Disgraced pedophile Teddy McCarrick has gall to plead not guilty

 

McCarrick — Once A Powerful Cardinal — Pleads Not Guilty To Sexual Assault Charges

Updated September 3, 202110:40 AM ET 

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked by the Roman Catholic Church over sexual abuse allegations, faces charges that he sexually assaulted a 16-year-old boy during a wedding reception in Massachusetts nearly 50 years ago.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

DEDHAM, Mass. — Former Roman Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the once-powerful American prelate who was expelled from the priesthood for sexual abuse, pleaded not guilty Friday to sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy during a wedding reception in Massachusetts nearly 50 years ago.

McCarrick, 91, wore a mask and entered suburban Boston's Dedham District Court hunched over a walker. "Shame on you!" a protester shouted.

He did not speak during the hearing, at which the court entered a not guilty plea on his behalf, set bail at $5,000, and ordered him to stay away from the victim and have no contact with minors.

McCarrick is the only U.S. Catholic cardinal, current or former, to ever be criminally charged with child sex crimes.

McCarrick's attorney, Katherine Zimmerl, said afterward that they are "looking forward to addressing the allegations in court" and would have no other immediate comment.

The next hearing was set for Oct. 28.

Allegations against McCarrick publicly emerged four years ago

McCarrick, who now lives in Dittmer, Missouri, faces three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14, according to court documents. He can still face charges in the case because he wasn't a Massachusetts resident and had left the state, stopping the clock on the statute of limitations.

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"Today's arraignment provides hope for many clergy sex abuse victims and survivors that justice will prevail, truth will be told and children will be kept safe," said Mitchell Garabedian, an attorney for the victim who has represented dozens of others who allege they were abused by clerics.

"My client, in coming forward, has shown an enormous amount of courage, and he's ready to see this trial through the end," he said.

McCarrick's fall began in 2017 when a former altar boy came forward to report the priest had groped him when he was a teenager in New York. The next year, the Archdiocese of New York announced that McCarrick had been removed from ministry after finding the allegation to be "credible and substantiated," and two New Jersey dioceses revealed they had settled claims of sexual misconduct against him in the past involving adults.

Pope Francis defrocked McCarrick in 2019 after a Vatican investigation determined he sexually abused minors, as well as adults.

A two-year internal investigation into McCarrick found that three decades of bishops, cardinals and popes downplayed or dismissed reports of sexual misconduct. Correspondence showed they repeatedly rejected the information outright as rumor and excused it as an "imprudence."

The investigative findings released last year pinned much of the blame on Pope John Paul II, who appointed McCarrick archbishop of Washington, D.C., despite having commissioned an inquiry that confirmed McCarrick slept with seminarians.

Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, left, arrives at Dedham District Court on Friday.

Michael Dwyer/AP

He allegedly told a victim to pray to be redeemed of his sins after the abuse

In the Massachusetts case, authorities began investigating McCarrick after the accuser's attorney, Mitchell Garabedian, sent a letter to the district attorney's office alleging the abuse, according to the court records.

The man told authorities during an interview in January that McCarrick was close to his family when he was growing up and that the abuse started when he was a young boy.

The man said that during his brother's wedding reception at Wellesley College in June 1974 — when he was 16 — McCarrick told him that his father wanted him to have a talk with McCarrick because the boy was "being mischievous at home and not attending church."

The man said that the two of them went for a walk around campus and McCarrick groped him before they went back to the party. The man said McCarrick also sexually assaulted him in a "coat room type closet" after they returned to the reception, authorities wrote in the documents.

The man told investigators that before leaving the room, McCarrick told him to "say three Our Fathers and a Hail Mary or it was one Our Father and three Hail Marys, so God can redeem you of your sins," according to the report.

He also described other instances of sexual abuse by McCarrick over the years, including when the man was an adult, according to the court records. The Associated Press generally doesn't identify people who report sexual assault unless they agree to be named publicly.

McCarrick was a face of the church's response to the 2002 scandal

Ordained as a priest in New York City in 1958, McCarrick ascended the church ranks despite apparently common knowledge in the U.S. and Vatican leadership that "Uncle Ted," as he was known, slept with seminarians.

