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.
“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.
Marginalizing brave, faithful priests
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He should see if somewhere like Lincoln or Denver would take him. Heck, I bet even Boston would.