Actus formalis defectionis ab Ecclesia catholica II

I have completed my defection request correspondence and mailed it off to the Diocese of Brooklyn on my way into the office this morning.  I suspect it will hit Prospect Park West sometime on Monday or Tuesday.  I was sure to include a copy of my baptismal certificate to help the research process along, you know how these… Continue reading Actus formalis defectionis ab Ecclesia catholica II

What’s the SNAP Game Plan for the New Bishop of Scranton?

Yesterday, the Vatican announced the appointment of Monsignor Joseph Bambera as the 10th Bishop of Scranton.  I jumped right on this, I am a blogger, that is what I do.  Other people jumped on it as well.  SNAP  issued a few statements yesterday.  One of them was on Bishop-elect Bambera of Scranton. In the interest… Continue reading What’s the SNAP Game Plan for the New Bishop of Scranton?

Vatican Appoints New Bishop of Scranton

By Michael Baumann The Vatican appointed Monsignor Joseph Bambera as the 10th Bishop of Scranton. Bishop-elect Bambera is a native of Carbondale, Pennsylvania and is only the second local priest to be appointed to lead the Scranton See.  He has been running the day-to-day business of the Diocese since the premature retirement of Bishop Joseph Martino… Continue reading Vatican Appoints New Bishop of Scranton

Fund Drives and the Ghosts of Pedophiles Past

I received a letter in the mail not long ago from the "2009 Annual Campaign" for Notre Dame High School in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.  The campaign has a theme, "Celebrating Today... Preparing for Tomorrow". As with all fundraisers, the letter came with a glossy brochure full of information on projects to be accomplished, scholarship assistance… Continue reading Fund Drives and the Ghosts of Pedophiles Past

The friend of my enemy is my enemy…

By Michael Baumann I received a comment to an older post about a week ago that had me a little baffled at first.  The comment was from a "D. W. Downey" and it was intended to get me to wonder if  Father Virgil Bradley Tetherow, formerly a priest in the Diocese of Scranton, was framed… Continue reading The friend of my enemy is my enemy…

Innocent until proven guilty…

It is already beginning.  The troops are rallying around the disgraced priest.  If you read the online reports of the arraignment of Father Bob Timchak in the various news outlets you will find comments by people weighing in on both sides of this issue.  Parishioners and former students are expressing shock and disbelief.  Some are… Continue reading Innocent until proven guilty…

Child Pornography in the Rectory at Lords Valley, Pennsylvania

In case you are one of the people who believe that the worst of the sex scandal in the Catholic Church is over, I have more bad news.  Another priest in the Diocese of Scranton has been reported, this time for child pornography. According to news reports, and this is a story that is just… Continue reading Child Pornography in the Rectory at Lords Valley, Pennsylvania

Rogue Priest, formerly of the Diocese of Scranton, Living the Good Life in Paraguay

I recently received a press release concerning on of the Diocese of Scranton's poster priests for child sexual abuse, Fr. Carlos Urrutigoity of the Society of St John.  I don't usually get press releases, so I did not really know what to do with it.  Because I had written about Carlos Urrutigoity in the past… Continue reading Rogue Priest, formerly of the Diocese of Scranton, Living the Good Life in Paraguay

Why Did the Bishop of Scranton Resign?

I am providing a link to the article " Why Did the Bishop of Scranton, PA  Resign?" The article appears on the Nation Catholic Reporter on 14 September 2009.  This article lays out a cogent explanation of why Bishop Martino was allowed to retire/forced out of the curia in Scranton.  While I have my own… Continue reading Why Did the Bishop of Scranton Resign?

WBRE Coverage of Martino Resignation

Martino, Dougherty Officially Announce Resignations Shared via AddThis Coverage of the resignation of the Bishop of Scranton from PAHOMEPAGE.com and the news team at WBRE, Channel 28. The reason cited for the resignation of the bishop was his health. I am sure that there is much more to the story. As I have stated in… Continue reading WBRE Coverage of Martino Resignation