Abdicating bishop says Mass at Golden Lake Mission church

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An interesting little tid bit.  This regarding the case of Bishop James Wingle, the abdicating bishop of St. Catharine’s Ontario who was born and raised in Eganville, Ontario  (Diocese of Pembroke Ontario). Bishop Wingle, you may recall, resigned suddenly, mysteriously and prematurely April 2010.  He is now actually Bishop Emeritus.

I had several reports last week advising me that Bishop Wingle ‘said’ Mass on Sunday 11 August 2013 in Golden Lake, Ontario.

According to my sources, the parish priest, Father John Lacey, was on vacation. (Father Lacey is pastor at St. James in Eganville – the Nativity of Our Lord in Golden Lake is a mission parish.)

So, on 11 August 2013 Father Richard Starks showed up at Nativity to say Mass.   He was not alone.  At the start of Mass Father Starks was accompanied by Bishop Wingle.

Father Starks announced that he was there to replace Father Lacey, but that he himself was now being replaced by Bishop James Wingle!  APPLAUSE!!

The bishop and the priest concelebrated.

Bishop Wingle gave the homily.

The bishop and a Eucharistic Minister distributed Holy Communion. Father Starks sat on the sidelines.

At the end of Mass Bishop Wingle joked that he was on vacation but Father Starks put him to work delivering the homily.

There was no explanation to the congregation of where the bishop has been or what he has been doing. Nothing.  No word either why, three long years ago, he chose to abdicate.

After the recessional Bishop Wingle stood at the entrance to the church shaking hands.  A number of enthralled Catholics clustered around him.

So, the word from the bishop himself is that he  on vacation.  On vacation from what and where we have no idea.  That I suppose is still top secret?

Strangely the Bishop opted to assist at the small mission church in Golden Lake rather than at his home parish of St. James in Eganville.

Just to be clear here, there are no reports regarding the Bishops 2010 abdication which indicate any untoward and/or illegal activities.  The problem is and always has been the bizarre manner in which the Bishop abandoned his flock in Catharine’s and the secrecy and total lack of transparency which surrounded his departure and, later, his current whereabouts.

We are still as much in the dark as we were back in April 2010.

Anyway, as I was putting this together I decided to update the Bishop Wingle page with info from his Bio.  How could it have slipped my mind that James Wingle spent five years as a probation officer?  In fact, after spending time at the Redemptorist Novitiate, and studying Theology at St. Michael s College and attaining a BA from Western U, young James Wingle spent five  full years working as a probation/parole officer .  Then James Wingle picked up a Masters degree and was off to St. Augustine’s Seminary.  He was ordained 16 April 1977.

I mention this because, as some of you know,  I have just recently been puzzling over the fact that the recently charged Father Howard Chabot  worked as a probation officer after his ordination.  So now out of sheer curiosity I am trying to sort out if by chance Mr. James Wingle and Father Howard Chabot ever worked together as probation officers.  This is proving difficult – I don’t have the actual dates  when Father Chabot worked as a probation officer, but do know that he  was working for Catholic Social Services in the early 70’s.  But, does anyone know if James Wingle as a layman, and Father Howrd Chabot as a priest ever worked together as probation officers?

Whether I ever find that out or not, the story for today is that  the abdicating bishop has surfaced publicly in his home diocese of Pembroke, which is also the Diocese in which he was ordained and initially served – and all or none the wiser as to why the mysterious abdication.

Enough for now,

Sylvia

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36 Responses to Abdicating bishop says Mass at Golden Lake Mission church

  1. Mike Blum says:

    Hi Sylvia,
    Thank you for posting

    Mike

  2. Mike Fitzgerald says:

    Sylvia;
    Would I be correct in assuming Wingle was ordained by none other than J. R. Windle in 1977? Mike.

  3. Colin Kerr says:

    I find this entry a little disturbing. Very Stalin-esque. I hope I don’t actually have anything in common with someone who did something bad – like eat at the same fast-food restaurant!

    Sure, we are all curious about Bishop Wingle’s sudden disappearance, but that gives us no right to make the kind of suggestion you seem to be making. What if he had a nervous breakdown? Is this helping him any?

  4. Sylvia says:

    I assure you there is nothing sinister in posting this information and asking a few questions. For the past three years many Catholics throughout Ontario have been wondering where Bishop Wingle is and why his sudden and mysterious disappearance. In this day and age that is not the way to deal with a resignation of this nature. He is a public figure. While many people in the Pembroke area may know exactly why the bishop resigned and where he has been and what he has been doing for the past three years, many more in the Pembroke area and beyond do not.

