The Great Falls - Billings Diocese released a list of sexually abusive priests, including at least two who I know were in Miles City. I knew about one but not the other. There's also a Fr. O'Reilly, no first name, but that is a pretty common name. Sad to see but about effing time.

So true Amorette, What is equally likely, many other religious faiths have these hunting perverts on the young impressionable youth victims. Hang'em high by their privates an give them a dull knife.

I’m devastated!
-Kirk Morgan
-Fr. Patrick O’Reilly
-James Reynolds
-Leo Jansen

and one name not on this list Michael Huntington who abused me on 29-Dec-1973

Ya’ll can rot in some place of darkness. FU! 🤬😢

Suddenly, in the midst of all of that Fr. Koneceni running off with Sr. Judith seems acceptable.

Richard, I'm very sorry you experienced abuse by a priest, and thank you for the courage it took to come forward. I'm sure you were deeply and adversely affected, and I hope you have overcome the trauma you experienced.

I would suggest everyone should see the movie,"Spotlight." It's about the editors and reporters at the Boston Globe who spent a year doing investigative journalism, and then published their story in January 2002, about the 90 or so abusive priests in Boston (and their victims), and how the Catholic Church, under the leadership of Cardinal Law, for years knew about it, allowed it to continue, and used the legal system to cover-up for priests abusing kids.

At the end of the film before the film credits, is a list (worldwide) of where abuse allegations have been made. It is a pervasive and systemic problem for the Catholic Church worldwide.

Just this week, Cardinal McCarrick in Washington was forced to resign, and today there is news of 80 or so accused priests in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

It's my opinion that the Catholic Church must change and the sooner the better -- the celibacy requirement must go; priests should be allowed to marry; women should be allowed to be priests; and the church must stop its hypocritical stance on homosexuality given that there are many gay priests. I would also add that it is the height of hypocrisy for allegedly celibate male priests to be making decisions about birth control and abortion rights for women!

My parish priest in Billings is on the list, as is another priest who was at that parish when I was growing up. It's hard to take knowing that some kids at my catholic school grade school were abused by these priests, the confusion and trauma those kids experienced and felt, and the years of healing that were necessary to recover.

What makes this so confusing and difficult to process is that many of us knew these priests and considered them nice people. It's a weird consolidation of conflicting feelings.

Here are some scenes from the movie, Spotlight.



They Knew and They Let It Happen:



Ending credits with worldwide list:

Richard Bonine, Jr. wrote:

I’m devastated!
-Kirk Morgan
-Fr. Patrick O’Reilly
-James Reynolds
-Leo Jansen

and one name not on this list Michael Huntington who abused me on 29-Dec-1973

Ya’ll can rot in some place of darkness. FU! 🤬😢

Suddenly, in the midst of all of that Fr. Koneceni running off with Sr. Judith seems acceptable.

Yeah, this is disappointing to me, too. And sorry about what happened to you with Huntington, Richard.

The times I was slapped and thrown around by Sr. Roch were traumatic enough for me. It obviously could have been worse.

Fr. Koneschni (not sure how to spell it) and Sister Judith leaving the church and getting hitched happened when Sr. Judith was my teacher in second grade. She was kicked-out and replaced that year with Mrs. Shepherd. At any rate, I agree, that a priest and a nun leaving the church to marry each other is a very minor crime compared to stealing the innocence of a child. I never had any bad encounters with Fr. O'Reilly or Fr. Morgan and got along well with both...which makes it all-the-more disappointing that they would make this list.

Just a point of clarification, however, the list does have a Fr. O'Reilly on it, but it does not say Patrick, so there's a chance it's not THAT Fr. O'Reilly. I'm not dismissing the severity of the offenses by any means, but the list does not say Patrick.

[Edited by Shu Pius (8/4/2018 11:11:50 PM)]

Hopefully no one believes this is a problem confined to the Catholic church. I was molested by a Baptist preacher and his son when I was an adolescent. I also don't have any love for the cub scouts. The scout leader was a deacon in our church and he invited his favorite, my cousin Mike, into his tent on camp outs. He was a married man and Mike is gay. I doubt that his experience had anything to do with his being gay but it was an inappropriate assignation between a married man and an adolescent. I have a friend that was molested by a Methodist youth leader. My point is that men in a position of power and even respect can be culpable and even more apt to get away with these heinous actions. They even, if so inclined, seek out these positions.

