The Expositor (Brantford, Ontario)
Thursday, August 23, 2012 4:04:29 EDT PM
A charge of assault laid against a Brantford Roman Catholic priest has been withdrawn but church officials say that Rev. Mark Sullivan will not return to St. Basil’s Church.
“It doesn’t appear he will be returning to St. Basil’s,” said Monsignor Murray Kroetsch, of the Diocese of Hamilton.
Sullivan, 49, was charged with assault in May after a young girl alleged she had been grabbed by the arm and pinned in a chair during the previous autumn. She was not injured.
That charge was withdrawn in Ontario Court on Aug. 13 and Sullivan was placed on a 12-month bond to keep the peace.
Sullivan had been suspended from his duties as a pastor at St. Basil’s after being charged but following the withdrawal of the charge, his suspension from public ministry has been lifted, Kroetsch said.
For the time being, Sullivan will be living at the mother house of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Hamilton.
St. Basil’s Church is being served by a visiting priest until the appointment of another pastor, Kroetsch said.
Well, good news. It’s out in the mainstream media. This will without doubt come as a shock to those who have been contacting me as recently as today essentially alleging that the peace bond was a figment of my imagination or something I conjured up.
I have followed through with my promise to find out more about this. To that end I left a message with the court reporter this morning so that I can order a transcript. No call back so will try again tomorrow. I know from past experience that sometimes it’s hard to get in touch with court reporters as they are so often busy in the courtroom. I will keep at it until I succeed and get my order in.
What exactly is the ‘good news’ here Sylvia?
Are you taking delight in a priest being embarrassed in the media?
Have you ever grabbed a child’s arm and sat them down? I have. Does that make me a child abuser?
It’s my guess the parents of this child used this incident to attack Fr. Sullivan for dubious gain. They succeeded in having him removed. Since he won’t be charged with anything he’ll be welcomed by another parish hopefully without such sinister parishioners.
Once again, this is not a case of sexual assault. Please remove it from this website.
The good news Glen is that news of the peace bond is in print. It seems many don’t know or refuse to believe there is a peace bond.
You ask if I have ever grabbed a child’s arm and sat him/her down? The only child I might ever have grabbed by the arm would have been one of my own. I would never and have never grabbed someone else’s child by the arm to sit them down or anything else: that includes my nieces and nephews.
You say “since he won’t be charged with anything.” He was charged Glen. Whether you like it or not, or agree with it or not, he was charged.
*If the authorities performed their duty correctly he was also photographed and fingerprinted for the public records….Were you ever fingerprinted, Glen? Maybe your admition should be looked into..Maybe your rational…is not!
*I have not yet gone to mass this weekend but my good friend went to today’s saturday mass and she just called me to say that it was Fr.Mark who celebrated the mass at St.Basil’s….so it looks like Father Mark has returned to St.Basil which is awesome news!! it doesn’t make any sense but he was there! can anyone confirm this? I can’t go to mass tomorrow since I have twins who are much too small to go at 17 days old to church!
Glen’s attitude is the type of thinking that minimizes abuse of all kind. It is that type of blind devotion to your religion and disbelief of what has happened when you don’t know the facts that make a child who was or is being abused afraid to come forward. Why come forward if you are going to be blamed. Shame on you for taking the side of an abuser over that of an abused child!
you really don’t know what happened do you? Aren’t we innocent in Canada until proven guilty? Don’t be so quick to judge, are you a Christian.Some children embellish stories. Because of people like you we are losing our Priest, Fr. Earl Talbot, whom we love dearly and really don’t want to lose him, you have no idea how lucky you are to get him at St.Basil’s. I hope we are as lucky here.
Norah…You need a service dog and white cane for your blindness. Almost all the pervert collars had blinded their parishioners with their kindness and great deeds, all while abusing children. I’m not saying your collar is one of these but the signs are there. And your question about “are you a Christian” makes you look so stupid. Then followed by your asinine comment about children embellishing stories makes me want to throw up. It’s people like YOU making comments like that that keep some victims from coming forward because they are afraid no one will believe them…I know…I lived that nightmare and believed your comment for many many years. Oh you poor parishioners…losing your collar…while some children lose their childhood to these so called holy men. The charges were withdrawn…that doesn’t mean he’s innocent. Think about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bruce…right on my man!!
Hey glen if Sullivan would have grabbed my kid buy the arm as he did I would have made sure this poor example of a priest would be doing time !
The old boys club brought out the big lawyers that would have torn a little girl to shreds just to save face for the church ! Shame on you so called holy men of god your nothing but a bunch of lying business men dressed in black hiding behind a white collar I hope you rot in jail if I were you boys I would buy assbestos under garments it’s going to be pretty hot for your eternities.
*
^Nice chance to get that rant off?
*I still don’t get it why he took that course of action. Like..what was the intent? What was happening that triggered him to feel the need to restrain her to tell her something??
Uh oh…collar alert!!! Eas is likely a troll.
*Mr B, you sound more violent then the priest in question – idle threats and libel.
And “M” must be Eas’s mini-me!
Hey “M”;
What do you mean by “idle threats and libel”? I don’t see any threats or libel here ANYWHERE! Do you understand the concept of libel? Please look it up in the dictionary and it will help you to understand, okay.
As for “threats”, well “M” it isn’t exactly appropriate to take someone else’s child by the arm and forcibly sit them down. I think the “threat” you refer to is normal in our society. Mr. “b” is saying that if you do this to a child, [police will be involved, and probably charges will be laid. This isn’t a threat, it’s REALITY!
Please pull your pointed head out of the deep pile of sand, and try to perhaps get into the REAL world, where we so-called “Christians” don’t normally tolerate abuse of ANY sort. Yes, “abuse” is in the dictionary too. Look under “A”. Mike
Well said Mike…I don’t know what these trolls are thinking!
This act is so minor, it is a shame these parents took it to the next level. What a couple of trouble makers to do such a thing to a priest. As if their lives are not difficult enough.
Hmm there seems to be quite a bit more to it than a ‘minor act’ luckily her mother had the sense to know something was seriously wrong and report it!
Did you read the court order for the peace bond rita? Here it is.