Thanks to a reader for drawing my attention to the civil trial currently underway in St. John’s Newfoundland regarding Mount Cashel. Lawyers for former residents of the now infamous St. John’s Newfoundland orphanage – run the Christian Brothers – are arguing that the Episcopal Corp. of St. John’s (Archdiocese of St. Joh’s) — is liable for the physical and sexual abuse of boys by certain Christian Brothers.
Here is the coverage from the St. John’s Telegram to date:
15 April 2016: Pattern of Brothers seeking church permission for fundraising: lawyer
14 April 2016: Archdiocese had no official role at Mount Cashel: witness
13 April 2016: “Man tells Mount Cashel civil trial he was sexually stalked at orphanage” & related article
11 April 2016: ‘Sense of powerlessness’ at orphanage
The trial, which continues today, is being live tweeted by Barb Sweet. To follow along click here.
Historian John FitzGerald is back on the stand.
Please keep the many many victims from Mount Cashel and the Christian Brothers in St. John’s Newfoundland and beyond in your prayers.
*****
Father Harold McIntee
Clerical molester Father Harry McIntee died in Ottawa on Thursday,14 April 2016. He apparently suffered a head injury from a fall.
I don’t know how long Father McIntee was back in Ottawa, but he has definitely been in the area for some time.
In June 1989 Father McIntee entered a GUILTY plea and was sentenced to two years in jail plus three years probation for sexually abusing 17 boys in British Columbia over a period of 25 years. It seems McIntee was molesting boys virtually everywhere he served. Many of his victims were boys in residential schools.
The funeral Mass will held at Canadian Martyrs Roman Catholic Church in Ottawa on Saturday, 23 April 23 at 11:00 a.m.
And, yes, over 26 years after admitting that he sexually abused countless young boys, he was still a priest in the Roman Catholic Church.
Please keep the many victims of Father McIntee in your prayers.
*****
I have finally added a picture to the page of ex-priest and convicted paedophile Paul Blancard. Blancard, ordained in 1967, entered a guilty plea in 1992 to charges related to the sexual abuse of five little girls age four to ten. By the time the charges were laid Blncard had married an ex nun. When exactly the marriage took place is unknown, but it was definitely well after he had been reported to Victoria BC Bishop Remi de Roo and was shipped off in 1976 to get psychological help at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, and it was probably after 1988 – after he had been recycled into another parish, was reported again, and then shipped off to Southdown for another round of treatment. At Southdown he was diagnosed as a paedophile, relieved of his duties, and left the priesthood.
Blancard’s lawyers appealed the three year sentence – the sentence was reduced to one year after the BC Court of Appeal agreed that the trial judge did not give enough consideration to to Blancard’s attempts to change his paedophilic behaviour by attending a residential program for sex offenders!
Please keep the victims of Blancard in your prayers.
*****
A note to all. If you happen upon a page which has no picture of the accused and you happen to have a picture or can find a link to one, would you please send it along.
Enough for now.
Sylvia