Month: September 2019

Is the Diocese of Buffalo (DOB) going to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy? That’s a question on many minds here in Western New York.

Last Wednesday, DOB credit card holders received a memo informing them that the diocese’s current (HSBC) credit card account is being closed. It also informed them that they would be updated soon regarding the replacement card program. A WGRZ reporter immediately took this as a sign of an impending bankruptcy announcement as this story makes clear.

As for me, I don’t believe the credit card situation is as pertinent as is being suggested. For one thing, I know that the diocese has had issues with their HSBC credit cards for at least a few years now. Well do I recall the time that Father Ryszard’s card got hacked and someone ordered hundreds of dollars worth of food via UberEats somewhere in California. I remember that it was a hassle for Father (and the Accounts Payable staff member) to work it out with HSBC. We did have a good laugh over it though… especially because of the time difference, which suggested that someone was ordering large amounts of food well into the night!

So I’m aware that the diocese has been planning a credit card switch for a while now. I’ve confirmed with an inside source that over a month ago, DOB officials were making arrangements to switch from HSBC to another bank for their credit cards. In other words, this credit card switch is most likely an independent occurrence that is being given greater importance than it merits due to the timing of the announcement. It seems to me that it was an unrelated situation that became significant to those looking for clues as to impending bankruptcy.

The Diocese of Rochester surprised everyone when they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 12th. No one saw that coming especially since Rochester has far fewer CVA claims than Buffalo does. Yet the Rochester diocese decided to pursue Chapter 11 in order to protect itself against the financial fallout of those legal claims.

When Bishop Malone’s interview with WGRZ was released on September 18th, it was no surprise that he was asked about bankruptcy. The interviewer noted that the Diocese of Rochester had become the 20th US diocese to file for bankruptcy and asked whether the DOB was heading in the same direction. To this, Bishop Malone answered: “To be honest with you, we’re trying to figure that out now and that’s the honest to God truth.” When asked about the time frame for such a decision, Bishop Malone said: “There’s a debate going on among the experts [we’re conferring with] as to whether we should litigate – or try to litigate – or file chapter 11. That is an ongoing debate.” I’ve been curious on that point… just who is debating whom? We’ll return to this question in a paragraph or two.

Since that interview with WGRZ, the Bishop has met with two important groups – the College of Consultors and the Presbyteral Council. Both meetings occurred on the same day – Tuesday, September 24th. The College of Consultors is the most important of the “canonically-defined diocesan consultative bodies,” as the USCCB refers to them. The College of Consultors “assists the diocesan bishop in the governance of the diocese in accord with the provisions of Church law. For particular exercises of ecclesiastical governance, canon law requires that the diocesan bishop consult the college, and even obtain its consent. The college is comprised of no less than six priests, and no more than twelve, who are members of the presbyteral council.”

To my knowledge, the last time the College of Consultors was convened was in the spring of 2018 when Bishop Malone was deciding to sell the residence on Oakland Place. He called a meeting of the College to obtain their acceptance of his decision to put the residence on the market. I believe they had to sign their names to their acceptance of the decision to sell. I definitely remember that it was a big deal that the College was convened as it happened so infrequently.

As for the Presbyteral Council meeting on the 24th, I’ve learned that it was a “highly controlled” meeting, as usual, and focused largely on the bankruptcy question. The priests were told that the DOB is still weighing its options on the matter and Bishop Malone did not give any hint as to which way they were leaning. He had to leave the meeting early to catch a flight to NYC for the NYS Board of Bishops meeting on the 25th.

This was a regular meeting of the bishops of New York State – not one called for an urgent or unusual purpose. Were the bishops talking about bankruptcy at their meeting? I can only imagine that they were. Buffalo can’t be the only diocese that is contemplating or at least considering that legal move. The Diocese of Brooklyn, for instance, has many more lawsuits against it than Rochester does. As the chart below makes indicates, no diocese has had more lawsuits filed against it than Buffalo. This is due to the tragic number of perpetrators and thus victims in our area, but also because of the restrictive nature of the DOB’s IRCP program. More applicants were ineligible than were accepted, as this article makes clear. Because the DOB’s IRCP program rejected so many applicants, many more survivors ended up filing lawsuits under the CVA.

So we know the DOB is considering filing for bankruptcy. Bishop Malone has confirmed it while also referencing a “debate” among the “experts” he is consulting on the matter.

According to inside sources, this debate seems to be primarily between two entities:

Bishop Malone’s General Counsel and his Defense Attorney. 

As his website proudly proclaims, Joe Stoeckl has served as General Counsel for the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo and its related and affiliated entities for 40 years. He and his colleagues are in favor of a bankruptcy filing.  (I should note that I greatly enjoyed working with Joe and always felt he was a genuinely good man. If he turns out to be corrupt, I’ll pierce my ears.)

Terry Connors has been defending the DOB for nearly as long as I’ve been alive. He does not want the DOB to file for bankruptcy. Why?

