Gerald Fitzgerald (priest)
Encyclopedia
Gerald Michael Cushing Fitzgerald (October 29, 1894 South Framingham, Massachusetts - June 28, 1969) was an American
Roman Catholic priest
, who began his ministry as a priest in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
and later became a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross
. He is best known as the founder of the Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete
which operates centers for priests dealing with challenges such as alcoholism, substance abuse and sexuality. In 2009, the media focused attention on the unsealing of his papers which revealed that he had campaigned vigorously to American bishops and the Vatican in the 1950s and 1960s against the return of sexually abusive priests to parish work, arguing that such priests were effectively untreatable. The fact that he had argued so forcefully for the laicization of sexually abusive priests was seized upon by the media as proof that the Catholic hierarchy had, in fact, been aware of the dangers of allowing such priests to return to parish work where they would have contact with minors.
where he served for 12 years.
In November 1933, Fitzgerald entered the Congregation of Holy Cross
. After one year at St. Joseph's novitiate, St. Genevieve, in the Province of Quebec, Canada, he made his first profession of vows on December 8, 1934. In 1936, Fitzgerald was appointed the superior of the seminary for the college-age members of the Congregation. While with the Holy Cross Congregation, Fr. Gerald wrote "Juxta Cruem" the life of Father Basil Moreau
, C.S.C., the founder of Holy Cross Congregation.
, Father Gerald Fitzgerald developed a vision of a religious community whose mission would be to serve the needs of priests and members of other religious orders who were struggling with issues such as celibacy, alcohol and substance abuse problems. Fitzgerald recounted that he was inspired by an experience in which a destitute transient came to his door seeking assistance. Fitzgerald gave him assistance and was deeply moved when the transient said, as he was leaving, "I used to be a priest." Fitzgerald reported that he was stricken by the fact that the man had given up his vocation and that nothing had been done to rehabilitate him.
When Fitzgerald put out a request for a sponsor who would provide a location for him to situate his new religious order,
Archbishop Edwin V. Byrne
of Santa Fe was the only person who responded. Fitzgerald accepted and moved quickly, buying 2000 acres (8.1 km²) in the Jemez. He founded The Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete in Jemez Springs, New Mexico
in 1947.
This new congregation opened a retreat center for troubled priests at Jemez Springs and eventually grew to operate as many as 23 such centers around the world. Later, a halfway house was set up in Albuquerque's South Valley, and other centers were established in St. Louis and in Gloucestershire
, England.
Fitzgerald’s therapeutic approach was focused on spiritual healing based on his conviction that intense prayer could bring about the changes needed in the priest’s behavior. In dealing with alcoholism, for example, he opposed Alcoholics Anonymous.
Despite his reluctant acceptance of sexually abusive priests, Fitzgerald became increasingly convinced that such priests could not be cured, could not be trusted to maintain celibacy and should be laicized even against their will.
Moreover, Fitzgerald opposed vehemently the return of sexual abusers to duties as parish priests. Although some bishops refused to hire sexually abusive priests based on Fitzgerald's refusal to recommend them for parish duties, others ignored Fitzgerald's advice. In general, it appears that bishops chose to ignore Fitzgerald's recommendations, preferring to rely on the advice of medical and psychological experts who asserted that treatment was feasible.
Many of Fitzgerald's letters can be found at http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2009/03_04/fitzgerald.pdf and http://www.richardsipe.com/2009-09/Father.Gerald.Fitzgerald.pdf
For example, in a 1952 letter to Bishop Robert Dwyer
of Reno, Fitzgerald wrote:
In 1957 Fitzgerald wrote to the bishop of Manchester, New Hampshire
:
In a letter written in 1957 to Archbishop Byrne, his ecclesiastical sponsor and co-founder of the Paracletes
, Fitzgerald wrote:
In April 1962, Fitzgerald prepared a report at the request of the Congregation of the Holy Office in which he discussed the various types of sexual problems of priests, including sexual abuse of minors.
