In 2001 Fr. James Haley was given four hours to vacate the St. Mary's rectory in Fredericksburg, VA where he was a parochial vicar. His faculties were suspended and his preaching privileges were taken away. he was denied the right to wear clerical garb and was put under a penal precept of silence.
Why?
Did Fr. Haley molest a child?
Embezzle from the Church?
Murder a parishioner?
Strike the bishop?
No, his crime was providing Bishop Paul Loverde proof of the homosexual immorality of his pastor. It wasn't the first time. Father lived with one homosexual pastor after another during his 15 year service to the Church:
Pastors who had vicious collections of homosexual pornography,
A pastor who brought a little boy into his bedroom and others who engaged in homosexual relations with fellow priests or consenting adults, and some who "just" enjoyed the homosexual flirting and cameraderie of "the club."
Did Father make a public declaration? No, he brought the problem to the attention of his spiritual father, the bishop, as he should.
And did his spiritual father correct the situation? No, he moved Father Haley and allowed the homosexuals to continue on their merry ways.
Since Father's suspension in 2001, he has been an outcast - from his parishioners, his fellow priests, from the life of service he loved. He went from a respected and beloved spiritual father to a homeless vagabond - all for telling the truth - not to the world but to his bishop. I have watched the injustice for almost eight years and can no longer participate in the conspiracy of silence that allows a faithful priest to be a sacrificial lamb instead of the bishop's spiritual son. It is unjust and immoral.
Let me make it absolutely clear that this blog is entirely my doing and I have had no input or encouragement from Fr. Haley. Most of what appears here is a matter of public record that I am gathering in one place. I take full responsibility for the content.
Why am I doing it? Because I love Holy Mother Church who continues to suffer from the cancer of homosexuality, secrecy, and dissent. All three of those things tend to converge in the homosexual priest problem.
Finally, I ask Bishop Paul Loverde: Where, Your Excellency, is Fr. James Haley?
La Leche League Goes Woke!
2 hours ago
"Let me make it absolutely clear that this blog is entirely my doing and I have had no input or encouragement from Fr. Haley."
ReplyDeleteSo you are basically conjuring up a controversy based on hearsay and your own suppositions about this case without all the facts?
Your statement doesn't follow. There are plenty of facts in the public record. I have also known Fr. Haley for about twenty years. He is like a younger brother to me and my husband. He officiated at our 25th wedding anniversary and baptized our oldest grandchild. He counseled some of our children and heard our family's confessions. I have first-hand experience of what a faithful priest he is.
ReplyDeleteAs for the blog, I have been thinking and praying about starting it for a year. I simply wanted to make it perfectly clear that this was MY IDEA and not something Fr. Haley suggested or urged me to do.
As for having "all the facts" I've made it clear I don't because the entire case has been shrouded in secrecy - just like the sex abuse cases. Who is being protected? Certainly not Fr. Haley.
And why don't you come out from behind your anonymity and have a real dialogue?
Mrs. Kreitzer
ReplyDeleteI have appreciated the good work that you do but think you are carrying water that Fr. Haley himself should carry. His has every right to inform his confidants of his ecclesial status. You should face, at least the possibility, that his present silence is enlightened self interest.
I have never heard of something this strange. Why won't he appeal directly to the Pope?
"Why won't Fr. Haley himself appeal directly to the Pope?"
ReplyDeleteMaybe because he was told that further disclosure would shed negative light on the Mother Church. Moreover, he was likely told that he follow hierarchy protocol, and defer to higher ups, like the Bishop.
I hope that enlightens some.
I once had some ineraction with the spokeswoman for the Bishop in VA. After our call ended, I realized, she had lied to me, bigtime. I called her back a week later and told her she was a liar and she knew she was lying. Somehow I then made a remark about Bishop Bernadin being a homo, and she went wacko on the phone. Laverde is a evil bishop, facts are facts. I know of a priest who was like Fr. Haley, and the homo priests and bishops gave him a living hell for 10 yrs. Very sad.
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ReplyDeleteAs a parish member of another church who had a priest go out due to porn on his computer (Fr. Brooks from Leesburg), I feel your pain. Indeed, in the end, we got a great pastor and a parochial vicar who taught the Faith with complete orthodoxy and conformity (I really think this was by the grace of God). However, this doesn't mean that having priests who are porn addicts are good thing -- we need to rat them out, just like Fr. Haley did, then send them to Sexaholics Anonymous (I have been in this situation before).