BILLABLE HOURS.

Yes, you read that right. If the DOB files for bankruptcy, it would eliminate many, many billable hours for Terry and his firm. The CVA lawsuits would involve all sorts of legal counsel and legal work. Terry’s firm would charge “an arm and a leg” (source quote) for their work on each of the CVA cases. Terry Connors and his firm would lose millions of dollars if the DOB goes for bankruptcy. Please note that Terry and his firm have already received many, many millions of dollars from the DOB over the decades. Bishop Malone was asked about this very point during his recent WGRZ interview:

Question: “Why can’t parishioners know what’s being spent on legal advice – it’s the money they give to you… shouldn’t they know how much is spent on lawyers?”

Bishop Malone’s response: “We have had a longstanding policy that prevents us from giving that kind of information out about our vendors. It’s up to those vendors if they wish to give that information out. It’s a worthwhile question to be pursued, but the point at which the response finds itself right now is we don’t feel that’s an appropriate way to go.”

Of course they don’t feel it’s an appropriate way to go! The people of the Diocese of Buffalo and the WNY community in general would be shocked at the amount of money given to Terry Connors and his crew each year. And as if Terry would ever “wish to give that information out.” Yeah right.

Any discussion of bankruptcy must necessarily include the question of insurance. At the Bishop’s final listening session on August 17th, he shared the following information regarding the insurance element of the bankruptcy question:

“I’ll just tell you this – a new term I’ve learned in this whole process by working with an expert attorney from New York who is doing what’s called ‘insurance archaeology.’ It means digging deep into the dioceses and parishes to find every single insurance policy that has ever existed to see what’s covered for these kind of cases and what isn’t. Sometimes parishes in the past had their own insurance policy and so the archaeology term is appropriate because sometimes they have to go down into old files and boxes in the basement of the rectory and they’ll say ‘Aha! Here’s the policy that covers the 1980’s.’ We have periods of time when many of these abuse cases happened when we had insurance for these kinds of offenses. They’ll be some gaps though. So that’s all going on right now. So there’s a lot of work behind the scenes and there’s no decision at this point about which way we’re going to go with that.”

It appears that the insurance archaeologists have done their work for I have learned from a trusted source that “except for two years, the Diocese is covered by insurance for all settlements and litigation.” According to this insider source, bankruptcy should not be necessary for the Diocese of Buffalo. Terry Connors must have been thrilled to receive the insurance information.

Will the DOB file for bankruptcy? It shouldn’t need to.

A bankruptcy filing would mean that survivors go from being claimants in front of a jury to creditors in front of a bankruptcy court. The vital discovery process – a primary goal for survivors – would be eliminated by bankruptcy.

In my opinion, it will all come down to the money. Will Terry Connors get his way… and his millions?

It’s deeply saddening to realize that Bishop Malone is more likely to consider what’s best for Terry than what’s best for survivors.

 

 

 

Trigger Warning for Survivors: This post contains a graphic reference to clerical sexual abuse and the testimony of a survivor who was retraumatized by a member of the clergy.  A general theme is the cover up of clerical sexual abuse. Please read at your discretion.

Bishop Malone is rightfully our primary focus here in Buffalo because he is the primary leader of our diocese. But he is not the only member of diocesan leadership who has contributed to this debacle. The focus of this post will be on two such leaders: Auxiliary Bishop Edward M. Grosz and Msgr. David G. LiPuma, who was the priest secretary for Bishops Mansell and Kmiec and worked for one year with Bishop Malone.

 

As this diocesan protocol indicates, Auxiliary Bishop Grosz was given the responsibility of “undertaking the preliminary inquiry regarding the allegation,” contacting all victims who reached out to the Diocese (through the IRCP or otherwise), and “offering an apology.” He was also the one who contacted and met personally with all of the accused priests when a new allegation surfaced. He would meet regularly with the men known as “the unassignable priests” or “the unsassignables.” You would think he’d be “good cop” with the survivors and “bad cop” with the accused priests, but it was entirely the opposite as the story below will demonstrate.

Over the course of several months last spring, I read or heard many victim testimonies in one form or another. They were all compelling. They were all heartbreaking. They were all unforgettable. Many of these powerful testimonies are ones that can’t be shared due to the descriptions or references they contain. However there is one that I can share with you due to the nature of the letter and the generosity and conviction of its author.

The author’s name and any identifying elements have been redacted. I can only tell you that the author is a victim of a priest of the Diocese of Buffalo. He wrote this letter to Bishop Grosz last year after receiving a phone call from the Auxiliary Bishop. This remarkable man, whom I will call Brian, offers us a window into the survivor’s world – what they experience as victims and how they are treated by the Diocese in the person of Bishop Grosz.