Fitzgerald’s papers were unsealed by a judge in New Mexico in 2007 and were authenticated in depositions with Fitzgerald's successors, said Helen Zukin, a lawyer with Kiesel, Boucher & Larson, a firm in Los Angeles.
:
In 1965 Fitzgerald put a $5,000 deposit on an island in Barbados, near Carriacou, in the Caribbean that had a total purchase price of $50,000. However, Byrne having died in 1963, Fitzgerald found that Byrne's successor, James Peter Davis
was opposed to the project. Fitzgerald was forced to sell the island and abandon his long-cherished vision for isolating priest sex offenders.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Roman Catholic priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, who began his ministry as a priest in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States. It comprises several counties of the state of Massachusetts...
and later became a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross
Congregation of Holy Cross
The Congregation of Holy Cross or Congregatio a Sancta Cruce is a Catholic congregation of priests and brothers founded in 1837 by Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau, CSC, in Le Mans, France....
. He is best known as the founder of the Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete
Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete
The Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete is a Latin Rite, Catholic religious congregation of men dedicated to ministry to priests and Brothers with personal difficulties. The congregation was founded in 1947 by Father Gerald Fitzgerald in Jemez Springs, New Mexico. The order has...
which operates centers for priests dealing with challenges such as alcoholism, substance abuse and sexuality. In 2009, the media focused attention on the unsealing of his papers which revealed that he had campaigned vigorously to American bishops and the Vatican in the 1950s and 1960s against the return of sexually abusive priests to parish work, arguing that such priests were effectively untreatable. The fact that he had argued so forcefully for the laicization of sexually abusive priests was seized upon by the media as proof that the Catholic hierarchy had, in fact, been aware of the dangers of allowing such priests to return to parish work where they would have contact with minors.
Early life and career
Fitzgerald was born in South Framingham, Massachusetts to Michael Edward and Mary Elizabeth Brassil Fitzgerald; he was the second of eight sons. Upon graduation from Weymouth High School, he matriculated to Boston College. In 1916, Fitzgerald entered St. John's Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts and on May 21, 1921 was ordained for the Archdiocese of Boston in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. He began his ministry as a parish priest in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of BostonRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States. It comprises several counties of the state of Massachusetts...
where he served for 12 years.
In November 1933, Fitzgerald entered the Congregation of Holy Cross
Congregation of Holy Cross
The Congregation of Holy Cross or Congregatio a Sancta Cruce is a Catholic congregation of priests and brothers founded in 1837 by Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau, CSC, in Le Mans, France....
. After one year at St. Joseph's novitiate, St. Genevieve, in the Province of Quebec, Canada, he made his first profession of vows on December 8, 1934. In 1936, Fitzgerald was appointed the superior of the seminary for the college-age members of the Congregation. While with the Holy Cross Congregation, Fr. Gerald wrote "Juxta Cruem" the life of Father Basil Moreau
Basil Moreau
The Blessed Father Basil Anthony Marie Patrice Moreau, CSC was the French priest who founded the Congregation of Holy Cross from which three additional congregations were founded, namely the Marianites of Holy Cross, the Sisters of the Holy Cross, and the Sisters of Holy Cross...
, C.S.C., the founder of Holy Cross Congregation.
Retreat center for troubled priests
While a member of the Holy CrossCongregation of Holy Cross
The Congregation of Holy Cross or Congregatio a Sancta Cruce is a Catholic congregation of priests and brothers founded in 1837 by Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau, CSC, in Le Mans, France....
, Father Gerald Fitzgerald developed a vision of a religious community whose mission would be to serve the needs of priests and members of other religious orders who were struggling with issues such as celibacy, alcohol and substance abuse problems. Fitzgerald recounted that he was inspired by an experience in which a destitute transient came to his door seeking assistance. Fitzgerald gave him assistance and was deeply moved when the transient said, as he was leaving, "I used to be a priest." Fitzgerald reported that he was stricken by the fact that the man had given up his vocation and that nothing had been done to rehabilitate him.
