Last Saturday I presided at the 5 p.m. Mass. This was the first Mass at
which Bishop Frank Kane read his most recent letter about Fr. Bill
O’Brien’s continued withdrawal from ministry. (If you were not able to
be at Queen of Angels last weekend, you will find the letter elsewhere
in this edition.) By the time he ended the letter I noticed a sudden
pall had fallen over the congregation. The usual upbeat atmosphere of
the Mass had changed and was suddenly replaced with a blanket of
sadness that seemingly was laid over everyone.
The Parish staff and Parish Pastoral Council and I knew the contents of
the letter that would be read. So when I was preparing my homily it
became clear to me that the gospel to be read at this weekend’s masses
(Matthew 15: 21 – 28) could have poignant meaning for our parishioners,
but I also realized that it would not be appropriate to focus on it
before Bishop Kane read the letter. However, I thought that this week,
the week after the letter was made public, it might be helpful to share
that meaning with you in The Guide, especially since it might also be
some much needed comfort for us.
Estimados miembros de la familia parroquial de Queen of Angels:
Como ustedes saben a principios de este verano el Padre Bill O'Brien fue retirado de manera temporal como pastor de su parroquia después de recibir una acusación de que, aproximadamente 25 años atrás, había incurrido en una conducta sexual inapropiada con una persona menor de 18 años de edad. De acuerdo con las políticas arquidiocesanas, la Junta Independiente de Verificación de la Arquidiócesis de Chicago determinó en su revisión inicial que el asunto merecía investigarse más a fondo. El Cardenal George aceptó dicha determinación. La Junta recomendó entonces que el Padre O’Brien fuera retirado del ministerio parroquial mientras se llevaba a cabo dicha investigación. El Cardenal también aceptó dicha recomendación y tomó la decisión de retirar al Padre O’Brien del ministerio de manera temporal. El Fiscal del Estado del Condado de Cook fue informado de dicha acusación. Como se mencionó en aquel momento, el Proceso de la Junta de Verificación toma normalmente entre uno y seis meses.
Recientemente, la Junta de Verificación condujo una Revisión por Causa del asunto y determinó que existe causa razonable para sospechar que el abuso sexual al menor ocurrió. El Cardenal George ha aceptado esta determinación de la Junta y ha decidido que continúe el retiro del Padre O'Brien.
A transition is a fancy word for “change”. And change, as is well
known, is the only constant fact of life. Even in death our bodies
begin to “change” into dust! Life transitions are not only changes but
are also “passages” - the act or process, of passing from one place or
reality to another, from the old to the new. (Passages: Predictable
Crises of Adult Life by Gail Sheehy – 1977 – is an excellent book about
adult life transitions).
An unexpected transition suddenly began at Queen of Angels Parish on
the weekend of June 4 and 5 with the announcement of the withdrawal
from ministry of Fr. Bill O’Brien.
In some ways it was similar to the transition that a family experiences
when the father has a sudden heart attack. The Queen of Angels Parish
Family had no hint that it was coming and was not prepared. You had no
time to try on the idea of change of pastors and see how it might feel.
You never envisioned what possibilities a new pastor might bring, both
the good and the bad. You never planned how the transition might take
place. You never tried on the idea (even though many would not have
like doing so) of Fr. Bill’s leaving.
A great spirit of unity and strength has surged in the parish over the past week in support of Fr. O’Brien. There have been many requests to have an opportunity to pray for him as a community. Beginning this Monday evening, parishioners are invited to participate in a weekly rosary at 7:30 p.m. in the church. Let us place Fr. Bill under the protection of Mary, Queen of Angels through the rosary.