  5. Disgusted catholic says:

    Thank you Sylvia. His sudden move made a lot of us wonder what was going on. It is when things like this are kept secret. People become skeptical and suspicious. And sometimes assume “the worst”. As I was always taught. “Honesty is the best policy”

  6. Tanya says:

    I refer the reader to the attached link;

    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/08/world/europe/08church.html?_r=0

    Scenario; Prelate suddenly resigning, no apparent reasons given. Then much later it all transpires.

    I am assuming that Bishop Wingle resigned his see in accordance with the canonical norms set out below;

    The methods by which a see may become vacant are defined in Canon 416

    Can. 401 §1. A diocesan bishop who has completed the seventy-fifth year of age is requested to present his resignation from office to the Supreme Pontiff, who will make provision after he has examined all the circumstances.

    §2. A diocesan bishop who has become less able to fulfill his office because of ill-health or some other grave cause is earnestly requested to present his resignation from office.

    We do need transparency here. The code is sufficiently vague to permit a bishop to resign his see without a explanation.

    Do we have to assume the worst? As in the Norwegian scenario?

  7. Larry Green says:

    What is the “worst” that “we” have to assume?

  8. Tanya says:

    Thank you Larry for your reply.

    Wingle simply needs to set all speculation and doubt to rest by releasing a statement describing with candour the reasons and circumstances surrounding his resignation from the see of St. Catherine’s.

    In my reading I was struck by this item attached;

    http://mumbailaity.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/clues-in-the-mystery-of-bishop-james-wingle/

    Unusual for a bishop emeritus to simply” go to ground” and subterfuge has to be applied to serve him with a lawsuit on a main street outside a church, because no one could determine where he actually resided. All too suggestive.

    Better for Wingle and for the People of God when he clarifies the situation.

    If not then eventually in time the situation regarding him will clarify itself.

  9. Sylvia says:

    An update:
    On Sunday morning past (18 August 2013) Bishop Wingle ‘said’ Mass at St. James in Eganville. He was the sole celebrant.

  10. Mike Fitzgerald says:

    Colin Kerr;
    Why did a law firm in London Ontario have to hire private investigators to help track down Wingle two years ago?
    He was found in Montreal and served with court documents he KNEW were outstanding, but chose to try and hide.

    Why was he hiding, Colin? Mike.

  11. Mike Fitzgerald says:

    Further to my previous statement, why are you so concerned about helping him, Colin?
    What about the victims down in the St. Catherines/Hamilton way. Do they not need help first? Mike.

    • Colin Kerr says:

      Mike,

      Invent your own reason for my ‘why.’ I guess I have something to hide. Maybe I too have done some shameful things…

      Or, I just think it’s wrong to assume the worst about people.

      And what about you, Mike, are you trying to divert attention away from yourself by attacking Wingle? Come to think about it, where were you the night of… I am starting to wonder about you.

  12. Gina McIntee says:

    Thank-you Mike for the well spoken words. Good for Bishop Wingle to joke he is on vacation….my family and I certainly have not had that luxury or peace of mind!
    Gina McIntee

  13. Larry Green says:

    I’m sorry Gina for you and your family.

  14. Mike Fitzgerald says:

    Colin, I’m certainly not perfect. I can’t say I’ve done “shameful’ things in my life, but I have done wrong things in the past, for which I have paid the penalty.
    But, for sake of this exchange, this isn’t about me, or you. It’s about a catholic bishop, who was the spiritual leader of thousands, and was also a civic official.
    Also, why do you accuse me of “attacking” Wingle? I just want to hear (among many others) an answer as to why the bishop chose to hide away for a couple of years. I am quite entitled to ask this question, as are many others effected by his “disappearance”.
    I guess to sum it up Colin, if I know that someone is attempting to serve court documents on me, I make myself available for that purpose. Why Wingle chose to hide his whereabouts when papers were waiting for him, is the question we all deserve to hear.
    In particular, the people who have been harmed in the Hamilton/St. Catherines churches are the ones who REALLY deserve an answer from the former leader of their flock. Mike.

    • Lina says:

      Mike, by Colin Kerr’s posts he has to be one strong supporter of Bishop Wingle.

      Colin comes across in his posting that he needs to protect and defend this Bishop for some unknown reason(s). Colin is upset by the questions posted here about this Bishop who was missing in action for such a long time.

