2002 Little Notes
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Contents © 2002
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

APRIL 2002 LITTLE NOTES

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Martin: "I heard about the tour from a friend who works at Planned Parenthood. There are six houses scheduled for the tour, but she told me about three of them. Two of them just moved into the neighborhood, and she thought I might want to go meet them. My first thought was to buy a ticket to find out more about it. My next thought was to put up a sign on the day of the protest. I called the national headquarters of Stop Planned Parenthood (STOPP). I actually wanted to talk to a priest to see what I should do about this. The guy at STOPP encouraged me to submit a petition and write letters to the editor. I got the petitions printed up and talked to our pastor, Father Higinio Garcia. He encouraged me to get signatures at the Masses. I had a friend who speaks Spanish that helped me out, because we only have one Mass in English now. At the end of the day, we had over 500 signatures."

Martin isn't finished. "I haven't talked to the homeowners. I sent them all packets. I sent copies of the 500 signatures to Planned Parenthood, and people have been writing letters to local director Mark Salo. I've got a letter to the editor of our paper, the Golden Hill Cornerstone, a quarterly publication.

"The man at STOPP told me to keep reading the 10th chapter of Matthew's Gospel, where Jesus discusses how we will be hated by men for His name's sake and we will be dragged into the courts. I've come to the realization that a lot of my friends are pro-choice. Some people at the prayer group asked me, 'Don't they know you're Catholic?' These days it doesn't matter if you're Catholic or not if you don't stand up. I'm inspired to do this. If they don't cancel this, I've got to get people together to protest in front of the houses."

Anyone interested in helping Pat Martin should call (619) 234-6824.


"FOUR OF US WENT TO HORIZON ON SUNDAY," begins the February 18 email message from Cheryl Sullenger of California Life Coalition, "to deliver the message of the church's bloodguilt in the matter of abortion and beg for repentance and help in stopping the shedding of innocent blood. They were Pastor Adlai Mack, Heather Mechanic, me, and my 18-yr.-old daughter Rayna. Horizon is within a half a mile of the California Women's Medical Clinic on Genesee where abortionists Michael Wong and David Priver ply their grisly trade.

"The women stood with signs on the sidewalk while Pastor Mack preached a powerful call to repentance and good works. It was cold and rainy, and I couldn't help but think that even nature wept over the proud and arrogant response we received at the hands of our 'brothers and sisters in Christ.' Certainly they did not behave as such. They lined up in front of us and made it impossible for us to show our signs or hand out our literature. They brought out large plywood barricades that looked like play props and placed them at the driveways to block traffic from seeing us. The barricades were actually ineffective, but their bullying thug tactics were. Heather Mechanic, who held 2 text-only signs was assaulted and battered by a man who many identified as one of the pastors there. In fact, once the police were persuaded to look into the matter, Heather could have had him arrested, but chose instead to ask for an apology, which he gave at the insistence of the police. At first we were essentially ignored, but once that one pastor came out, he called for men to come and block our signs. We were already outnumbered 3 to one at that point, but he seemed afraid (of the truth maybe?) About 40 or so guys ended up out there to block us. I tried to walk away from them and stand farther away with my sign against the curb, but several men followed me every step and even stood in the street in order to block my sign and keep it from being seen. It was clearly harassing behavior that we would have been arrested over, but the police not only allowed, but in some cases, encouraged.

"The police explicitly told me that they would not help us or protect us and that the watch commander had instructed them to allow our signs to be covered by the church members. At first I thought this was odd until Pastor Mack reminded me that we could expect no help from the police because Horizon's pastor, Mike MacIntosh, is the SDPD chaplain.

"I have rarely seen such abusive behavior even at the large rescues in the early 90s. The members of Horizon used tactics that I have seen employed by homosexual proaborts 'death-scort' teams at abortion mills--hardly behavior of those who claim the name of Christ.... Our next Bloodguilt outeach is Sunday, March 17 at College Ave. Baptist Church."


SAN DIEGO MAY NOW BE THE TEMPORARY HOME of one of Boston's most notorious pedophile priests. A computer search showed that Father Paul Shanley, a priest from the archdiocese of Boston, is living at 4401 Ladera Street #35 in Ocean Beach.

Shanley, still a priest, is being investigated by a Boston grand jury for possible criminal charges. Known in the 60s and 70s as a "street priest." Shanley clashed with his superiors on church teachings, particularly homosexuality. A January 31 Boston Globe story indicated that Shanley operated a ministry to "runaways, drug abusers, drifters, and teenagers struggling with their sexual identity." The story, in which four of Shanley's victims were interviewed, said that the archdiocese has settled at least three sexual abuse claims against Shanley. One of the victims, a man now 42, said that when he went to Shanley for counseling at 15, Shanley concluded their session with a game of strip poker to "help you feel more comfortable with your body."

