Diocese of Worcester: Credible Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minor by Priest

Submitted by MassInsider t3_zlltl5 in WorcesterMA

This is sad, horrific, and all of that, but I can't get a grip on this part:

"the Diocese said that it scheduled Martineau for transfer to a new parish in January due to "concerns over boundary issues with a minor." They received more serious allegations before the transfer and put him on leave.

But still. They were going to transfer him. Seriously. Haven't we been here before? Pure insanity.

https://thisweekinworcester.com/diocese-worcester-martineau-abuse-minor/

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sceaga_genesis t1_j06iy2n wrote

My aunt prosecuted Nazis in the 80’s for DOJ’s Office of Special Investigations, then switched to internet crime in the 90’s, serving near 40 years before retiring a few years ago. She refers to the Church as an “international criminal syndicate”.

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CatumEntanglement t1_j07oxb5 wrote

I mean...she probably saw how the Catholic church did a really good job at helping Nazis flee Germany for Argentina using church money and expertly forged travel documents.

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CoolAbdul t1_j07t9zk wrote

AND the Vatican was a big backer of Pinochet.

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sceaga_genesis t1_j08ebgi wrote

Yeah, the list is long. My uncle worked for OSI as well (that’s where they met, how romantic), and it was always super interesting to hear in-depth stories, etc. from them before the age of instant news and commentary.

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CoolAbdul t1_j06jgkn wrote

Now do St. John's HS

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spitfish t1_j06rur7 wrote

Oy, I never considered that. How bad is it?

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CoolAbdul t1_j071zb5 wrote

More skeletons than an Indian burial ground, but they are experts at PR so they have seriously staunch defenders.

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[deleted] t1_j0kfdyr wrote

Personally, I never really heard much about such things when I attended. But as time has gone by, I've heard more and more...

I dunno how many of you remember this, but few years ago, they sent this mass letter about accusations of one Brother who was there for years. It was SUCH a PR letter, emphasizing how it was long ago, he's no longer there, we're a community, blah blah blah.

Then there's the growing number of former classmates and alumni I've talked to over the years who admit they were abused. Hell, I chatted with a guy just months ago who was a year ahead of me, and he admitted to briefly "dating" a male teacher at the time.

We were literal teens, I was doing freaking cross country while he was in the building with that teacher. Shady shit has been happening under our noses this whole time!

Just thinking about that freaks me out. I can understand some of you who wanna deny this was happening, believe me I know it's hard to swallow. But where there's smoke, there's fire. And SJ has been setting off its smoke detectors for decades.

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CoolAbdul t1_j0n6m6p wrote

That letter was a joke. I know of four brothers who should have been on the list. One was a Passionist, so they omitted him on a technicality. Such bullshit.

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madhatmatt2 t1_j06u2bn wrote

It’s not lol no priests live on campus it’s not even that like force religion on you you have to go to mass a few times a year with the entire school but that’s it lol. There’s even LGBTQ clubs. It honestly was a very progressive school. I graduated from there 2 years ago. Anybody saying that there is sexual abuse going on at saint johns obviously didn’t go there and has no idea how it’s run. As someone who was is an atheist I would defend saint johns. At no point would a student be in a situation where they could be assaulted by a religious figure or priest nor does the fact that it’s a religious school mean high school students would be any more likely than any other high school in Worcester.

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Wxzowski t1_j06uu08 wrote

Just because it didn’t happen to you doesn’t mean it never happened to anyone else lol

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[deleted] t1_j0kg5nl wrote

Ugh say it louder. I swear, people really get stupidly defensive over shit cuz they can't think beyond "it didn't happen to me" or "I never heard of that."

Well the world doesn't revolve around you, jerkasses.

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mtbmike t1_j070jm8 wrote

Graduated 78 and i know of two.

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madhatmatt2 t1_j080u4l wrote

That was 44 years ago I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s past cases of it happening but today there’s no way. Saint johns has turned into a school where wealthy parents send their troubled kid it would spread like wildfire if a student was raped by a priest in today day and age and it’s just not the same school it was 50 years ago.