      Why doesn’t this poster realize those are valid questions?

      Sylvia and yourself have explained yourselves adequately as well as other folks here.

    • Sarah says:

      I think Colin’s ‘tongue-and-cheek’ point was that we’re all suspicious-looking when others are oriented to ‘finding the evil’. Wingle may be a pedophile. He may be mentally ill. He may be questioning his priesthood or even his faith in God – and not want to make a public statement about it. That’s his right and his prerogative. The point is that we don’t know. We. Don’t. Know. And you know what? It’s none of our business – until further information is revealed…if indeed there is further information which there may not be. But I can see many here making leading statements about him. He’s all but guilty in your eyes – at least from what I can tell.

      One more thing…I know Colin. He is not a “Wingle-supporter”, he is an avid supporter of the priesthood. Not necessarily any particular priest, but the priesthood. Padre Pio used to wander around weeping, praying and wringing his hands when he found out about some of the horrible things priests had done in his day. He knew what they had done, yet he adamantly refused to talk ‘smack’ about them specifically, or the priesthood, regardless. Perhaps a few lessons from the good Padre are in order here?

      • Lina says:

        Sarah…according to your post Bishop Wingle doesn’t want to make a public statement, that’s his right and his prerogative. You also added, “It’s none of our business”.

        Sarah, some people are making it their business to find out what the big secret this Bishop is hiding. It may be as simple as their ‘inquiring minds wants to know’.

        On another matter, the Padre Pio situation.

        By visiting this website are you supporting clergy abuse victims by wanting them to follow Padre Pio’s example in dealing with bad/criminal priests with this following statement:

        “He knew what they had done, yet he adamantly refused to talk ‘smack’ about them specifically, or the priesthood, regardless.” ?

        It’s clear you and Colin are a great supporters of the Priesthood but what about the clergy abuse victims.

        Are they important, do they matter to you?

      • Suzanne Herrick-Lee says:

        Sarah, the very least he should have done was to make the correct contacts so that he could be served the supenea for the lawsuit…he cost the taxpayers monies through his evasion!!!

        • PJ says:

          Agreed…his evasion tactics were and still are suspect. Wonder if he would have advised a parishioner to hide from a subpoena rather than do the right thing? Another case of do as I say, not as I do, I suspect.

          • JG says:

            Sarah,
            I believe the “priesthood” has burnt the “pedestal” all on its own! Of course everyone will be suspicious!…we know there was a fire because we are all choking on the smoke…and then you wonder why we are searching the crowd of “priests”, “bishops” …to find out who is holding the matches!
            Don’t blame those who doubt, blame those who lied about there being no fire…
            And about Padre Pio :
            ” Padre Pio used to wander around weeping, praying and wringing his hands when he found out about some of the horrible things priests had done in his day”…
            Could you explain ” horrible things” and why you believe he would have sacrificed something or “someone” to protect the “priesthood”???…Because, as you present it , he did exactly what the church has been doing with the victims of sexual abuse:”wring their hands”, “ignore” and hope it will go away!! Your attempt at defending this situation of a “runaway Wingle” only shines more light on “all the church” ignoring the problem for a “long time”.
            You didn’t know it but you just brought your own support to all the questions about the “escapee”…
            One good priest(?) ,Pio, doesn’t make a good priesthood!…no more than one abuser makes them all abusers.
            We just need to question. Colin can be “an avid supporter” without leaning into the “blind support”…Question…question….question…

            jg

      • Sylvia says:

        Sarah, I don’t understand why you drag Padre Pio into this, and in the process essentially besmirch his name.

  15. PJ says:

    Colin Kerr (or troll if so), How dare you try and turn the tables on Mike to steer the focus away from wingle. Mike’s right to question why wingle would hide and remain secretive rather than allay his flock’s concerns about what happened. As far as you “wondering about” Mike, don’t. At least Mike and the majority of us regulars on this website, we are not afraid to speak about our past. You, meanwhile, cloak yourself in cryptic language to confuse the issue. If you were sincere, you would come clean…if.

  16. Sylvia says:

    Colin Kerr
    First, if indeed as you suggest, Bishop Wingle might have had a nervous breakdown, he could well have taken a sabbatical without resigning. The diocese functioned without him for seven months after his resignation; it surely could have functioned for another few months had he taken a simple one-year-sabbatical.

    There are countless instances where bishops have been sick and stayed ‘on the job.’ One example close to home is that of Kingston’s Archbishop Anthony Meagher. Archbishop Meagher was diagnosed with cancer shortly after his installation as bishop. He died nearly five years later – as Archbishop of Kingston.