Under canon law, priests are supposed to check in with the diocese of any town where they reside. At the diocesan chancery, Father Steve Callahan said that Shanley had not checked in with the diocese. "That's the normal protocol, but if a priest is not functioning as a priest, they may choose not to contact the diocese in which they are staying." The secretary at Sacred Heart Church in Ocean Beach knew nothing about Shanley. "I've worked here for six years and I know of no priest by that name ever being here."

The apartment on Ladera Street, is not visible from the street. Hidden in a grove of eucalyptus trees, 4401 Ladera Street is three cinder-block bungalows surrounded by a chain link fence and perched at the edge of Sunset Cliffs. It can be approached by a trail from the top of the stairs at Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and Ladera street or a beach parking lot with a driveway further east on Ladera Street. The entrance is a locked wooden gate on its east end with a sign reading "no admittance." A carved tile on the gate's concrete frame reads "Villa Surf." Inside the complex is an upper bungalow with an open yard and two bungalows lower on the cliffs that are entered through courtyards with locked front gates. A college-aged boy living in the upper bungalow said that older men lived in each of the lower bungalows but did not recognize the priest's name. When given Shanley's description as a tall, 71-year-old man, he asked, "Is he like, really rich?"

One nearby homeowner expressed dismay that one of Boston's pedophile priests might be living so close to her. "The city owns those units and rents them out. One of the guys in there has lived there for years and is trying to prevent the city from tearing them down. I know a another man moved in there recently, but I haven't seen him."


IS HOLY TRINITY CHURCH IN EL CAJON slated for the San Diego diocese's renovation chopping block? According to two people who attended Masses there on Sunday, February 24, the answer is "Yes."

A source who attended one of the morning Masses said that the pastor, Father Brian Corcoran, "gave a very short homily, like five minutes, maybe not even that. He then introduced this woman from the finance committee, and she went up to the pulpit. She talked about people pledging to try to pay off the existing parish debt which is $120,000 and said that the diocese would match dollar-for-dollar the money that would be raised this year. So, all they have to raise is $60,000, and they want to get that paid off this year so they can start on the renovation of the church. She talked a little bit more about the church and about being part of the parish -- the usual.

"Then, when she finally sat down, Fr. Brian came back and said it would be so wonderful to have this paid off going into the 100th anniversary of the parish next year, and they could start on the renovation of the church. He held his hands up and said 'It really needs it.' It does need paint."

Another person who attended the 5:30 p.m. Mass that day said, "Fr. Brian began the homily talking about the Gospel reading, the Transfiguration, then segued into a dicussion of the parish's indebtedness and repeated a slogan, 'Debt free by 2003.' He called up to the pulpit a man named Bill who is the president of the parish pastoral council.

"Bill talked about how he's been a parishioner at Holy Trinity for years and how his children went to school and were confirmed there. Then he talked about the debt and how it's restricting the parish from doing greater things. He said the diocese excused the interest on the debt last year, and this year is going to match the remainder, so the parish only has to raise $60,000 by the end of December. I'm afraid they will meet that goal, and then the wrecking ball will come in.

"Bill said that the church needs to be 'repaired' for the 100th anniversary. Neither he nor Fr. Brian used the word 'renovation' but I have read Michael Rose's book, The Renovation Manipulation, and it says that 'repairs' are often used as a ruse to trick parishioners into a full-scale renovation.

"My brothers and sister and I were all baptized at Holy Trinity, and my aunt was married there," said the parishioner. "I think it's one of the most beautiful churches in San Diego, with marble flooring, brilliant stained glass windows, and a baldacchino 'top' over the main crucifix mural. It's probably one of the last churches in San Diego that still has a Communion rail and center tabernacle, so you can be sure the diocese wants to destroy it."


THE FOLLOWING "LETTER FROM EVI," appeared in the March, 2002 newsletter of Call to Action of San Diego County, written by Evi Quinn, a past president of the San Diego chapter:

"As I reflect on the problems that the church is faced with in many ministries, I also reflect on the role that Call To Action is playing (and can play). As a chapter, we have so much to offer for renewal in the church, with incredibly gifted members. Hopefully, we can get recommitted; where is the wonderful spirit that filled the chapter when we started 6 years ago? Our most recent program had "good" attendance, but that included, sadly, only a handful of actual members. In the meantime, the Social Ministry Office of the diocese is beginning to have some respect for us, and that is a tremendous step in the right direction."


