Saint Brendan Parish
15 Rita Road
Dorchester, MA 02124
617-436-0310
August 25, 2011
Dear Parishioners and friends of Saint Brendan Parish:
I write to you today as the Archdiocese of Boston releases a list of the names of archdiocesan priests and deacons who have been accused of the sexual abuse of children. As all of us who live and worship in this parish, this archdiocese and in many dioceses throughout the country and the world have learned from sad and hard experience over the past decade, the effects of the devastating sins and crimes of clergy who preyed upon children and young people, as well as the gravely inadequate response of bishops and other church leaders to the reality of that abuse, continue to weigh heavily upon us as individuals and as a faith community. Here at Saint Brendan Parish, we have had to face the shocking and painful news that a number of priests who have served here in years gone by have been determined to have committed such heinous acts or have been accused of them. In this letter, I want to provide you with the information that pertains to Saint Brendan’s that the Archdiocese has collected and released today.
The names of three Boston priests who served here appear on that list. Father John Geoghan, ordained in 1962, served here from February of 1981 until September of 1984. Father Daniel Graham, ordained in 1970, served here from June 1988 until September of 1990. Father James Nyhan, ordained in 1973, served here from July of 1980 through July 1983.
I realize that bringing up such matters provokes a variety of responses among all of us. Some of us, perhaps, may experience varied and even conflicting reactions to the presentation of this information. Some may react by declaring that it is about time that the Archdiocese has provided a more comprehensive release of information. Others may ask why these matters are being brought up again now. Others may believe that what was released today does not go far enough. Some may experience anger, betrayal, confusion and a whole host of negative emotions toward these priests and our Church’s leaders. Others may feel that these priests have not been treated fairly. Whatever one’s reaction might be, we all share in common the faith, hope and love of Christ Jesus, Our Risen Lord. It is He who shares His Divine Life with us and provides us with our identity and our dignity as His sisters and brothers, daughters and sons of His Father and ours. It is to that faith, hope and love that we as individual believers and together as the parish family of Saint Brendan must turn as we confront this terrible and devastating part of our parish life and history.
There are three groups of people whom I want to reach out to in particular as the Archdiocese releases this information today. The first group is composed of those individual persons who have suffered abuse at the hands of one of these priests named above or of another church minister. With humility and shame, I offer each of you my sincere and heartfelt apology for what you endured as a child and what you have had to deal with in the intervening years. You and all who have been harmed in similar fashion have had to carry not only the pain of the acts of abuse, but also the betrayal and confusion of a youngster at having to try to make sense of such abuse being perpetrated upon you by one who was ordained to live, love and serve “in the person of Christ”. The fear, pain, betrayal, shame, anger, confusion and wide range of other emotions that have no doubt burdened you over the years have taken a terrible toll on each of you. Please know that you have a special place of remembrance in my daily prayers and Masses.
Some of you have been able to come forward and courageously share your stories with family, friends, counselors and even, in some cases, church or law enforcement representatives. I know that step is never an easy one. I hope that for those of you who have taken that step, that it has been the first on what ultimately will be a path toward healing and peace.
Many others who have suffered such abuse have not yet been able to share with others the pain and anguish that you carry, but have kept it to yourself, and perhaps even tried to put it away out of your consciousness. No one can take the first step toward healing and dealing with the trauma of such abuse until he or she is ready. I pray for each of you who have not yet come forward to seek the help of others that this release of information by the Archdiocese may help you to at least consider beginning the journey toward healing and wholeness.
I am available to meet or speak with you about your situation. I have spent most of the last ten years of my priestly ministry dealing with the sad realities of sexual abuse of children by clergy, and I have learned so much from the many survivors of such abuse with whom I have been privileged to speak. If you would be willing to share the painful details of your own story with me, please know that I would receive it with humility and compassion, and that I will do all in my power to assist you in whatever way I am able.