The case against McCarrick and other Catholic clerics is especially raw in Boston, where the global priest sex abuse scandal first was exposed.

Reporting by The Boston Globe's Spotlight team helped break open the scandal in the Archdiocese of Boston in 2002. The reporting uncovered how dozens of priests in the archdiocese had molested and raped children for decades while church higher-ups covered it up and shuffled abusive priests from parish to parish.

A movie about the Globe's reporting, "Spotlight," won the 2016 Academy Award for best picture.

McCarrick became one of the most visible Catholic Church officials in the U.S. and even served as the spokesman for fellow U.S. bishops when they enacted a "zero tolerance" policy against sexually abusive priests in 2002.

Cardinal George Pell was convicted of sexual abuse in his native Australia, but his conviction was ultimately thrown out. And French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin was convicted but later acquitted of charges that he covered up for a notorious pedophile priest.

Catholic Charities and more fully engaged in Hurricane Ida relief

 

Hurricane Ida: Catholics Mobilize to Help Communities in Need

Ida, a Category-4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, made landfall in Southeast Louisiana on Aug. 29 exactly 16 years after Hurricane Katrina.

NationSeptember 3, 2021

Editor's Note: CNA contributed to this report.

At least one Catholic church near New Orleans opened its doors to serve as an emergency shelter amid widespread power outages, wind damage and flooding caused by Hurricane Ida. 

St. Francis Xavier Church in Metairie, the city adjoining New Orleans to the west, served as an emergency overnight shelter, despite having lost electricity, for 34 residents of the seven-story Metairie Towers apartment building across the street, Peter Finney, editor of the Clarion-Herald, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, told the Register. 

“Metairie Towers lost its roof. And so, water obviously started peeling into the building. The fire chief came over to see Father Joe Palermo [St. Francis’ pastor] and said, ‘Can you take these people? Just get them out of harm’s way.’ He said, of course, and he opened up the church,” he said, adding that the residents, mostly elderly, were now safely housed with family.

Ida, a Category-4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, made landfall in Southeast Louisiana on Aug. 29 exactly 16 years after Hurricane Katrina. The storm proceeded to cause devastation as it worked its way across the eastern United States. 

Northeastern states declared emergencies late Sept. 1 and early Sept. 2. Numerous people were killed in New York, and tornadoes did heavy damage to parts of New Jersey as the evening storm caught many off guard with the severity of its rain and wind and resulting flooding.

In greater New Orleans, 95% of the area remained without electricity by press time. Mayor LaToya Cantrell imposed an 8pm to 6am curfew on New Orleans amid widespread power outages. Several deaths have been reported in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Amid the damage, the Archdiocese of New Orleans announced Aug. 30 that all schools and archdiocesan main administrative offices would remain closed until at least Sept. 6. In the nearby Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, all Catholic schools will remain closed “until further notice.”

According to Finney, the archdiocese was still in the process of assessing damage to parishes, schools and other properties. The power outages and inconsistent cellular service in the area were making reporting of damage difficult. Especially uncertain were how Lafitte, to the south of New Orleans, and some of the counties known as the river parishes, located along the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, fared.

“I keep going back to Katrina, where you sat in water for two to three weeks, and that was just a game changer. This is more of a wind event. And, right now, it looks okay in most parts of the archdiocese,” said Finney during a Sept. 1 Register Radio interview.

“St. Louis Cathedral had reported some roof damage to the steeples, but it’s certainly structurally fine,” he said. “Virtually every building in the archdiocesan school system got some kind of damage. But, right now, it does not look as though it is tremendously significant … things like roofs, shingles, windows, and some wind-driven rain into the schools. We’re still doing the assessment. So, again, this is just preliminary.”

New Orleans’ Catholic Charities has already begun to respond to needs, along with Second Harvest Food Bank, which is under the Archdiocese of New Orleans and serves 23 civil parishes of Southeast Louisiana. “They have already set up distribution sites, not only for food and water, but also for needed supplies for cleanup and things like that,” said Finney. 

“You hate to see any kind of tragedy. But I think, really, we have learned so much over the last 16 years about how to respond quickly, and the programs are in place.”

Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, urged prayers for those affected by the disaster. 

“I call on people of goodwill to join me in praying for the safety, well-being and protection of everyone in these impacted areas. 