I am and will remain a militant atheist. Did my early experience cause my belief? I don't know but it didn't help. I know from personal experience of an instance in your own town, of a church, where the pastor rails against homosexuality and tells his flock how to vote. A young person that attended that fine institution and was obviously gay took their own life. I have no love lost for "religion."

Mary Catherine, I know you aren’t implying that relaxing the celibacy rules of the Catholic Church will prevent future abuse of children. But there are those who will. Men who sexually assault children are not acting out from normal sexual frustration. They are aroused by children and have acted on that arousal. Sexually healthy adults do not assault children just because they’ve not been able to have a sexual relationship.

Bigots often conflate homosexuality with pedophilia to justify their hatred of the LGBTQ community. We need to make sure our words don’t do the same.

Joe Heretick was my grandmother's neighbor in Billings. Apparently long after whatever happened, happened. Discussion of it was verboten.

By that point the collar was a ticket to a wee dram of whisk(e)y or a snifter of brandy while making his rounds. Grandma always had one or both on hand, just for Joe.

Am I the only one who finds the name of Joe Heretick morbidly amusing?

Systemic, pervasive, historic and allowed to happen -- This is the latest news involving the criminal sexual abuse of children by priests in several dioceses in Pennsylvania, and the play book for hiding the truth about their criminal behavior.

https://www.nytimes.com/2...sContainer

https://www.nytimes.com/2...hurch.html

Here is the link to the report of the Grand Jury about sex abuse and cover-up by Catholic priests in 6 dioceses in Pennsylvania which begins:

"We, the members of this grand jury, need you to hear this. We know some of you have heard some of it before. There have been other reports about child sex abuse within the Catholic Church. But never on this scale. For many of us, those earlier stories happened someplace else, someplace away. Now we know the truth: it happened everywhere."

http://media-downloads.pa...f?cb=42148

https://www.nytimes.com/2...-jury.html

Before you go off the deep-end any further with Catholic Church OCD, MCD, here's a reality check.

When these Grand Juries get done with the Catholic Church, perhaps they can move on to the public school systems. There are thousands of suspended teachers across the nation lolling around in "rubber rooms", still on the taxpayer's dime, waiting for their discipline cases to be adjudicated.

Many of them are sex offenders, being protected by non-disclosure clauses in their union contracts. Thousands of them will wait years for any action, showing up every day to collect their pay. They sleep, play cards, do crosswords and probably hook-up, all while continuing to get paid. The sex offenders remain free to continue abusing children. Most will move on to other Districts with their past disposition records sealed by the courts.

It wasn't just Sacred Heart. You had them in the public school system then and you have them now. They are here in mine, as well. We will most likely never find out anything about their perversions perpetrated on the kids because they are protected by the same institutions and same desire for the avoidance of scandal.

It doesn't necessarily have to wear a collar, MCD. Better keep an eye on Mr. Rogers as well.

Odd Job: You are being abusive and insulting when you use the term OCD when referring to the articles or comments I post on this website. I am simply reporting this news story, as are many newspapers around the world. It is a big problem and a big story!

Yes, sexual harassment, rape and all sorts of sexual abuse and assault of human beings (the very young to the very old) occurs everywhere worldwide -- within families, churches of all denominations, schools, businesses, the military, nursing homes, various organizations, prisons, etc. This is what the #me too movement is all about -- victims not keeping silent about it. This particular thread is just about the way sexual abuse and assault happens, and has been allowed to happen, by officials of the catholic church.

So, on this particular thread, my message to all readers is: If you are a victim, or know anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse by a member of the catholic clergy (priests, brothers, nuns), please call 888-538-8541 to report it.

Also, if you are a ever a victim of sexual assault or rape, please report it to the police. Do Not Remain Silent!

I also recommend (as a resource) the website of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priets (SNAP).

http://www.snapnetwork.org/

WHATABOUT WHATABOUT WHATABOUT

Jesus oddy.

Bridgier wrote:

WHATABOUT WHATABOUT WHATABOUT

Jesus oddy.

Yep, it's always deflect, deflect, deflect.

Give Oddy credit for one thing. At least he didn't bring up the Deep State pedophile ring.

It seems that some people never learned the lesson about two wrongs not making a right.

God forbid that anyone would ever be insulting or abusive here on milescity.com.