    Why the veil of secrecy surrounding the Bishops’ whereabouts? The timing and manner in which Bishop Wingle’s departure was handled lent itself to speculation. One month after his departure we found out that the bishop was in the Holy Land, and that information initially came not from the bishop himself, and not from officials in the diocese, but from an anonymous blogger in Jerusalem!

    It goes without saying that that raises questions. The flock may be sheep, but they’re not all stupid. Many of the flock within the diocese had legitimate questions. Ditto those who knew him from his home Diocese of Pembroke, and those who knew him when he served as Bishop of Yarmouth, and those who knew him from St. Augustine’s.

    And, what to make of this, just one day after news that the bishop was gone, gone gone:

    “When asked whether Wingle was being investigated by any authorities prior to his departure, Kirkpatrick said: ‘No, not to the best of my knowledge. I believe he left because of illness, but I can’t confirm.’”

    What comfort is there for the faithful in that? “No, to the best of my knowledge”

    “to the best of my knowledge”?!!!

    What does that mean? That sounds to me like legal dancing on the head of legal pin.

    And what of this:

    “I believe he left because of illness, but I can’t confirm”?!!!!

    Do the flock not serve better than that?

    Why not just a firm assurance that ‘No. The bishop is NOT under investigation for anything. “

    And why not tell the people that the hasty departure was or was not because of illness ? and if because of illness the nature of the illness”?

    And why not an explanation for the haste?

    And why not tell the flock that the bishop had headed for the Holy Land?

    And, regarding the lawsuits of Mike Blum and others, why did diocesan officials not provide information regarding the Bishop’s whereabouts so that Bishop could be served? Was that a case of the bishop and/or the diocese being unwilling? or unable?

    Why, for that matter, did it take two years and a detective to finally track down and serve Bishop Wingle?

    Is this all par for the course for any bishop who resigns?

    I think not.

    So, please don’t tell me or any other Catholic that this is the proper way to treat the flock. And please don’t say that Roman Catholic have no right to ask questions under such circumstances. And above all, don’t vilify those who do ask questions, and please don’t make yourself judge and jury by hurling the accusation that those who seek answers assume the worst of people.

    All of that aside, I suggest you refresh your memory as to why the continued interest in where the bishop is and what he is doing. The following are excerpts from some of the extensive media coverage . (Since I am unable to link as I post a comment, I will do so for each article after I post)

    ………..
    Wingle found by law firm
    The St. Catharine’s Standard
    Friday, May 18, 2012
    By Erica Bajer,

    ST. CATHARINES – With the help of a private investigator, a London, Ont., law firm has located and served Bishop James Wingle in connection with a civil suit against him and former priest Donald Grecco.

    Wingle, the former leader of Niagara’s Catholic community, resigned and disappeared from the area in early 2010, giving very little explanation as to why.

    Lawyers for three men who sued Grecco, Wingle, Wingle’s predecessor Bishop John O’Mara and the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Catharines have been searching for him since he left Niagara.

    He was named as a defendant in three different lawsuits, which allege Wingle was negligent in failing to act appropriately once he became aware of the allegations against Grecco.
    ______________________________________
    Where is Wingle?
    610 CKTB News
    06 April 2011
    Siobhan Morris

    One year after suddenly resigning as Bishop of the St. Catharines Diocese, little is known about his whereabouts.

    Over the summer, Wingle wrote to parishioners to say he was on sabbatical in Jerusalem.

    He hasn’t been heard from since.

    Lawyer Robert Talach would like to talk to the former Bishop.

    He represents 2 men pursuing civil suits against Wingle, the Diocese & the former priest who molested them, Donald Grecco.

    Talach’s clients, Mike Blum & James Hennessey were sexually assaulted by Grecco as teens in the 1970s & 80s.

    Grecco is serving a 18-month sentence in a Brampton jail.

    Blum & Hennessey have filed separate, $3 million suits. Talach says 3rd victim, who can’t be named because of a publication ban is also considering action.