“We also pray in a special way for the first responders, health-care workers and emergency personnel who bring relief, comfort and healing,” Archbishop Gomez wrote.

“I urge our Catholic faithful and all people of goodwill across the country to stand in solidarity with these impacted communities,” he said, recommending that all people of goodwill consider donating to Catholic Charities USA to help with relief efforts. 

Catholic Charities USA has said it will direct 100% of the funds raised through texts of “HurrIda” to 41444 to its agencies with residents impacted by Hurricane Ida.

The Pope known as the Great; Saint for Friday

 

Pope Saint Gregory the Great

Pope Saint Gregory I, also known as the Great, was the Pope of the Catholic Church between 590 and 604 AD.

Gregory was born around 540 in Rome. The exact date of his birth is unknown. Although the Western Roman Empire had collapsed long before his birth, many ancient Roman families still commanded great wealth and influence in the city. Gregory was born into one such family. His great-great-grandfather was Pope Felix III who reigned from 483 to 492. (Astute readers may suspect this to be a scandal, but this was at a time before the clergy took vows of celibacy.)

His father was named Gordianus, and he was a senator and a Prefect of Rome. Gordianus also held a position in the Church with the title of Regionarius, but there are no records from the time which describe the post. Gregory's mother was Silvia, also from a noble family. Silvia's sister (Gregory's aunt), Pateria are both recognized as saints in the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Gregory had a brother, but nothing is recorded, neither his name or his fate.

Gregory's family was very wealthy and owned estates on the island of Sicily which provided income.

When Gregory was just two years old in 542, the Plague of Justinian swept through the region. This plague was caused by a now-extinct strain of Yersinia Pestis, more commonly known as the Black Death. The plague was the most severe outbreak of deadly disease the world had ever known and remained the worst such incident until the Black Death in the 14th century. About a third of the population in Italy was wiped out by the disease.

In addition to disease, the barbarian Ostrogoths sacked Rome in 546. The Franks attempted an invasion in 554. Both of these incursions were short lived. It is unclear how these massive events impacted Gregory's development as a child, but it is thought his family retreated to Sicily during part of that time. Peace followed in Italy after these upheavals.

Gregory was well educated and excelled in all his studies. He also became an expert in law. He excelled so much he became the Prefect of Rome, just as his father had been. Gregory was only 33 years old.

After Gregory's father had died, Gregory had the family villa in Rome converted into a monastery. Today the monastery still stands as the San Gregorio Magno al Celio. This famous monastery fell into ruin in the following centuries but was restored during the 17th and 18th centuries.

As a monk, Gregory was hard and strict. When a monk on his deathbed confessed to stealing three pieces of gold, Gregory ordered he be left to die alone. After the poor monk had died, Gregory ordered his body thrown on a dung heap along with the three coins. Then, in a turn of heart, Gregory offered 30 Masses for the deceased monk.

Pope Pelagius II, who reigned from 579 to 590, chose Gregory to serve as an ambassador to the imperial court in Constantinople.

The Pope had a problem with the Lombards invading from the west. Gregory was ordered to request military aid from the emperor. But the emperor felt there were greater threats to the east, and he refused Gregory's request.

In 590, Pope Pelagius II died, and Gregory was proclaimed pope by acclamation. This was not something Gregory wanted, but he accepted the burden nevertheless.

Gregory made clear he preferred the monastic life in a series of writings praising it. He also referred to himself as a servant of God. The habit remains in practice to this day and many clergy still refer to themselves as servants.

Pope Gregory was famous for the emphasis he put on missionary work. He sent many people out to bring many to Jesus and into the Church. Anglo-Saxon Britain was, at that time, still on the frontier of Christendom. It was Pope Gregory who dispatched St. Augustine (of Canterbury) to Kent in 597 (not to be confused with St. Augustine of Hippo).

Pope Gregory made many changes to the Mass, some of which remain today, The position of the Our Father in the Mass remains where Pope Gregory placed it.

He emphasized the aspect of service to the poor for deacons. The number of deacons was increasing in number and they were seen as less essential as extensions of the Bishop than they were in the early Church. Deacons were often tasked with giving alms to the poor, and at least one was assigned to each church and ordained for this purpose.

