Doctor David Drew recently retracted his support of rogue priest Virgil Tetherow. Dr. Drew is the chairman of the Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Mission in York, Pennsylvania. The mission is a schismatic church based on the Catholic tradition that predates Vatican II. Dr. Dave has been practicing the art of character assassination on anyone who disagrees with his beliefs, opposes his church or takes issue with his organization hiring a priest convicted on child pornography related charges while assigned to a parish in the Diocese of Scranton.
It appears that “Father Tetherow” was released from the employ of the Mission. He is the second known priest employed by the mission that has a documented history of inappropriate/illegal behavior involving children.
Dr. Dave issued the letter below on the website, Angelqueen.org, a forum for conservative Catholics who practice their faith through the Latin Rite Mass. This website was also the venue used by Dr. Dave to launch a vicious personal attack on me after I published a number of blog posts on the subject of Virgil Tetherow and his past activities.
A reader pointed me to this letter. It seems that Dr. Dave does not take penance seriously, he did not offer an apology directly to those whom he has offended. Instead he took the cowardly course and listed his retraction on a website that many would never stumble upon.
Here is Dr. Dave’s Retraction (from Angelqueen.org):
Retraction of my defense of Fr. Virgil Bradley (Gabriel) Tetherow offered with a public apology:
I first met Fr. Virgil Bradley (Gabriel) Tetherow when he was a Franciscan seminarian and was favorably impressed. I believed him to be honest and upright of character. When he told me that he was innocent of intentionally downloading child pornography and was not able to defend himself against these charges without compromising the confessional seal, I made an effort to examine the particulars of his case and found sufficient circumstantial evidence to support a reasonable doubt to question the truth of the charges against him. His excuse for entering a plea bargain with the prosecution was simple moral weakness, seeking an end to an ugly situation while lacking financial and diocesan support. Human failures of this kind, although not approved, are understandable. My decision to defend Fr. Virgil Bradley (Gabriel) Tetherow was grounded firstly and primarily upon the personal worth of his character, secondly, upon the obligation of every Catholic to help restore the unjustly damaged reputation of others, but especially a Catholic priest, and lastly upon the particular evidence relating to the charges of downloading child pornography.
Over the last two years, but particularly over the last six months, I have gotten to know Fr. Virgil Bradley (Gabriel) Tetherow far better. I admit to having made a serious error in judgment of his character. He has been repeatedly caught in acts of deceit, detraction and calumny supported by several witnesses. The evidence of habitual and willful moral failings was placed before expert legal counsel who advised his immediate removal. It was also placed before an elderly priest, a canon lawyer of sound judgment, who, after a thorough investigation, said that I had an obligation to remove him directly as well as a moral responsibility to make amends for having brought him to our Mission. This priest said from the pulpit of Ss. Peter and Paul Chapel in York on June 13, 2010 that “he was removed for cause and the cause was just.” He also shared the evidence with another elderly priest, who regularly assists at SSPX chapels, who also agreed with his removal.
I can no longer justify any assumption of Fr. Tetherow’s claim of innocence with regard to his criminal conviction. He has deceived me, and he continues to deceive many others, that he is a man of virtue, but the truth always comes out in the end. It is with regret, but with a sense of moral obligation, that I hereby formally retract anything I have said or written in his defense. I apologize to anyone who may, based upon my defense, have presumed that he has been unjustly persecuted by the judicial authorities and the diocesan officials in Scranton. His public record is that of a convicted felon on child pornography related charges, and I caution anyone, who places themselves or their families in his trust, to bear this fact in mind.
David M. Drew
Chairman
Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Mission
saintspeterandpaulrcm.com
If I may add to his warning, I caution anyone who places themselves and their families in the trust of Dr. David M. Drew, as a decision maker on the board of the Sts Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Mission, to consider the fact that he has supported at least two priests with a sexual appetite for children. Is this really the man you want to lead your organization? Has his lack of judgement and discretion caused you to pause for a moment? Does he have your best interests at heart or is he running on hubris and ego?
Off My Knees - A Blog by Michael Baumann 