10 or 12 posts in a row on the same subject is not a discussion, MCD. It's a symptom. Owning the National category here for months and years on-end is a symptom, MCD. Deal with it. It's why nobody comes here any more.

For additional examples of real insulting and abusive, MCD, just read anything posted by Bridgier or Gunnar who's combined contributions here amount to zero. That is, with the possible exception of the occasional beer recipe.

Hello Odd Job, very concise and succinct reply!
I find great good humor in the drivel and posted by
the aforementioned clowns.
You have a comrade in arms, 😁

Yawn.

MAGA.

Der der der.

Ah, the capital comedian brings more original humor
Juvenile intelligence at best
Or would that be pre school?
😄😄😄

Oddy has a friend! He's going to lose his membership in the Forever Alone Club!

But seriously - it takes some pretty big balls to dismiss something like the horror show in the Catholic Church with a "yeah, that's bad, but have you heard about the Teacher's Unions?!?!?!"

I don't read Breitbart or Townhall, so I'm terribly behind the times on this.

My question to those of you who do read Breitbart and Townhall, is:

The Deep State is trying to overthrow Trump, correct?
The Deep State runs a pedophile ring, correct?
The Catholic Church also runs a pedophile ring, correct?

Well, then...

Is the Catholic Church the Deep State? Is the Catholic Church trying to overthrow Trump????

Richard Bonine, Jr. wrote:

I’m devastated!
-Kirk Morgan
-Fr. Patrick O’Reilly
-James Reynolds
-Leo Jansen

Richard, I am sorry you were also abused by a someone not on the list. I would ask that you check out the list you provided implying the priests were assigned to Sacred Heart. There were two Fr. Patrick O'Reilly's that served time in the Diocese of Great Falls. One is highlighted here http://www.bishopaccounta...k_J_sj.htm You will note that, like the list the diocese put out, there is an S.J. after his name. The Fr. Patrick O'Reilly that was assigned to Sacred Heart has no such S.J. You can read his obituary here https://billingsgazette.c...830ce.html

I, too, thought of Fr. Patrick O'Reilly of Sacred Heart when I first saw the name, but recognized the priest in the list was a Jesuit by the S.J. after his name. I did some additional research and found the other link as I was sure the priest from Miles City was a diocesan priest during the entirety of his ministry.

Again, I pray for you and all of the victims of this abuse. I just ask we be careful not to damage the reputation of the good priests.

Bridgier wrote:

Oddy has a friend! He's going to lose his membership in the Forever Alone Club!

But seriously - it takes some pretty big balls to dismiss something like the horror show in the Catholic Church with a "yeah, that's bad, but have you heard about the Teacher's Unions?!?!?!"

I don't read Breitbart or Townhall, so I

'm terribly behind the times on this.

Big balls has nothing to do with it, but thanks for the compliment.

Perhaps you have heard of equal justice under the law. It's a concept seldom practiced here anymore, if ever. When you have a rampant problem within the whole society, you do not solve it by demonizing one group. You yourself admitted as much in your response to Ike in a different thread. You are the master of "whataboutism" when the light comes on to the cockroaches you choose to side with.

The Progressive Left is the most amoral, perverted cult the World has ever experienced. Your dilusion of some sort of moral superiority is what makes Liberalism is a mental disorder. Please spare us the disgusting spectical of your virtue signaling on this issue or any other.

More humor....
Good work Oddjob!

"Catholic Sex Abuse Stems From Monarchy and Exclusion of Women From Power" by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now, August 21, 2018

https://truthout.org/vide...rom-power/

Is that a full Nelson or a half Nelson?

Gee.
How about a round of apologies here for the crap spewed at me from a couple of assholes who knew what I was saying was true.

Bridgier?? Gunnar???

(I'll get crickets..)

Bueller??? Bueller???

So then, Oddjob, you're mad at the attorneys who are suing the school district because, "When you have a rampant problem within the whole society, you do not solve it by demonizing one group."? Do I have that right?

No, Mr. Schott. The attorneys are seeking revenge for the victims. At least they are doing...something..

You solve the problem by going after it where it exists. The problem in every facet of the abuse issue is the people who know about it and do nothing.

How many of you fit that profile?