When Fitzgerald put out a request for a sponsor who would provide a location for him to situate his new religious order,
Archbishop Edwin V. Byrne
Edwin Byrne
Edwin Vincent Byrne was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served in Puerto Rico, as Bishop of Ponce and Bishop of San Juan , before returning to the United States as Archbishop of Santa Fe .-Biography:Edwin Byrne was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Francis Charles and Anna...
of Santa Fe was the only person who responded. Fitzgerald accepted and moved quickly, buying 2000 acres (8.1 km²) in the Jemez. He founded The Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete in Jemez Springs, New Mexico
Jemez Springs, New Mexico
Jemez Springs is a village in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 375 at the 2000 census. Named for the nearby Pueblo of Jemez, the village is the site of Jemez State Monument and the headquarters of the Jemez Ranger District...
in 1947.
This new congregation opened a retreat center for troubled priests at Jemez Springs and eventually grew to operate as many as 23 such centers around the world. Later, a halfway house was set up in Albuquerque's South Valley, and other centers were established in St. Louis and in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England.
Fitzgerald’s therapeutic approach was focused on spiritual healing based on his conviction that intense prayer could bring about the changes needed in the priest’s behavior. In dealing with alcoholism, for example, he opposed Alcoholics Anonymous.
Treatment of sexually abusive priests
Although Fitzgerald started the Servants of the Paraclete to assist priests who were struggling with alcohol and substance abuse problems, he soon began receiving priests who had sexually abused minors. Initially, Fitzgerald attempted to treat such priests using the same spiritual methods that he used with his other "guests". By 1948, Fitzgerald had set a policy whereby he refused to take priests who were sexually attracted to young people. In a letter sent to a priest in 1948 Fitzgerald said “It is now a fixed policy of our house to refuse problem cases that involve abnormalities of sex.” The policy was changed, probably at the insistence of bishops, because Fr. Gerald’s letters reveal that he had indeed offered help to several priests with such sexual problems in the years between 1948 and his death in 1969. In 1957, Fitzgerald wrote of the Paracletes’ intent to stop taking sexual abusers. “Experience has taught us these men are too dangerous to the children of the parish and neighborhood for us to be justified in receiving them here.”Despite his reluctant acceptance of sexually abusive priests, Fitzgerald became increasingly convinced that such priests could not be cured, could not be trusted to maintain celibacy and should be laicized even against their will.
Moreover, Fitzgerald opposed vehemently the return of sexual abusers to duties as parish priests. Although some bishops refused to hire sexually abusive priests based on Fitzgerald's refusal to recommend them for parish duties, others ignored Fitzgerald's advice. In general, it appears that bishops chose to ignore Fitzgerald's recommendations, preferring to rely on the advice of medical and psychological experts who asserted that treatment was feasible.
Warnings to the Church hierarchy
Over the next two decades, Fitzgerald wrote regularly to bishops in the United States and to Vatican officials, including the pope, of his opinion that many sexual abusers in the priesthood could not be cured and should be laicized immediately.Many of Fitzgerald's letters can be found at http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2009/03_04/fitzgerald.pdf and http://www.richardsipe.com/2009-09/Father.Gerald.Fitzgerald.pdf
For example, in a 1952 letter to Bishop Robert Dwyer
Robert Joseph Dwyer
Robert Joseph Dwyer was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Portland from 1966 to 1974, having previously served as Bishop of Reno .-Early life and education:...
of Reno, Fitzgerald wrote:
"I myself would be inclined to favor laicization for any priest, upon objective evidence, for tampering with the virtue of the young, my argument being, from this point onward the charity to the Mystical Body should take precedence over charity to the individual, [...] Moreover, in practice, real conversions will be found to be extremely rare [...] Hence, leaving them on duty or wandering from diocese to diocese is contributing to scandal or at least to the approximate danger of scandal."
In 1957 Fitzgerald wrote to the bishop of Manchester, New Hampshire
Matthew Francis Brady
Matthew Francis Brady was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Burlington and Bishop of Manchester .-Biography:...