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CoolAbdul t1_j085kn5 wrote

They're monks, not priests. And there aren't any of them left these days. And yes, it is not the same school it was back in the day. It is much more of a targeted product these days, competing with Bancoft, not SPM. But the schol has a deep and hidden history, and if it ever got out the brand would be permanently damaged.

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Wxzowski t1_j08dmpv wrote

Im sure people said the same thing about Penn state

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Fact420 t1_j07zzuk wrote

I graduated 16 years ago and we had a Phys Ed teacher that would watch us shower and make you dry off with paper towels in front of him if you forgot a towel. Is that still a thing?

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ace_vagrant t1_j091xv5 wrote

Loftus?

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Fact420 t1_j0j9nf5 wrote

I think he did it too, but I had Foley Jr.

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[deleted] t1_j0kbhjb wrote

Honestly, all the gym teachers were hella-weird like that...

Also I'm pretty sure I recall hearing about one gym teacher who unfortunately committed suicide. Wouldn't surprise me if SJ's culture drove him to that...

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Fact420 t1_j0lxq9s wrote

You might be talking about Coach Thomas. I’m not sure how he passed but it fits in with the timeline. Coach T was the man though, I was gonna say he was the only one I never heard any of that shit about.

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ICOrthogonal t1_j09n6sl wrote

…and another ex marine who later went on to become some sort of Dean of Discipline there. Violence/physical intervention was never more than a moment away with that one.

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[deleted] t1_j0kbfhy wrote

I remember that guy. He once freaked out and gave me detention cuz my hair wasn't short enough for the dress code. It was literally almost a damn buzz cut.

Dude was a power tripping psychopath.

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madhatmatt2 t1_j086434 wrote

No they put individual stalls in the shower rooms. I do remember my older brother talk about that though.

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[deleted] t1_j0kbjxa wrote

They did? Damn, I remember those showers being crowded communal spaces. Good times...

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CoolAbdul t1_j07dw7v wrote

>As someone who was is an atheist

In my experience, a giant percentage of SJ grads end up atheists. It's kind of fascinating.

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TrueNateDogg t1_j07rz65 wrote

Can confirm, I am one! Catholicism makes it really easy. I also turned out bisexual too, and learned that they were denying gay couples to the prom just after I graduated in 2012!

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CoolAbdul t1_j07t37n wrote

The brothers were one thing, but once the lay folks took over, the school got this really creepy hybrid evangelical vibe. The headmaster at the time had a lot to do with it. From what I have heard the vibe still persists because of some uber-catholic parents.

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[deleted] t1_j0kc9ke wrote

You mean Welch? That guy always did seem really off.

But he was very alumni-focused and I'm pretty sure he pushed the religious shit cuz he saw money in that.

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CoolAbdul t1_j0n74d5 wrote

Yes, but also I think he was a True Believer.

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madhatmatt2 t1_j083bwi wrote

I absolutely agree with you on that sj has a way of doing that to kids. The other thing I noticed is that a lot of kids hate it when they are there but are glad they went when they get older.

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CoolAbdul t1_j0864h6 wrote

YMMV. I got a very good education, both bookwise - good - and in the ways of people - bad. The school has one standard for the favored kids and another for the other kids. It has always been this way and continues to this day. And there are several schools with equal academic rigor that don't have the poisonous SJ culture.

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[deleted] t1_j0kckol wrote

"The school has one standard for the favored kids and another for the other kids."

Holy shit, SO true. This may just be me, but I always found it toxic as hell how they frequently awarded and lifted up a small handful of kids who excelled.

Like, my class was hundreds but always had the same couple dozen kids getting stupid amounts of attention. For lack of better word, it felt extremely neglectful of the rest of us.

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Unable-Bison-272 t1_j0arf0a wrote

Kind of a decent life lesson. People will treat you better if they like you.

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CoolAbdul t1_j0b4ru1 wrote

People will treat you better if your parents are wealthy donors.

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[deleted] t1_j0kcsoa wrote

Man, I remember some sports teams in my years had captains that weren't even damn starters. Guess how many had millionaire families? ALL of them.