ReplyDeleteAlso, before I leave, I want to say this: it is nice to complain against the Bishop (and we need to), but maybe we should pray for his conversion to the Light. I'm just saying -- if he won't respond to calls from the people, he'll have to respond to calls from God. But that's just my idea there.
I will report this claim to law enforcement. Frankly, I'm appalled - but not surprised - that apparently nobody else has.
ReplyDeleteCardinal Schonborn got it right when he said that Cardinal Angelo Sodano had “deeply wronged” sex-abuse victims in an Easter Sunday statement that characterized their complaints as “gossip.” The Austrian cardinal had also said that Cardinal Sodano resisted calls for a thorough investigation of sex-abuse complaints against Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer. Cardinal Sodano has been slithering around in the Vatican for years, making it safe for sodomy.
ReplyDeleteMARY ANN, NOW I GET IT. THIS STEMS FROM YOUR LOVE FOR YOUR PAST PRIEST. IF HE KNEW THIS WAS GOING ON AND KNEW THE LITTLE BOY WAS IN THE BEDROOM WITH A PRIEST HE SHOULD HAVE CALLED 911 RIGHT AWAY. HE TURNED A BLIND EYE KIND OF LIKE GIVING THE PEOPLE ON DOPE A CLEAN NEEDLE. THAT WAS YOUR WORDS FOM ANOTHER POST. SO THIS IS WHY YOU ARE ON A HOT TRAIL TO GO GAY BASHING...THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME FIGURE YOU OUT.....JULIE
ReplyDeleteI just read info on this priest and makes me sad and angry. Disgusting what this bishop has done to him. I will pray for him and more priests should have the courage this priest has. The church needs to get rid of this corruption. God bless fr Haley.
ReplyDeleteMa'am,
ReplyDeleteI was a parishioner (and still am) at St. Mary's when Father Haley and Father Hamilton were both here. Thank you so much for this blog. What the Bishop did was horrible. I knew Father Haley and he was a good man and a fine priest.
Shawn Smart
St. Mary's Catholic Church
Fredericksburg, VA
I know this is late to correct the record, but reading through these comments I noticed several about the child. What Father did when this happened was confront Fr. Verrecchia and call the parents to come and get the child. He did NOT ignore the situation.
ReplyDeleteMary Ann,
ReplyDeleteWith the new bishop can we expect to hear the truth? It is indeed sad that our shepherds have earned so much distrust and disrespect, bishop Burbage could set the record straight. Or do we have to wait until Fr. Haley is dead and a cause for his sainthood is entered on the basis of his following orders to remain silent?
Sorry I didn't reply to this. It just escaped my intention. I don't expect Fr. Haley to be canonized. I would like to see him vindicated, though. When Bishop Loverde was about to retire I sent a letter asking him to undo the damage he did. He didn't respond and I didn't expect him to. It is sad to see him going about the diocese being acclaimed as a good bishop after what he did to Fr. Haley with absolute malice. I pray for him and that's what I said in my letter, but when you have committed a grave wrong, you have a duty to correct it to the degree possible. He never has. As for Bishop Burbidge, he seems to be friendly man who keeps his head down. We need more bishops who are willing to take on evil with courage like today's saints, Peter and Paul, who were both martyred for their efforts. I don't see many, if any, bishops in the U.S. who are willing to follow in their footsteps. The seem more interested in protected the diocesan assets than in defending the faith.
DeleteBishop Burbidge is no better. Burbidge allowed 3 young students attending St Thomas Aquinas Regional School in Woodbridge VA to almost be expelled. Their crime? None, but when the parents proved without a shadow of a doubt with audio tapes of the lies told by the principal, a SISTER, of all things, he would not protect them. The expulsion was avoided, but the boys were not allowed to return to the school for the new school year. A school the oldest had been in for 6 years without any behavioral or academic issues of any kind ever. The parents were told that the boys could finish out the year (spring of 2017) so long as they told no one what had been done to the boys. I am not kidding. This conversation from the current Superintendent of Schools, Jennifer Bigelow. So this new group of leaders of the Arlington Diocese are all from North Carolina. Burbidge has his network and there is no breath of fresh air.
ReplyDeleteMarist and the Marinist are two separate orders. The Society of Mary, Marists, is not the same as the Marinists in Dayton Ohio.
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