Dear Friends & Parishioners,
 
Last Monday I attended a three-hour meeting at St. Joseph’s seminary. Federal Judge Barbara Jones was  the main speaker. At the invitation of Cardinal Dolan, Judge Jones spent the last year investigating the situation in our Archdiocese and reported that, “The Archdiocese has complied with the [Dallas] Charter in all material respects. It has faithfully followed its policies and procedures and responded appropriately to abuse complaints, and is committed to supporting victim-survivors of abuse.”
 
Since the Dallas Charter in 2002, there have only been two cases in the Archdiocese of sex abuse with minors here in New York, and it is reported that they have been dealt with properly. There are no priests or deacons functioning now who have had a substantiated   complaint of sex abuse with a minor. All those who did have a substantiated claim have been removed from ministry.
 
As a priest and Pastor of the Archdiocese of New York, it is impressive to me how  the Catholic church, working with the District Attorney, has done a diligent job even though we do not always get that impression from publications in the media. Yes, we made mistakes, but we hope to learn to prevent this from happening in the future.
 
You can read much more about this on the website of the Archdiocese of New York (archny.org). I’m encouraged by the findings of Judge Jones and pray that we always remember to help and support the victim-survivors. They will need help for the rest of their lives.
 
God Bless.
 
With Christ,
Fr. Michael J. Barrett