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[deleted] t1_j0kc22l wrote

Cuz you grow up and realize how insulated you were in that place and how full of shit they were. I got caught up in all their religious bullshit, but now realize they were just groomers with extra steps.

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CoolAbdul t1_j0n6xp5 wrote

Some, I think, were decent men. Plunkett and More struck me as good people. Neri too.

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Enragedocelot t1_j09hniq wrote

> There’s even LGBTQ clubs

Fuck man, years ago I fought tooth and nail for the creation of one of those clubs.

Also then having clubs doesn’t do your argument any justice lol. Like they don’t equate.

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[deleted] t1_j0kdcs4 wrote

I attended during the 00s right at the height of the gay marriage stuff. Being out of the closet would've literally gotten me killed. The fact that there's clubs there now is fucking surreal to me.

Then again, $100 says such clubs are extremely monitored. I know of other schools that have literal campus ministers as leaders who not-so-subtly try to convert members to being straight and/or religious. If it isn't the same at SJ, I will be surprised.

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[deleted] t1_j0kdjis wrote

"it’s not even that like force religion on you"

Okay I stopped reading here. Bullshit, yes they do.

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ICOrthogonal t1_j09n0dc wrote

I went there in the 80’s and 90’s. There was active abuse during my entire four years. Occasionally I get a letter from some sort of law office disclosing more/owning up to some of what went on.

There are many skeletons in their history. I don’t know what they are like today.

> No priests live on campus.

Fascinating. During my time there, I’m not sure about priests….but there were many brothers (monks?) of the Xaverian order living in a building connected to the school. There was a small chapel there too. There were many more living there than who taught. Do they no longer live on prem?

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[deleted] t1_j0kgmo9 wrote

Some Brothers were still there as late as the 00s when I attended. Rarely saw them though, you would've thought they didn't live there.

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darksideofthemoon131 t1_j07o5ie wrote

St Peter Marian wasn't much better, OLA either.

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idkwhatimdoing25 t1_j08dzfl wrote

What happened at SPM? My husband went there and never heard about issues with priests there, he said they didn't even have a priest on campus during his time there except once a month for an hour or so when we did school-wide mass. Not that he would be surprised to hear abuses happened at SPM, he just never heard about them.

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sidran32 t1_j08klum wrote

As I was a student there (00-04), things happened, but it was moreso the teachers you'd hear about than the priest. They'd be "forced to resign" after an incident. Never heard a bad thing about the priest there, personally.

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[deleted] t1_j0kd1t9 wrote

You know, reading all these comments and replies about SJ and its toxic culture is making me feel so damn validated. I don't wanna say my time there was horrible or anything, but all you guys are putting into words a lot of shit I've bottled up for years.

I think I'm gonna have a long overdue therapeutic cry now, thank you all.

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swoldier_force t1_j06krn9 wrote

McManus should have been removed a long time ago. This is just another reason to add to the list.

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dpm25 t1_j070nzu wrote

Mean while.

https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2022/06/16/worcester-middle-school-stripped-of-catholic-status-for-flying-blm-pride-flags

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tootnine t1_j06j4cn wrote

It makes sense when you stop looking at it as incompetence and start looking at it as an organized pedophilia ring

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Evergreen_76 t1_j06sdl1 wrote

Not a single conservative group will protesting this church

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HighVulgarian t1_j07dg5g wrote

The meme is that it was uncovered years ago and no longer happens

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GoblinBags t1_j099bol wrote

This is what I thought about first. It's a group literally known to be operating a world-wide pedophile ring and coverup - one that has repeatedly been shown for decades now... And they're busy protesting story book time readings because the people reading it are queer or like to wear dresses. Where the fuck are the Proud Boy dickheads now?

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spitfish t1_j06ws8w wrote

It's OK when "they" do it because they are hurting someone who deserved it.

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Watchfull_Hosemaster t1_j06zzm8 wrote

This isn't surprising, considering the Roman Catholic Church is probably the worlds largest pedophile ring that seems to operate outside of the justice system.

