The Windsor Star
July 20, 2012. 10:23 am
Sexual abuse victim Patrick McMahon protests outside the Ontario Court of Justice on July 20 2012. (Windsor Star photo).
WINDSOR – A victim of convicted pedophile Rev. William Hodgson Marshall — who was scheduled to enter a plea Friday to two new counts of sexual abuse — said he is frustrated the case was delayed.
Marshall, 90, appeared briefly by video from the Joyeceville Institution, near Kingston, but only to hear his lawyer Andrew Bradie ask that the matter be put over so that he has time to discuss new developments with his client. Ontario Court Justice Lloyd Dean set Sept. 4 as the next court date.
“I feel upset. Victims are kept in the dark,” said Patrick McMahon, 44, who was sexually assaulted at age 13 by Marshall and who was in court Friday hoping to see the Catholic priest plead guilty to two cases involving victims from Saskatoon. “I find it very frustrating. The justice system is all about delay, delay, delay. “It doesn’t give any satisfaction to victims.”
McMahon lead other protesters, some victims of child sexual assault, picketing outside Ontario Court Friday morning against what they see as lenient sentences. McMahon also wants the Catholic church to defrock Marshall.
“Where is the accountability of the church?” he asked. “He is a convicted child molester and a Roman Catholic priest. Shouldn’t the two be mutually exclusive?”
The elderly Basilian priest and former Windsor high school principal sexually abused children dating back to 1955 when he taught at Assumption College.
Marshall has already been convicted of sexual assault on 17 children.
Marshall was ordained in 1951 and taught at Assumption College Catholic High School in 1955 and at Holy Names high school from 1985-89, where he also served as principal.
Hod Marshall kinda reminds me of “saint” Pope Pius 1X. Remember, he was the “infallible” pope who kidnapped a 6 year old boy, openly in writing supported slavery, called Jews “howling dogs roaming the streets of Rome”, etc.
Welcome to the world of “Rev.” Hod Marshall. Mike
No need to gather pedophiles with people who have doubts abouts jew. You whinny popping coward.
I like how we are constantly bombarded with holocaust reports. Jews always play it down like they where only victims, no i am not a holocaust denier, no need to try and play me like that, things happened for a reason, not the simple childish reasons jew propaganda uses to hide. Its clear that it is not in their best interest to admit to the truth.
Hope he burns in hell when he goes…the sooner the better.
august 5, 2014: Marshall has died. He died in luxurious surroundings in the bosom of the Catholic Church that cushioned his journey through so-called accountability. My 7 year old daughter is growing up without her father in her life because of the devastating, lifelong damage he suffered at Marshall’s criminal hands when he was a child. Good riddance to a human cancer. May his victims know some measure of peace at his passing. May the church someday understand fully how it, they, were criminally complicit.
That POS is now dancing with the devil. Good news.
I have just confirmed the death of William Hodgson Marshall. He died 28 July 2014. I have tried without success to find an obituary or any reference online ot his death. If anyone can find one please send the link.
As I searched for information on Marshall I discovered that one of his confreres, convicted molester Father Robert J Whyte, died 22 July 2014.
Sylvia: This silence surrounding the recent death of 2 pedofile priests is interesting and – if a new development – may reflect some awareness that openly and brazenly celebrating the lives of these monsters is galling and offensive to the survivors and their supporters.
That may well be the case 1yellowknife. Hopefully that’s the case.
Pedofile priest and sadist Martin Houston’s over-the-top funeral has not been forgotten — Bishop Albert Legatt officiated.
Hell had received another fallen angel just two weeks after Fr. Chris Quinlan died.
i spoke with a senior retired priest residing in the same residence where Hod lived his final days. a mass was celebrated for him after his death. the priest i spoke with described him as “a good man”.
Ho Marshall a “good” man?
How can any man who selfishly violates and betrays the trust, innocence and faith of even one child be deemed a “good” man?
Where are people’s heads?
How can any priest who in one moment satiates his perverted lust by sexually violating a child and in the next offers up the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with his sullied hands be a “good” man?
How many victims has “Happy Hands” Hod left in his wake?
A “good” man?
What does it take? What in the name of all that’s good and holy does it take, and will it take for all clergy to acknowledge that clerical sexual abuse is an evil and heinous atrocity, that clerical molesters are manipulative wolves in sheep’s clothing, that those who blithely overlook and/or minimize the sins and crimes of the molester inflict damage which is on par with that inflicted by the molester, and that the priest who preys on the young defiantly thumbs his nose at God .
What does it take for common sense to prevail?
“Good”?
What about the millstones?
What about the biblical millstones?