WHY DID USD PROVOST FRANK LAZARUS fail to get the job he applied for at Duquesne University last year? The good news is that one of the bishops of Pittsburgh sometime last year asked Bishop Brom about Lazarus, and our bishop responded that Lazarus was not strong on Ex Corde Ecclesiæ the papal document in which Rome urged bishops to beef up Catholic teaching at Catholic colleges).

Which gives extra meaning to Lazarus' words in the fall edition of USD's magazine: "The first expectation [of Ex Corde] is that certain Catholic colleges and universities must submit their statutes and governing documents to the local Bishop for approval. This concern has been alleviated with language in the Conference of Catholic Bishops' official application of Ex Corde Ecclesiæ to the United States, which calls for the bishop to "affirm" rather than "approve" a university's statutes (San Diego Bishop Robert H. Brom is a member of USD's Board of Trustees, the body which sets the university's bylaws)."

So at least if Bishop Brom couldn't refuse to affirm USD statutes, he could prevent Lazarus from a higher job elsewhere.


IN THE FEBRUARY 28 EDITION of the Southern Cross, Bishop Brom penned a statement inside the front cover entitled, "Responding to Sexual Abuse" followed by a statement by Bishop Wilton Gregory, the new president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. In his statement, Bishop Brom writes:

"In the Diocese of San Diego, we have policies in place which promptly and effectively address allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of priests and other church ministers. Our procedures fully embrace all legal requirements and pastoral concerns. At the present time, unresolved cases of sexual misconduct in other dioceses have brought us to the painful awareness that continued vigilance is necessary in this regard."

One mother whose son was molested by a priest in San Diego could not disagree more. "Ours has been an experience that has driven my son away from the Church, left my husband totally disenchanted with the policies of the diocese and left myself bitter."

When this mother (who asked not to be named for her son's privacy) and her husband in the 1990s contacted the diocese to inform them of the molestation, the diocesan attorney called them back to request that a representative from the diocese's insurance company be present at the upcoming meeting to discuss her son's case. "We were assured this was a normal procedure. But after discussing this, we called back and asked that the insurance representative not come to the meeting. Since the diocese's attorney was handling this, we thought we should not go to the meeting without legal representation, so we hired an attorney. My husband, my attorney, and myself met with our son's psychologist, who was emphatic that he had no doubts about what our son had told him (the molestation took place five years previously). We then went with our attorney to meet with the diocesan attorney and after discussing the situation, the diocesan attorney assured us that the diocese would look into the matter.

"After a time, the diocese offered $5000 to settle out of court. We had hoped that the diocese would pay for our son's five years of treatment, plus the therapy for our family to deal with this tragedy. The offer was a total insult in light of the fact that our out-of-pocket expenses for treatment at the time was nearly $35,000. Our attorney worked at cost, saying that to take a fee would be accepting blood money. The offer would have required a gag clause, which would have allowed the diocese to demand the money back if we discussed the case and implicated the diocese in any way. We told our attorney that the diocese could keep their 5000 'pieces of silver.' We would not give up our child's rights for $5000. We have since found out that the $5,000 settlement was the maximum offered by the insurance company that covers most of the dioceses in the United States.

"No one from the diocese has ever come forward to offer any spiritual guidance or minister to our family in any way. No one has ever checked to see how our son has dealt with his molestation. There has been no apology, but I guess that would be looked upon as an admission of guilt. It is interesting that, whenever I discuss this in the confessional, the confessing priest is always appalled at the way we have been treated. It has been suggested that our son try to sue again or that we send our message to Rome.

"We didn't go to trial originally because we did not want our child to become a victim a second time. The Lord only knows how many other victims this 'very popular' priest left behind. We believe that to go through a trial would only set our son up for humiliation and cause the priest to turn away from us in our own parish. Our son did not tell us what had happened to him until five years after this priest had died and a week after he had try to hang himself in our garage. I know there is a devil because my family has been through hell and back. It's been my belief in God that has kept me going and not anything I've received from the local diocese."


ANOTHER CASE that calls the Southern Cross statement into question is that of Father Robert White -- a priest who was soliciting men 18-25 on the Internet's homosexual chat rooms, gave altar boys the keys to the rectory, and who spent thousands in parish funds on a hot tub for his rectory. Parents of teenage boys, when they reported their concerns to the bishop, said that Bishop Brom threatened to sue them for "slandering" one of his priests. After being removed as pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Ocean Beach in July of 1996 (the housekeeper found and passed on copies of the chat room messages), White was sent to a Arizona treatment center, where he stayed for less than a month. White moved in to the rectory at St. Francis parish in Vista until the diocese attempted to appoint him as an associate pastor in July, 1998 at St. Catherine Laboure parish in Clairemont. Alert parishioners who had read a Little Note about White's past exploits demanded his removal from their parish -- a parish filled with young families and predatory opportunities. The diocese finally agreed.