:
In a letter written in 1957 to Archbishop Byrne, his ecclesiastical sponsor and co-founder of the Paracletes
Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete
The Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete is a Latin Rite, Catholic religious congregation of men dedicated to ministry to priests and Brothers with personal difficulties. The congregation was founded in 1947 by Father Gerald Fitzgerald in Jemez Springs, New Mexico. The order has...
, Fitzgerald wrote:
“May I beg your excellency to concur and approve of what I consider a very vital decision on our part - that we will not offer hospitality to men who have seduced or attempted to seduce little boys or girls. These men Your Excellency are devils and the wrath of God is upon them and if I were a bishops I would tremble when I failed to report them to Rome for involuntary laicization....It is for this class of rattlesnake I have always wished the island retreat - but even an island is too good for these vipers of whom the Gentle master said - it were better they had not been born - this is an indirect way of saying damned, is it not? When I see the Holy Father I am going to speak of this class to his Holiness.”
In April 1962, Fitzgerald prepared a report at the request of the Congregation of the Holy Office in which he discussed the various types of sexual problems of priests, including sexual abuse of minors.
In April 1962, Fitzgerald wrote a five-page response to a query from the Vatican's Congregation of the Holy Office about "the tremendous problem presented by the priest who through lack of priestly self-discipline has become a problem to Mother Church." One of his recommendations was for "a more distinct teaching in the last years of the seminary of the heavy penalty involved in tampering with the innocence (or even non-innocence) of little ones." Regarding priests who have "fallen into repeated sins ... and most especially the abuse of children, we feel strongly that such unfortunate priests should be given the alternative of a retired life within the protection of monastery walls or complete laicization."
In August of the following year, he met with newly elected Pope Paul VIPope Paul VIPaul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
to inform him about his work and problems he perceived in the priesthood. His follow-up letter contained this assessment: "Personally I am not sanguine of the return of priests to active duty who have been addicted to abnormal practices, especially sins with the young. However, the needs of the church must be taken into consideration and an activation of priests who have seemingly recovered in this field may be considered but is only recommended where careful guidance and supervision is possible. Where there is indication of incorrigibility, because of the tremendous scandal given, I would most earnestly recommend total laicization."
Fitzgerald’s papers were unsealed by a judge in New Mexico in 2007 and were authenticated in depositions with Fitzgerald's successors, said Helen Zukin, a lawyer with Kiesel, Boucher & Larson, a firm in Los Angeles.
Assessment
Msgr.Stephen J. RossettiStephen Joseph RossettiStephen Joseph Rossetti is a Catholic priest, author, educator, licensed psychologist, retreat master and expert on psychological and spiritual wellness issues for Catholic priests. He has appeared on such television shows as Meet the Press and Larry King Live...
, president and CEO of St. Luke InstituteSaint Luke InstituteSaint Luke Institute is a private, licensed mental health treatment facility located in Silver Spring, Maryland. The Institute primarily serves Roman Catholic priests and religious women and men. Services are provided in both residential and outpatient settings...
, a facility that treats problem priests, believes Fitzgerald was ignored because he was a lone voice speaking out of an emotional reaction to the abuse, not from scientifically sound information. Dominican Father Thomas Doyle, on the other hand, long a critic of the church's handling of the crisis, said Fitzgerald was ignored because the bishops preferred not to confront the problem....
According to St. Luke statisticsSaint Luke InstituteSaint Luke Institute is a private, licensed mental health treatment facility located in Silver Spring, Maryland. The Institute primarily serves Roman Catholic priests and religious women and men. Services are provided in both residential and outpatient settings...
, RossettiStephen Joseph RossettiStephen Joseph Rossetti is a Catholic priest, author, educator, licensed psychologist, retreat master and expert on psychological and spiritual wellness issues for Catholic priests. He has appeared on such television shows as Meet the Press and Larry King Live...
said, from 1985 through 2008, a total of 365 priests went through treatment for child sex abuse at the facility, and 22 of them, or 6 percent, relapsed, he said.
"I think the problem is if you take Fr. Fitzgerald's statements as somehow intellectually sound research statements, they're not. They're emotional, non-scientifically made statements."