I can not conceive how you must have felt when you heard those words siobhan. From the mouth of a priest.
Could “siobhan fagan” be playing the role of a devil’s advocate?
Sylvia…God has a love that surpasses all human love.
It can be said God’s love is a insane kind of love. (St. Teresa of Avila)
God’s Mercy and compassion is always open to sinners even if these sinners are contrite, believe they are honest or not. Only God really knows what goes on in their heart and mind of so many bad and good clergy.
It’s wishful thinking to say this or that priest who died is in hell. No one knows who’s in hell.
The Roman Catholic Church is full of people who are ready and willing to suffer and even be a martyr for the good of the progression of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church seem to thrive on victim souls (the redemptive power of human suffering).
The Catholic Church may see clergy abuse victims/survivors as a kind of victim soul and their bad criminal clergy is somewhat aiding these victims in the value of human suffering and all their suffering takes on a redemptive dimension when uniting it with the passion of Christ.
It’s like in a sick mysterious way they supposedly are helping the victims carry their crosses. It doesn’t make any sense to me then again I’m talking about the Catholic Church who got away for centuries covering up so many crimes and drove so many victims to the edge of despair and defeat.
Thankfully today, victims are being heard, believed and helped but they still have a long way to go.
You do good work Sylvia…thank-you!
Lina
i agree Lina (about God’s love). It is God alone who knows the thoughts and actions of everyone of us. But I believe also that it is impossible for any one of us to honestly say that Marshall was a “good” man. He was not. He was not a “good” man. He was not a “good” priest. That by no means means I think he is in Hell, or that I wish him in Hell. As I said elsewhere, I wish an eternity in Hell on no one, not even my worst enemies.
God will judge Hod Marshall.
Sylvia…I heard about this Hod Marshall that he had many victims and he was eventually defrocked.
The Church did wrong to the victims.
About that hell thing. I was thinking about the theory and dogma about that topic. Sorry if I came across that it had anything to do with you Sylvia.
I was thinking of some people who post here. I understand they are venting when they say this or that priest is in hell. It’s understandable. They are hurting and there is no way they are concerning themselves with the Church teachings in these cases.
Lina
He was NOT “defrocked”. He asked to be demoted. He actually had to ASK!! After 60 years or so and possibly thousands of victims…
But his housemate (a highly respected–by many– elderly priest) calls him a “good man”. And I always believed/hoped he was one of the good ones. Now I’m not sure there is such a thing. Yeah, there were Nazis who never killed anyone, but do we call them “good Nazis”??
I am not playing devil’s advocate. I simply relayed what a colleague of Hod’s told me in a personal conversation. I erupted in anger and sobs when this colleague Brian Higgins, a close family friend for more than 40 years, uttered those words to me, and hung up shortly after reading him my “riot act”. I shared his comment here to give yet another example of the denial and complicity of presumably “good” priests in these cases. Perhaps I should have made the obvious more obvious by mentioning my reaction to Higgins. The post was brief because i was still feeling shell-shocked at the time and knew if I started to rant i might never stop.
I am no “devil’s advocate”. I am an advocate for my fatherless, 9-year-old daughter. Her father was irrevocably damaged by that monster.
A very belated thank you, Sylvia, for your eloquent and compassionate response. Yes, it was a devastating conversation, as I explain in more detail in my response to Lina below.
I have been away from your site for a couple of years now, distracted and maxed out as I am raising children on my own (my youngest being the daughter of one of Hod’s victims). But I just finished watching “Spotlight” and I am on summer holiday, so here I am again. Your site is so important. Thank you.
A very belated thank you, Sylvia for your eloquent and compassionate response.
Yes, it was a devastating conversation, as I relay in more detail in my response to Lina. I’ve been away from your site since then, but I am back today having just watched Spotlight. How can anyone watch that film and continue to support or attend a Catholic church? Christ (pun intended)–it’s like holocaust denial, only the victims of the church are more numerous and span centuries.
Siobhan, I couldn’t agree more with most of what you are saying and as a victim myself, I never allowed my children anywhere near the Catholic church. In fact after watching Spotlight and the Canadian film, “We were Children” I fully believe what transpired with these disgusting priests, is nothing short of the Crime of the Century and you will see in my previous posts, that I believe institutionalized pedophilia could not have gone on unchecked without complicity at the highest levels. However many good people still believe and have faith in the good and there are decent priests out there who abhor the actions of these wolves that have stolen the futures of so many. I personally have lost my faith but I admire those who were able to keep theirs.
Thank you siobhan, and glad you are back. I pray that your holiday gives you a good well-earned rest.