HEALTH-CARE WORKERS at the St. Vincent De Paul clinic on Imperial Avenue in downtown San Diego provided services to 6,248 patients in calendar year 2000, according to the most recent report available from the office of statewide health planning and development. The "annual utilization report" filed by St. Vincent De Paul for the period Jan. 1, 2000 to December 31, 2000 revealed that the clinic provides no "family planning" services. Highlights from the report show that most patients were over 20 years old and received "preventive public health services." St. Vincent De Paul reported 24,528 "encounters" (referrals), including 2,570 for mental health problems. Operating revenue was reported as $1,496,350. Slightly over 42 percent of the patients were Hispanics, 38 percent were white and nearly 15 percent were black. Forty-eight percent of the patients were listed as "homeless."


DESPITE A PRO-LIFE MAJORITY, the Supreme Court of Mexico has failed to overturn a liberalized abortion law adopted in Mexico City. The law, approved on Aug. 18 by left-leaning political parties, expands the circumstances under which a woman can obtain an abortion in cases of rape, and permits abortion in cases of severe fetal deformity. The law reduced the maximum penalty for a woman who has an illegal abortion from five years to three years in prison. The law applies only in Mexico City, which has its own legislature, and does not affect anti-abortion laws in Mexico's 31 states.

The law was challenged as unconstitutional by members of the National Action Party, which is the party of President Vicente Fox, and by the Green Ecology Party. While the Mexican high court unanimously agreed that human life is protected by Mexico's constitution from conception to natural death, minority justices blocked the court from declaring outright that the Mexico City law is unconstitutional because it takes eight votes on the 11-member court to make such a ruling. On Jan. 29, the court voted 6-5 to find the rape provision unconstitutional, and on Jan. 30, voted 7-4 that the fetal deformity exception was also unconstitutional. But, because there were not eight votes, the law was upheld. The minority justices said that, while it is true that Mexico's constitution protects unborn human life, it is up to the legislature to decide whether particular acts are criminal. They said the legislature has the power to "absolve and excuse" conduct that would otherwise be considered illegal.

Shortly after the law was passed, Cardinal Norberto Rivera, the archbishop of Mexico City, led more than 25,000 pro-lifers in a Sept. 24 protest at the Zocalo in downtown Mexico City. The cardinal said abortion was never permissible and that Catholics who supported abortion were automatically excommunicating themselves from the Church.


ST. WILLIAM OF YORK CHURCH'S Sunday, March 3 bulletin announced a two-part presentation to be given by Michael DeSanctis, liturgical design consultant, at the parish on March 4 and March 6. His presentation was titled "The Story of Christian Worship and Its Architectural Setting." DeSanctis gave a presentation by the identical name for the diocesan office for liturgy and spirituality in January, 2001.

DeSanctis' principle for designing church buildings is that, in most cases, old is bad and new is good. In the slide shows accompanying his talks he points out evils of the design and art of traditional churches and the superiority of Bauhaus-style buildings and furnishings. The designs DeSanctis promotes have a horizontal focus, rather than the vertical focus found in traditional churches.

Writing in the April 21, 2000 National Catholic Reporter, DeSanctis blasted the University of Notre Dame's Institute of Sacred Architecture for eschewing modernist design in favor of classical, sacred architectural elements. He described their designs as "an expanse of lovely, antiqued shrine boxes" that would be embraced by "today's tabernacle-obsessed bishops, biretta-topped seminarians and a handful of cardboard monsignori." DeSanctis is the design consultant for St. William of York's planned new church building east of Del Mar. A large, new parish with many young families, St. William's uses a temporary, multipurpose facility as a "worship center." According to the bulletin announcement, DeSanctis has served as the liturgical design consultant for 45 church architectural projects and "is recognized by the Diocese of San Diego." In addition to St. William's, he is the consultant for at least two other projects in the diocese: Queen of Angels in Alpine and St. Jerome's in South San Diego.


SAINT EPHREM MARONITE CATHOLIC CHURCH welcomed Bishop Robert Shaheen in his first pastoral visit to the parish on January 25. Before a divine liturgy for parishioners and Saint Ephrem's Academy students and their families, the bishop visited with the students at the parish rectory. The students sang during the liturgy and serenaded him afterward in Arabic and French at an outdoor dinner reception. In his homily the bishop told the students that the most important people are not necessarily "the ones who are always in the newspaper or the ones who are always on television; the real important ones are the ones who do good behind the scenes." He congratulated Saint Ephrem's for being the first American Maronite parish to establish a parochial school and expressed the hope that other Maronite parishes will do the same.

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