Pope Gregory may have also established "cantus planus," known in English as plainchant. Most today know this style of singing as Gregorian Chant. The melodious, monophonic music is known throughout the Church and closely associated with medieval monasteries. Gregorian chant gives us the oldest music we still have in the original form, some dating to the centuries just after the death of Gregory. It remains a matter of some dispute just how involved Pope Gregory was in the development of the style. Some music historians argue the credit is a misattribution that rightly belongs to his less famous successor of a century later, Gregory II.

Pope Gregory was well known for his alms to the poor, and he gave quite generously of the riches donated to the Church by the wealthy people of Rome. Everything from money to land was given to the poor in some fashion. He made clear to his subordinates that their duty was to relieve the distress faced by the poor.

He ordered his clergy to go out into the streets to find and care for the poor in person. Any clergy who were unwilling to go into the streets and help the poor were replaced. Assets of the Church were liquidated to provide income for alms. Clergy doing this work were paid four times a year and given a gold coin as a sort of bonus.

When a famine struck Rome in the 590s, Pope Gregory ordered the Church to use its assets to feed the poor. At that time, the Church controlled nearly two thousand square miles of land, overseen by the clergy and used to generate income. Now, instead of selling the produce of the land, Pope Gregory ordered it shipped to Rome and given away for free. In this way, he saved thousands of people from certain death.

Pope Gregory himself refused to eat until his monks returned from their work of handing out food.

He also made certain to dine with a dozen poor people at each meal.

Gregory is widely considered the be the first medieval pope, and he was a prolific writer.

To all our readers, Please don't scroll past this.

Because of his great respect for the poor, it was Pope Gregory and the Church that became the most respected --and obeyed force in Rome and across Italy.

From the time of Gregory onwards, the people looked to the Church for government rather than the distant and indifferent emperors in Constantinople.

Pope Gregory suffered from arthritis in his last years. He died on March 12, 604 AD. He was immediately proclaimed a saint by means of popular acclaim.

Saint Gregory's relics remain in St. Peter's Basilica to this day.

In 1969, the Second Vatican Council moved Saint Gregory's feast day from March 12 to September 3 so it would not fall during Lent. During Lent, there are no obligatory memorials. The Eastern Orthodox Church also venerates Saint Gregory, honoring him on March 12.

Both Anglican and Lutheran Christians also venerate Pope Saint Gregory.

He is the patron saint of musicians, singers, students, and teachers.

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Brooklyn Bishop cleared of sexual abuse allegations

 

Vatican exonerates Brooklyn Bishop accused of sexual abuse

NEW YORK (AP) — The Vatican has concluded that allegations of sexual abuse dating back a half century against the Roman Catholic Bishop of Brooklyn do not “have the semblance of truth,” but an attorney for the accusers said they would press forward with their civil cases.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, said Wednesday that the Vatican has closed its investigation into allegations made separately by two men, who accused the bishop, Nicholas DiMarzio, of abusing them a half century ago when he was a priest in New Jersey.

DiMarzio denied the accusations made by his accusers, both of whom have filed civil claims against him.

“I repeat what I have said from the beginning. There is no truth to these allegations. Throughout my more than 50-year ministry as a priest, I have never abused anyone,” DiMarzio said in a statement. He said he “fully cooperated” with the investigation.

“I remain focused on leading the Diocese of Brooklyn as we are emerging from the darkness of the Coronavirus pandemic,” he said. “I ask for your prayers as I continue to fight against the lawsuits stemming from these two allegations, and as I now look forward to clearing my name in the New Jersey state courts.”

The Vatican’s handling of the case was being closely watched because it was among the first to come under new procedures put in place two years ago by Pope Francis to address allegations of sexual abuse against some of the church’s highest ranking clergy.

Critics, including the lawyer for his accusers, expressed concern that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, comprised of other bishops, would lack impartiality.

“The investigations concerning the credibility of my clients were subjective and biased because the investigators were controlled by and paid for by the Catholic Church,” said the men’s attorney, Mitchell Garabedian.

“The Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, which rendered the decision, is in the business of continuing the secrecy of clergy sexual abuse by hiding the truth,” Garabedian asserted.