I'm fully behind Mr. Rice getting justice for these people - I know a lot of them, and if the CCDHS Teacher's Union was involved in this horror then procreate them. Oddy wants this to prove his political points, so procreate him too.

Bishop Michael Warfel will conduct an informal meeting at Sacred Heart Church on October 24 at 7:00 p.m. to discuss sexual abuse of minors by clergy and answer questions. Survivors of abuse are invited to attend. The session will be held to no more than 1-1/2 hours.

I'm going to assume that Bishop Michael Warfel won't mind if friends and family of survivors also attend. I'm also hoping Bishop Warfel will extend the session if more time is needed.

Bridgier wrote:

I'm fully behind Mr. Rice getting justice for these people - I know a lot of them, and if the CCDHS Teacher's Union was involved in this horror then procreate them. Oddy wants this to prove his political points, so procreate him too.

You knew about this in High School and you did nothing. And for the past 25+ years you did nothing except elbow and wink-wink with your buddies over who got the treatment?

You didn't give a sh*t about justice for these people then and you don't give a sh*t now. That makes you as much of a perp as the doer, so save your bandwagon rants about justice.

[Edited by Oddjob (9/26/2018 8:47:51 AM)]

I didn't know anything about this beyond Mr. Jensen being a weird dude who made me uncomfortable as procreate, and that now, 25 years later, I am completely unsurprised by the allegations coming forth. I was not a mandatory reporter, not that it mattered because I had nothing to report, except that I wasn't enthused by the prospect of letting Mr. Jensen give me rubdowns.

I was never invited to partake in 'The Program', and I'm not sure if I knew anybody in it at the time. So, oddy, please tell me what I was supposed to DO here? I wasn't an adult, and nobody was coming to tell me that they were being abused. We lived with a lot of things that were red flags in hindsight, but we were children and didn't know any better.

So again, please procreate off.

Oddjob, Yet again I find myself agreeing with you. Bridgier, aside from all of the personal grenades being tossed, accusations resolve nothing. The crux of the matter boils down to realization and results, nest se pas? I have no expectation of treaty for you or oddy but stop with the personal slings and arrows.

"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."

If one is aware of abuses perpetrated by priest or beast and says nothing where lies the culpability?

Oddy thinks I knew something, I'm trying to tell him I didn't. Or should I have accused everyone that we thought might have been a closeted homosexual (which is what it boiled down to at the time) of being a pedophile?

Yep. It is hard to believe that there was a time when people just dumped pedophilia and homosexuality into the same pot. Assumptions are all part of condemnation prior to investigation.

Bridgier wrote:

I didn't know anything about this beyond Mr. Jensen being a weird dude who made me uncomfortable as procreate, and that now, 25 years later, I am completely unsurprised by the allegations coming forth. I was not a mandatory reporter, not that it mattered because I had nothing to report, except that I wasn't enthused by the prospect of letting Mr. Jensen give me rubdowns.

I was never invited to partake in 'The Program', and I'm not sure if I knew anybody in it at the time. So, oddy, please tell me what I was supposed to DO here? I wasn't an adult, and nobody was coming to tell me that they were being abused. We lived with a lot of things that were red flags in hindsight, but we were children and didn't know any better.

So again, please procreate off.

Procreate off yourself.

Your comment in the "100 boys" thread was tantamount to an admission that you knew what was going on.

How else does one take your own words?

Oh for christ sake.

Mary Catherine Dunphy wrote:

Bishop Michael Warfel will conduct an informal meeting at Sacred Heart Church on October 24 at 7:00 p.m. to discuss sexual abuse of minors by clergy and answer questions. Survivors of abuse are invited to attend. The session will be held to no more than 1-1/2 hours.

I'm going to assume that Bishop Michael Warfel won't mind if friends and family of survivors also attend. I'm also hoping Bishop Warfel will extend the session if more time is needed.

With all of the rooms and buildings owned by Sacred Heart, it’s Prime Grade equine excrement this is being held in the church sanctuary. Such a move is about control (his turf) and is additional evidence the bishop and the church are just trying to make the problem go away. They aren’t repentant at all.

It's not just the Catholic clergy -- now there's news about the Jehovah Witnesses and sex abuse:

"Montana Jehovah's Witness Sex Abuse Case Underscores Church's Worldwide Reckoning" by Seaborn Larson, The Missoulian, September 30, 2018

https://missoulian.com/ne...892d8.html