    But Wingle’s vanishing act has ground the legal process to a halt.
    _________________________________________
    Catholicism’s culture of secrecy
    National Post online
    Full Comment
    August 24, 2010
    By John Sainsbury

    In the diocesan Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria, the congregation listened stoically as Wingle’s message was read to them. Many were elderly; most were probably working class. Successive waves of Catholic immigrants were represented, from the Irish (the founding fathers of the cathedral) to the Filipinos. With the exception of a sprinkling of Brock University faculty, none could look forward to a sabbatical for personal renewal of the sort that their former bishop has granted himself. Yet one knows that their good works and their marvellous associational and devotional life will continue, despite the frailty and whimsicality of their spiritual leaders.
    ___________________________
    Bishop Wingle breaks silence on disappearance
    August 03, 2010
    John Burman

    ST. CATHARINES – Bishop James Wingle has broken his silence and cleared up at least some of the mystery surrounding his sudden departure from the St. Catharines Roman Catholic diocese.

    He’s been in Jerusalem for four months.
    ……
    The four-paragraph email message indicating he was in Israel is his first communication with parishioners and was dated Saturday.

    When he left April 7, Wingle said he no longer had the stamina required to properly fulfill the duties of a bishop and that he wanted to take a sabbatical focused on prayer and “personal renewal.”

    The lack of information and sudden disappearance fuelled many rumours about Wingle’s health and other church matters. particularly the fact the Roman Catholic Church has been hit by a number of sex abuse scandals involving priests.

    The diocese said little about Wingle’s disappearance.
    _______________________________
    In St. Catharines, it’s silence for the lambs
    Hamilton Spectator
    25 July 2010

    DUNNVILLE, ONT.—Two months after Bishop James Wingle abruptly resigned and disappeared, word that he had been spotted in Jerusalem swept his St. Catharines diocese.

    Parishioners and priests were hungry for news of the missing bishop. But officials temporarily running the Catholic diocese quickly moved to reassert a wall of silence.

    On June 4, the Chancery office sent to all priests the weekly bulletin that under Wingle had been known as the “folksy Friday fax.”

    “Please keep Bishop Wingle in your prayers,” its first item read. “Please refrain from spreading any rumours about him.”

    Secrecy seems the policy of choice for the diocese’s authorities.

    If Wingle’s whereabouts was the only issue, the silence could be seen as respect for his privacy. But the say-nothing approach extends to a sex scandal that partly unfolded under Wingle’s watch — and that has parishioners and priests increasingly concerned.

    Some are openly challenging the diocese’s silence, demanding an accounting from authorities suspected of shrugging off sex abuse complaints against Donald Joseph Grecco, a former priest who pleaded guilty March 23 to sexually molesting three altar boys between 1978 and 1986. He has yet to be sentenced.

    “Was the person known to have been an abuser and it wasn’t taken care of? Then something should be done to the people who didn’t do their jobs,” says Rev. Stephen Collins, chaplain at the Niagara Falls General Hospital.

    “We can get into big trouble talking to the press about this,” Collins added. “But many of us would like people to know that we do care a great deal.”
    ___________________________
    Anonymous says:
    May 13, 2010 at 7:22 am

    He’s been here in Jerusalem on retreat and vacation for about 3 weeks. I don’t see why everyone in Canada seems still in the dark: He’s been very open about who he is while he’s been here. I even saw him concelebrate at mass last night in anticipation for today’s feast. In any case, Bishop Wingle is just outside the old city of Jerusalem.
    ____________________________
    St. Catharines Bishop James Wingle disappears, a congregation is left to wonder why
    Toronto Star
    07 May 2010

    It’s been a month since Bishop James Wingle cited a lack of “stamina” as the reason for abruptly resigning as head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Catharines.

    His portrait still hangs in the hallway of the chancery in Thorold, and a picture of him remains on the diocese website, just to the right of the Pope’s.

    Yet no one seems to know what’s become of him. Not even his temporary replacement, the young Monsignor Wayne Kirkpatrick, knows where Wingle is. He has a big box of mail for the bishop but no forwarding address.

    With the Roman Catholic Church embroiled in a growing sex scandal, Wingle announced his departure on April 7 with a vaguely-worded letter that referred to unspecified “shortcomings.” He said he was going on a sabbatical, “centered on prayer and personal renewal.”

    His exit has baffled and worried people he worked closely with. Only days earlier, Wingle was handing out Easter candies to nuns, attending meetings and making plans. And then — gone.

    Speculation was rampant. It still is.
    ________________________________
    Distressing departure creates uncertainty
    The Welland Tribune
    10 April 2010
    Posted By JOE BARKOVICH

    My heart is heavy today. The bishop of my diocese, James Matthew Wingle, has resigned. I am at a loss to understand why.