One of his accusers, Samier Tadros, said the abuse began when he was 6 years old and a parishioner at Holy Rosary Church in Jersey City.

Tadros, who is now 48, has demanded $20 million in compensation.

The Associated Press does not typically identify victims of sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly, as Tadros has done.

In response to the allegations, Dolan hired a law firm to conduct an investigation. That inquiry was led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh.

The findings were then forwarded to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for its review, which determined that the accusations were baseless.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, more commonly known as SNAP, said it was not surprised by the Vatican’s actions and urged New York Attorney General Letitia James to conduct its own investigation.

“Given Bishop DiMarzio’s high rank in the Catholic Church — and especially given the fact that he had been tapped by Vatican leaders to investigate other prelates accused of wrongdoing — we believe true transparency and accountability will need to come from secular officials in New York and New Jersey, not Rome,” SNAP said in a statement.

The Attorney General’s Office did not have immediate comment.

Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a Boston-based group that has amassed a vast online archive of documents and reports alleging sexual wrongdoing by Catholic clergy, questioned the Catholic Church’s transparency in the matter and called on the Church to release all documents related to its investigation.

“Even if their investigation was thorough,” she said, “only Cardinal Dolan had the power to filter and interpret the evidence before sending” it to the Vatican.

Given the findings of the Vatican body, Dolan said in his announcement, it “will not authorize any further canonical process to address the accusations.”

Huge Pro-Life win at Scotus, Justice Roberts once again disappoints; Justice Sotomayer defends all abortion despite clinging to the Catholic label

Supreme Court denies request to stop Texas 6-week abortion ban, with John Roberts and liberals dissenting

 

(CNN)The Supreme Court formally denied a request from Texas abortion providers to freeze a state law that bars abortions after six weeks. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the three liberal justices in dissent.

The court's move means that the law -- which is one of the strictest in the nation and bans abortion before many people know they are pregnant -- will remain on the books.

Texas' 6-week abortion ban lets private citizens sue in an unprecedented legal approach

The law allows private citizens to bring civil suits against anyone who assists a pregnant person seeking an abortion in violation of the ban.

In an unsigned opinion, the majority wrote that while the clinics had raised "serious questions regarding the constitutionality of the Texas law," they had not met a burden that would allow the court to block it at this time due to "complex" and "novel" procedural questions.

The majority stressed that it had not formed a conclusion about the constitutionality of the law -- despite the order coming nearly 24 hours after the law, the tightest abortion restrictions since the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade, took effect.

"In particular, this order is not based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texas's law, and in no way limits other procedurally proper challenges to the Texas law, including in Texas state courts," the majority wrote.

There were several dissents. In one, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by her two liberal colleagues, called the majority's order "stunning."

"Presented with an application to enjoin a flagrantly unconstitutional law engineered to prohibit women from exercising their constitutional rights and evade judicial scrutiny, a majority of Justices have opted to bury their heads in the sand," Sotomayor wrote.

"No federal appellate court has upheld such a comprehensive prohibition on abortions before viability under current law," she wrote. "Taken together, the Act is a breathtaking act of defiance -- of the Constitution, of this Court's precedents, and of the rights of women seeking abortions throughout Texas."

Under normal circumstances a dissenting justice "respectfully dissents." Sotomayor simply wrote, "I dissent" -- revealing her deep frustration.

"The Court should not be so content to ignore its constitutional obligations to protect not only the rights of women, but also the sanctity of its precedents and of the rule of law, " she said.

Justice Stephen Breyer also omitted the "respectfully" from his dissent.

After it took effect early Wednesday morning, clinics across Texas drastically limited their services. Whole Woman's Health, which operates four clinics in Texas, said it is offering abortion services "only if no embryonic or fetal cardiac activity is detected in the sonogram," according to a spokesperson, and several other providers also are taking that limited approach.

RELATED: How Texas' 6-week abortion ban will make accessing the procedure nearly impossible for some

Roberts dissents, says court needed more time

Roberts said that he voted to block the law for now to give the court more time to consider the unusual statute.

Roberts said that the state Legislature had imposed a "prohibition on abortions after roughly six weeks" and then "essentially delegated enforcement of that prohibition to the populace at large" with the consequence of insulating the state from the responsibility of enforcing the law.

