybe one day this will all just be ‘old hat’ – expectations have already lowered as a result of all this. But as a born-Catholic, educated and trained in every way a Catholic to respect our traditions – and words – going back generations, it somehow really hits home. It feels like being punched in the stomach without any protection whatsoever. And – just to say – it also really, really makes me mad.
My heart to the victims – you are the courageous ones.
Nothing Holy, Immaculate, Sacred or Saintly about the criminal behaviour of these men. The church will not be able to claim these beatitudes until it rids itself of these people and the people who protect them within it’s ranks. The power relationship between the Church and the people in the pews will need to change from a pedagogy of oppression to one of equality and Christlike servitude. The extension of love from the humble servants will have to stop making distinctions between the lowly and the rich and they will need to let go of their desire for power, wealth and control and aim more for the teachings of the spirit of 1 Corinthians 13. If Bene the infallible turns his attention to offering his every resource to the most lowly and gives all of his attention to serving those who seek solace in the mighty buildings of this religion maybe the RC religion will once again become Holy, Immaculate, Sacred and Saintly. An inversion of the power structure short of a revolt is the only way I feel this might occur. At this point I see children being turned away from their faith first by the selfish lust of the men in pulpit and second by the defense of these criminals by the administration of this institution.. again I reiterate the scripture “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” in Matthew 19. This is the Church’s biggest failing as it relates to the sexual abuse of it’s most vulnerable.