    I know this bishop from a distance. Closer than some. Farther than others. Somewhere in between, I suppose.
    ……
    I don’t think I am exaggerating in saying this decision came as a bombshell. The after-effects still are rippling across the diocese, a diocese that Bishop Wingle, in his letter to clergy, deacons, religious and the faithful, said he loved.

    There is deep sadness and great distress here now for various reasons.

    One of them is optics. Some people choose to see this week’s events in St. Catharines diocese through a bad light. It does not look good, they say.

    Another is timing. Because of sexual abuse scandals in Europe and the U.S., and the pope’s alleged complicity in cover-ups, the timing for a move such as this could not have been worse. This is what people have been thinking, then whispering, then saying.

    These events: the bishop’s letter of resignation, the acceptance by the pope, the bishop’s speedy departure unfolded all too quickly, which is adding to the mystery.

    Though not yet despairing, I am distressed, I am disillusioned. I am distraught about having been left hanging in such a way.

    The bishop of my diocese has resigned. And as so many others are, I am at a loss to understand why.

    ______________________________
    St. Catharines bishop resigns suddenly
    Hamilton Spectator
    08 April 2010

    The bishop of the Diocese of St. Catharines unexpectedly stepped down yesterday, without a word of warning to the diocese’s chancery.
    ……
    When asked whether Wingle was being investigated by any authorities prior to his departure, Kirkpatrick said: “No, not to the best of my knowledge. I believe he left because of illness, but I can’t confirm.”

    Wingle could not be reached for comment.

    ………..

  17. Tanya says:

    I am perplexed. Is Wingle’s evasiveness due to his desire to evade a speedy trial. If the process is left too long then any charges brought against him may well be thrown out because of statutes of limitations in place.

    Just a thought. If this is indeed the case he is not the first cleric to dodge charges using these tactics.

  18. Sylvia says:

    Speedy trial for what Tanya? There are no charges against him. He is named in a lawsuit. He has not been charged with anything. Please take care of what you say.

  19. Tanya says:

    Thank you Sylvia.

    Yes you are correct.

    Wingle’s behavior is to say the least unusual and baffling. All seemingly designed to put him out of reach. Then the “sudden” reappearance.

    Bishops and religious superiors are now, in regular receipt of lawsuits yet do not go the lengths Wingle has adopted and pursued.

    My musings may just be that and there again….

  20. Mike Fitzgerald says:

    Try as I might. I am failing in my quest to reclaim some faith. I was brought up to believe in God and the catholic church, to rely on Him and the church for moral and ethical guidance. I was also brought up to respect the law of the land, and to have respect for those around me.
    As I have discussed with many of you on this site, it is VERY difficult to come to terms with a church that has put itself forth as the “one true church of God”, and then resorts to trickery and deceit when painted into a corner by the criminal actions of some priests and bishops.
    A lack of honesty and integrity on the part of the catholic church is destroying my sincere efforts at reclamation. It would appear that the worry of “scandal”, and the possible loss of pension benefits for their “staff” governs their every action.
    I really don’t care if anyone agrees or not = Bishop Wingle reminds me of Sir Conrad Black and former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney – “I am entitled to my entitlements”!!!
    What is moral or ethical in hiding from the truth? It’s all gonna’ come out in the wash, bishop. Mike.

  21. Mike Fitzgerald says:

    Hey Sarah;
    I have every right (as do many others) to question where this bishop disappeared to, and why. He was the spiritual leader of a VERY large flock that was depending on him for leadership and guidance.
    You infer that “we” have sentenced “guilty as charged”. I completely miss your point, whatever it is.
    The bishop has NOT been charged with any offence that I am aware of, unless you know some dark little secret that you would like to share with us here.
    What the bishop IS guilty of is abandoning his charge when the going got a bit “HOT”.
    Is this the kind of behaviour you like and respect in a bishop? Is this the mark of a leader in the “true church of God”?
    Pull your head out of the holy sand, dear. mike.

  22. Mike Fitzgerald says:

    Oh yeah, I forgot this part, Sarah. While the good bishop scoots around the Diocese of Pembroke telling all the good folks that he is on “vacation’, there are really good people down in the St. Catherines really hurting because of the actions of a couple of the good bishop’s priests.
    Do you have any words of wisdom for them? Mike.

  23. Mike Fitzgerald says:

    Gina McIntee;
    My contact information is available through Sylvia. By all means call her, I would like to talk to you. mike.

  24. Disgusted catholic says:

    I hope anyone reading Sylvia’s site who knows bishop wingle lets him know that many people still looking for explanations !!

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