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Look at the big moves by the RCC! What a punishment - transferring some kiddie diddler to a new parish! That will really show him and make him they mean business! This is ridiculous.

I don't know how anybody can take part in such an obvious corrupt organization. Still, parishoners attend Sunday mass. They kneel, stand, and sit. They are taught to feel extreme shame for being horrible sinners and then they are told that it's okay as long as you go into the penalty box, describe your misdeeds, and repeat some poems. They don't question the organization and instead they say that their priest or pastor or whoever is up on the stage is one of the good guys. They stick their heads in the sand, pat each other on the back, and go on with their merry lives completely ignoring that they are participating in a pedophile ring.

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aja09 t1_j07otuc wrote

Isn’t this what the Catholic Church always does? Find a pedophile or murderer, etc. and then transfer them to a new state or city?

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Watchfull_Hosemaster t1_j09ah6d wrote

Then after he dies, law enforcement will get involved and come forth with the crimes they committed like with what happened to the one out in Springfield recently. Richard Lavigne.

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RedRose_Belmont t1_j07uejj wrote

This is why I don't support the Catholic Church anymore.

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Dont_Call_Me_Sir t1_j090kzj wrote

This shit needs to stop like 50 years ago! People need to call the Cardinal in Boston. Plus I still have not heard a apology from the Diocese!

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GoblinBags t1_j098w9k wrote

What is the Cardinal going to do when even the Pope signs off on covering up pedophilia?

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Dont_Call_Me_Sir t1_j0admsd wrote

He can crack down on the bishop. At least he apologized to the people of Boston. I have never heard anything like that. I hope this a-hole goes to prison. We all know what happens to priest pedophiles. Just ask Dugan. Oh wait you can’t because he has killed in Shirley maximum.

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tracynovick t1_j0grngu wrote

The cardinal has no authority over the bishop. The diocese are separately accountable to the Vatican directly.

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Dont_Call_Me_Sir t1_j0j74hw wrote

That is so fucked up! No wonder there are so many pedophiles as priests.

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eekns t1_j07t1nr wrote

The Church has been grooming boys for centuries.

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More-Impact3644 t1_j08dxtv wrote

That's what the Church has always done with sex offenders. And when they run out of hiding places they bring them to the Vatican

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sh0n01 t1_j09w23v wrote

Reminder that you help pay for this sick fuck’s food, housing, and stipend if you give a single cent at mass.

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tugaim33 t1_j07jedt wrote

They were going to transfer him before there were abuse allegations. As soon as those came to light they suspended him and investigated. This isn’t the same thing as past scandals and the Worcester Diocese has done a remarkable job at keeping children safe for the last two and a half decades.

That said, if this guy did it I hope they shoot him out of a canon into space.

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CoolAbdul t1_j07olf2 wrote

>the Worcester Diocese has done a remarkable job at keeping children safe for the last two and a half decades.

I really don't think this is the props you seem to think it is.

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SuperSpartacus t1_j07v74j wrote

Lol, do you actually believe this? I’d love to hear about the thorough investigation the launched into the “boundary issues” before shuffling him to a new parish

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sceaga_genesis t1_j08d31p wrote

I once had to interview for a christening in the diocese and this is the exact same vague language they used to describe all the other “troubles” and “issues” that had come to light. They wanted to know why I had gone away from the Church for so many years and I was honest with them, but they can’t even be honest with themselves.

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uselessknowledger t1_j08eamv wrote

Yes, that's an accurate reading of the article. Says that he was going to be transferred because we needed to grow the certain way, and that that process was interrupted because he was accused of doing something terrible, they immediately acted. Completely agree with criticizing their past behavior, but to criticize the seams to be a misread of the situation to me

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Absurdity_ t1_j0a9gy9 wrote

“In a statement issued on Monday, the Diocese said that it scheduled Martineau for transfer to a new parish in January due to "concerns over boundary issues with a minor."

The church knew about “boundary issues with a minor” and the solution was to transfer him to a new parish. Does that seem like a good solution to you?

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