Father Doyle said the documents show the bishops were put on notice "five decades ago that this is a very serious problem." He said the only reason they acted in 2002 "is because they were forced to take action because of public outrage -- of the media and the courts. If those things had not come into play, nothing would have happened."
Plan for an island retreat
Fitzgerald developed a vision for a retreat on a remote island in the Caribbean in which he would house sequester priests who were sexual predators for the remainder of their lives. His motives were a desire to save the church from scandal and to save laypeople from being victimized. In 1957, Fitzgerald mentioned this idea in a letter to Archbishop Byrne, his ecclesiastical sponsor and co-founder of the ParacletesCongregation of the Servants of the Paraclete
The Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete is a Latin Rite, Catholic religious congregation of men dedicated to ministry to priests and Brothers with personal difficulties. The congregation was founded in 1947 by Father Gerald Fitzgerald in Jemez Springs, New Mexico. The order has...
:
“May I beg your Excellency to concur and approve of what I consider a very vital decision on our part - that we will not offer hospitality to men who have seduced or attempted to seduce little boys or girls. These men Your Excellency are devils and the wrath of God is upon them and if I were a bishop I would tremble when I failed to report them to Rome for involuntary laicization....It is for this class of rattlesnake I have always wished the island retreat - but even an island is too good for these vipers of whom the Gentle master said - it were better they had not been born - this is an indirect way of saying damned, is it not? When I see the Holy Father I am going to speak of this class to his Holiness.”
In 1965 Fitzgerald put a $5,000 deposit on an island in Barbados, near Carriacou, in the Caribbean that had a total purchase price of $50,000. However, Byrne having died in 1963, Fitzgerald found that Byrne's successor, James Peter Davis
James Peter Davis
James Peter Davis was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of San Juan and Archbishop of Santa Fe .-Biography:...
was opposed to the project. Fitzgerald was forced to sell the island and abandon his long-cherished vision for isolating priest sex offenders.
Death and burial
Fitzgerald is buried in Resurrection Cemetery of the Servants of the Paraclete in Jemez Springs, New MexicoJemez Springs, New Mexico
Jemez Springs is a village in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 375 at the 2000 census. Named for the nearby Pueblo of Jemez, the village is the site of Jemez State Monument and the headquarters of the Jemez Ranger District...
.
See also
- Catholic sex abuse cases
- Cardinal Bernard Francis Law
- De delictis gravioribusDe delictis gravioribusDe delictis gravioribus was a letter written on 18 May 2001 by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to all the Bishops of the Catholic Church and the other Ordinaries concerned, including those of the Eastern Catholic Churches...
- Congregation of Holy Cross#Notable members
- PederastyPederastyPederasty or paederasty is an intimate relationship between an adult and an adolescent boy outside his immediate family. The word pederasty derives from Greek "love of boys", a compound derived from "child, boy" and "lover".Historically, pederasty has existed as a variety of customs and...
- Pontifical secretPontifical secretThe pontifical secret or pontifical secrecy or papal secrecy is the code of confidentiality that, in accordance with the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, applies in matters that require greater than ordinary confidentiality:...
- Cardinal Roger Mahony
- Sex Crimes and the Vatican (Panorama documentary)
- Roman Catholic sex abuse cases by countryRoman Catholic sex abuse cases by countryThis page documents notable Alleged Roman Catholic sex abuse cases by country.- Kenya :In 2009 several people came forward with accusations of sexual molestation against an Italian priest working in the country. The Church gave assurances of an investigation, but this has not taken place...
- Survivors Network of those Abused by PriestsSurvivors Network of those Abused by PriestsThe Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, established in 1989, is the oldest and most active support group of survivors of clergy sexual abuse and their supporters in the United States...
- Virtus (program)Virtus (program)VIRTUS is a program created by the National Catholic Risk Retention Group in the United States with a "Protecting God's Children" component that combats sexual abuse of children in the Church. It is currently in use in over 80 dioceses in the United States....