The law was designed to make it much more difficult to bring a pre-enforcement challenge because there are not the usual government officials to hold accountable in court.

How Texas' 6-week abortion ban will make accessing the procedure nearly impossible for some

The law allows any person -- as long as they're not a government official -- to bring a civil lawsuit in state court against a provider accused of violating the ban, regardless of whether the person bringing the lawsuit has any connection to the abortion being sought. If they prevail, they are entitled to at least $10,000 in damages, and the law is structured to make it especially costly for clinics that are targeted with an enforcement action. It prohibits clinics from recouping attorneys' fees from their court foes, even if a judge sides with the provider in the lawsuit. The measure also prevents clinics from seeking to transfer the cases to venues more convenient for them, unless they have the agreement of their opponents.

Future of Roe v. Wade

But by letting the law take effect, the conservative majority may already have tipped its hand on whether it is poised to reverse or at least undercut Roe v. Wade, the ruling that declared women's constitutional right to end a pregnancy.

Roberts' dissent likely signals the divisions to come.

"Alone among the conservatives, Chief Justice Roberts calls out the Texas law for what it is -- a transparent attempt not just to undermine Roe, but to make it hard for such a restriction to be blocked," said Steve Vladeck, CNN Supreme Court analyst and professor at the University of Texas School of Law.

"It's a pretty powerful sign that he, at least, is not ready to overrule Roe," Vladeck added. "But the million-dollar question that the 5-4 vote raises is whether, when the time comes, any of the other conservatives will join him."

Key conservatives such as Justice Clarence Thomas have not been shy in the past to vociferously express their opinion on the court's abortion docket. In 2019, Thomas, who has publicly said Roe was wrongly decided, declared that abortion jurisprudence has "spiraled out of control." And last year, Justice Neil Gorsuch did not mince his words about the court and abortion, saying: "We have lost our way."

All three of President Donald Trump's appointees -- Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett -- voted with the majority to let the Texas law remain in effect.

French Revolution Martyrs

 

Martyrs of September

A group of 190 martyrs who were massacred on September 2 and 3, during the French Revolution. The most prominent martyrs of this group were John Mary du Lau, the archbishop of ArIes; Francis de la Rochefoucauld, bishop of Beauvais; Louis de la Rochefoucauld, bishop of Saintes; Benedictine Augustine Chevreux, last su­perior general of the Maurists; Charles de la Calmette, the count of Valfons; Julian Massey: Louis de la Touche; and Carmes. One hundred twenty were martyred at the Carmelite Church on the rue de Rennes in Paris. They were all beatified in 1926.

 

Continue reading about Martyrs of September

Post Hurricane Ida update from abitadeacon

 So we are still away from home; day 6.  We left Saturday, Ida ravaged my neighborhood Sunday and we are estimated to be without power at least another week(although I hear the linemen are providing heroic service).  Yesterday we left Greenville Alabama and drove 8 hours, with two toddlers and two crazy dogs, and landed somewhere just north of Disney World.  Yep, you herd it.  In fact my daughter and granddaughter are at the House of Mouse as we speak.  Nona and Pops get to stay home and watch Walker and the dogs but don't feel bad for us.  Home is beautiful, huge, big time pool and all the TV and internet you can stand; not to mention electricity and AC.

As I read updates from home I am saddened by the devastation, the challenges, the hardships and at the same time inspired and encouraged by all the good citizens, volunteers and others taking care of each other, helping out and doing whatever it takes to survive and help neighbors.  When an area gets hit like this we are all in it together.  In fact, I feel a little guilty but trust me, evacuating is not without it's own set of challenges and complications.  And damn expensive too.

Slowly but surely churches will be back celebrating masses; many are already.  Other churches in the Archdiocese have huge challenges to overcome.  My home parish is having mass, organizing clean up crews and collecting and distributing much needed supplies.  God Bless the folks of dear St. Jane de Chantal in Abita Springs.

My plan is to stay another several days so the family can enjoy Disney and we, hopefully will have power restored soon.  If not, await plan C.

Pray for all who were impacted by this horrible hurricane.  Louisiana strong!   Abita Springs strong!  St. Jane de Chantal Parish strong!