First, the priest who made the allegations public after the diocese did nothing and was punished for it, Fr. Michael Madden, is now leaving the priesthood.
“The decision to leave the priesthood was extremely difficult, and one that I pondered for a very long time — from my perspective, I gave a large chunk of my life for the church, and I hope that my ministry has been somewhat successful and I was able to reach people at different points in their lives with the Lord,” he said.
Father Madden said that because his approach and background are different from other priests, he didn’t always fit in.
“I worked before I was in the seminary, so I know what it is like to sit in the pews, pay bills and the responsibilities the people in the pews have — I think I brought some of that perspective to my ministry — I very often came up against difficulty in the priesthood because there seems to be a desire for uniformity, and for better or for worse, I’m a little different,” he said.
“Didn’t fit in” is usually another way of saying that he didn’t play politics and instead stuck to what is right despite the personal cost. I’ve known a few priests like that, silenced by their superiors, exiled to distant parishes, passed over for pastorships. A priest like St. John Vianney or St. Louis de Montfort today would be a virtual pariah in most American dioceses. It’s a crime that courageous and orthodox priests are marginalized, even to the point of driving them from ministry, even as we struggle with a priest shortage. For years, perverts were coddled and shuffled from place to place under the mistaken belief that they could be cured of their perversions. Yet, apparently some priests are afflicted with an incurable disease: faithful and vocal orthodoxy.
I’ll say a prayer for Fr. Madden and perhaps send up a prayer that he might reconsider his decision and find himself incardinated in a new diocese that welcomes men like him. Dawn Eden offers a heartfelt, personal reflection Fr. Madden and his ministry.
“I worked before I was in the seminary, so I know what it is like to sit in the pews, pay bills and the responsibilities the people in the pews have — I think I brought some of that perspective to my ministry — I very often came up against difficulty in the priesthood because there seems to be a desire for uniformity, and for better or for worse, I’m a little different,” he said.
Contrast that statement with those of other priests recently removed from ministry. I’m thinking particularly of the Florida priest who was excommunicated by his bishop for joining a schismatic group and planning to marry and his self-serving and self-centered parting words. By contrast, Fr. Madden’s primary concern appears to be for his parishioners and for the vocation that had been entrusted to him.
Fay’s denials
Meanwhile, Fr. Fay has “broken his silence” in a phone interview with the same newspaper. Fay denied any kind of homosexual relationship with the man described as his “partner” and denied that any sexual activity occurred in the rectory.
“There was never any homosexual activity or salacious parties in the rectory — the slander of that kind has been very hurtful, and I don’t know why he (Father Madden) would say that,” he said. “I had many friends stay over throughout the years, and many family, and they stayed on couches and in the tiny guest room — no one ever slept with me,” he said.
However, Fr. Madden was never the source of those allegations. Those came from parishioners, parish employees, and media reporting. Remember this blog entry’s reporting of allegations by the Stamford Advocate:
The Rev. Michael Jude Fay, who resigned as pastor from St. John Roman Catholic Church in May amid accusations he stole at least $200,000 from the parish, and wedding planner Cliff Martell appeared with other couples in the January-February issue of Philadelphia Style magazine—dubbed the “sexiest issue ever”—answering the question, “Where was your most romantic Philadelphia dining experience?”
That’s just one example. If there wasn’t a homosexual relationship, then Fay was at the least very imprudent in leaving the impression that there was one. As for my opinion, I’ll stick with Occam’s Razor.
In response to Father Fay’s comments, Father Madden said most of what the media has reported about what he has said has come from other sources. Father Madden did not detail any activity that occurred in the rectory to The Darien Times, other than to say it was his own problem to deal with. “The things that were attributed to me in other media outlets as to what went on in there, the people did not hear it from me,” he said.
However, he did say that some things “went on” while he was at St. John Parish with Father Fay. “As far as what went on there (at St. John), it was not a product of my imagination.”
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Latest from Darien, CT: Fr. Madden leaves, Fr. Fay denies
The Darien (Connecticut) Times has a package of stories today about the case of Fr. Michael Jude Fay and St. John’s parish. (Previous Bettnet coverage: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
First, the priest who made the allegations public after the diocese did nothing and was punished for it, Fr. Michael Madden, is now leaving the priesthood.
Marginalizing brave, faithful priests
Technorati Tags:bishops, Bridgeport, Catholic, financial misconduct, homosexuality, priest, priesthood
“Didn’t fit in” is usually another way of saying that he didn’t play politics and instead stuck to what is right despite the personal cost. I’ve known a few priests like that, silenced by their superiors, exiled to distant parishes, passed over for pastorships. A priest like St. John Vianney or St. Louis de Montfort today would be a virtual pariah in most American dioceses. It’s a crime that courageous and orthodox priests are marginalized, even to the point of driving them from ministry, even as we struggle with a priest shortage. For years, perverts were coddled and shuffled from place to place under the mistaken belief that they could be cured of their perversions. Yet, apparently some priests are afflicted with an incurable disease: faithful and vocal orthodoxy.
I’ll say a prayer for Fr. Madden and perhaps send up a prayer that he might reconsider his decision and find himself incardinated in a new diocese that welcomes men like him. Dawn Eden offers a heartfelt, personal reflection Fr. Madden and his ministry.
Contrast that statement with those of other priests recently removed from ministry. I’m thinking particularly of the Florida priest who was excommunicated by his bishop for joining a schismatic group and planning to marry and his self-serving and self-centered parting words. By contrast, Fr. Madden’s primary concern appears to be for his parishioners and for the vocation that had been entrusted to him.
Fay’s denials
Meanwhile, Fr. Fay has “broken his silence” in a phone interview with the same newspaper. Fay denied any kind of homosexual relationship with the man described as his “partner” and denied that any sexual activity occurred in the rectory.
However, Fr. Madden was never the source of those allegations. Those came from parishioners, parish employees, and media reporting. Remember this blog entry’s reporting of allegations by the Stamford Advocate:
That’s just one example. If there wasn’t a homosexual relationship, then Fay was at the least very imprudent in leaving the impression that there was one. As for my opinion, I’ll stick with Occam’s Razor.
COMMENTS
He should see if somewhere like Lincoln or Denver would take him. Heck, I bet even Boston would.
Posted by infanted on 08/31/06 at 11:26 AM
Comments are being moderated. After you submit your comment it could take up to a couple hours, but usually only a few minutes, before it will appear. Thank you for your patience. If you have any questions, you may contact Domenico Bettinelli.