The staff of the Office of Pastoral Support and Outreach (OPSO), under the direction of Mrs. Barbara Thorp, stands ready to assist you. Please reach out to them and let them try to help you find the support and care that you need and deserve. They may be reached by e-mail at: bthorp@rcab.org; by telephone at: 781-794-2581 or, toll free, at 866-244-9603; or by mail at: 25 Braintree Hill Office Park, Suite 300, Braintree, MA 02181. The caring and compassionate social workers who will respond to your inquiries are confidential and competent men and women who now have a decade’s experience in being good listeners and advocates for those who have suffered the sins and crimes of sexual abuse.
The second group I wish to address are the family members of those who have been abused. Priests assigned to this parish abused your trust and violated your faith as they preyed upon the children of your families whom you placed in their care. The pain and burden of guilt that you carry also deserves and needs to be acknowledged and responded to. The understandable anger, confusion, doubt and countless other painful feelings that you bear or have borne also need to be acknowledged and addressed. The particular grief that parents, siblings, grandparents and other family members carry because of what was done to children in their family is devastating. Family members have often witnessed distressing and seemingly inexplicable problems that they now understand had their roots in childhood sexual abuse. Among these are and have been: depression, anxiety, rage/anger, problems maintaining employment, academic failure, marital or relationship problems, substance abuse and other addictive behavior. In the most sorrowful and tragic of circumstances, families have lost loved ones to drug overdose and suicide. In particular, parents of those who were abused often carry a terrible burden of guilt, feeling that somehow they put their child or children in harm’s way by unwittingly welcoming a priest into their family circle only to discover, years later, that he was wolf in sheep’s clothing.
As Pastor of Saint Brendan Parish, I offer my profound apologies for what was done to a young and vulnerable member of your family by a priest and for all that you endured in your life and faith as a result. Please be sure that I stand ready to assist you, too, in any way possible. The dedicated staff of OPSO is likewise ready to offer assistance, support and guidance regarding resources that may be available for you. The contact information for me and for OPSO is listed above.
The third group of people to whom I want to speak are those who were sexually abused when they were children by people who were not members of the clergy. Statistics demonstrate that a considerable percentage of people in our society have suffered abuse as children. The spotlight placed on those who were abused by clergy over the last decade has served also to open old wounds for both survivors of abuse at the hands of others and for their family members. Please be sure that your enduring pain is also something of which I am very aware. Here at Saint Brendan Parish and at OPSO, we want to offer you a safe haven to speak about your own situations and to assist you in marshaling the resources necessary to help you face, cope with and, hopefully, find solace and support as you too make the journey toward healing.
I recognize how troubling and difficult it is to hear about, think about and talk about the dreadful acts that a small percentage of priests perpetrated against our children and young people. Despite this recognition, I believe wholeheartedly that we have a responsibility to face this painful record of the past in order to be confident that everything that can be done is being done to ensure its prevention in the present and the future. I want all of you who make up the family of faith that is Saint Brendan Parish to know that your thoughts and reactions, positive and negative, are of importance and value to me. I invite you to be in touch with me, by means of the contact information on the first page of this letter, if you have anything you wish to share or discuss. I am also very open to holding a parish-wide meeting or listening session to provide us with further opportunity to confront the issues related to the sexual abuse of children by clergy in our parish and beyond.
By way of conclusion, I want to thank you for taking the time to give your attention to this letter. As we continue to face the difficulties and challenges resulting from the sins and crimes of such abuse, I ask you to join me in prayer for those who have been abused, for their families, for all the members of our parish, and even for the priests who perpetrated acts of abuse. May Our Blessed Mother, under her title of Our Lady of Sorrows, lead us through our pains, burdens and challenges to the loving, compassionate and healing arms of her Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ, the incarnation of God’s Divine Mercy.
Assuring you of my continued prayers for you and all whom you hold dear, I am
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Reverend John J. Connolly, Jr.
Pastor