Brian begins with this haunting description of the enduring trauma survivors experience:

I want to tell you what happens to a sexual abuse victim. The best analogy I have heard is to think of a little glass marble and what happens to it when you throw it very hard at the sidewalk or a concrete wall. It typically doesn’t break, but the shock is absorbed by a crack at the core. This is what happens to sex abuse victims; there is an interior brokenness and intense guilt and self-loathing that manifests in negative behaviors and attitudes as well as additions to sex, alcohol, food, sugars, drugs, gambling, shopping, working out, shoplifting, you name it. These behaviors are repeated and become a destructive pattern with the sole purpose to change and mask the way you feel. The negative actions create more guilt, more interior negativity and the cycle continues until your problems pile up and become incredibly difficult to address. A sexual abuse victim ends up with a hole in their soul.

This is one of the best descriptions of sexual abuse that I’ve ever read or heard of. That last line is heartbreaking. Brian’s concept of the “little glass marble” is incredibly insightful and powerful. After his introductory remarks, Brian then proceeds to explain the primary purpose of his letter – to make Bishop Grosz aware of the negative impact of his phone call to Brian:

Now with respect to our phone call. I was at first hesitant, but then told your social worker that I would like a call with an apology not realizing it would be your highly subjective view of the entire clergy abuse dilemma as well as a new cross-examination regarding the sexual abuse I experienced. I naively expected our call to be a short and contrite apology. This is the number one thing I would suggest to you. Make it a quick call and simply say the church is sorry for what happened and offer the counseling services, etc.

To out of the blue start asking me if (my abuser) entered me anally without first asking permission to discuss what I reported was very crass and insensitive. You asked me if I made this report because of what I saw in the paper. The implication is that I’m just piling on with a bunch of others and looking for a pay check. When you said, “This isn’t a big deal because it happens everywhere,” I really wanted to either start screaming or just hang up on you. But I promised my wife I would be decent if you ever called.

The truth is, and you can verify with your social worker, what happened to me earlier this year was plunging me into a deep depression for about 2 months as I felt bombarded with messages about abuse by priests. [Experts] are sure this is a post-traumatic stress response and I clearly see that point. Sex abuse has been a topic I have not wanted to read or hear about over the years. The reason I am making this request is to try to stand up for ‘little Brian.’ That is also why I am writing this letter.

[A priest I talked to over 10 years ago] was very kind and understanding with me even sending me a note of encouragement and support and I very much appreciate the embodiment of Christian love he extended to me. I think that is what you need to do on these calls. Keep it short, be loving, be apologetic, offer help within the confines of the programs you have established, but don’t try to explain how you see things or share your opinions. It’s just not a good approach.

It was gut-wrenching to read about Bishop Grosz’s call to Brian. I was utterly appalled. I’d already heard from multiple victims that they had not benefited from their phone call with Bishop Grosz, but I had no idea just what he was saying to them. Several survivors told me that they didn’t want Bishop Grosz to know their name, but that he would not accept their telephonic anonymity and insisted on calling them “Joe” despite their protests. One of them became very upset at being called that incorrect name repeatedly.  Still others would get very upset if I even mentioned that Bishop Grosz was willing to speak with them: “Oh no, no! Please don’t transfer me to him! I don’t ever want to talk to that man again! Please don’t do that! You’re not going to transfer me to him, right? Because I don’t even want to hear his voice!” These were all comments that I heard from survivors last spring. I was always startled by the tone of their voice – some sounded truly panicked at the thought of speaking with Bishop Grosz.

After reading Brian’s letter, I understood their distress in a much more vivid way. I am deeply grateful to Brian for allowing me to share his letter with you so that you might gain a better understanding of Bishop Grosz’s horrible treatment of survivors.

To this day, Bishop Grosz continues to be directly involved with the abuse scandal response within our diocese. He is the bishop survivors hear from and we know how that goes. Meanwhile, Bishop Malone publicly lauds himself for reaching out to survivors while hardly ever meeting with them. So very many survivors came forward to the diocese last year in response to Bishop Malone’s public call for them to do so. But Bishop Malone has met with 4 or 5 of them over the past year. Instead, he has Bishop Grosz take care of such “outreach.” Based on Brian’s testimony, it’s no surprise that very few survivors have anything even remotely positive to say about Bishop Grosz.

In recent days, Father Ryszard has shared the unbelievable story of how Bishop Grosz harassed, threatened, bullied and silenced him regarding Father Ryszard’s abuse by Father Art Smith. Bishop Grosz’s actions seem criminal and are certainly morally reprehensible. What he did to Father Ryszard is unthinkably cruel and calculating.

It is important to remember that Father Art Smith is one of Bishop Grosz’ classmates. It has been well known for years – especially among the priests – that Bishop Grosz covers for and protects his classmates and other select priests. These select priests are usually Polish Americans since Grosz is Polish American well. Yet Bishop Grosz does not protect an actually Polish seminarian who has been abused!!

Of the 15 members of Bishop Grosz’s 1971 seminary class, 5 of them have been publicly accused of sexual abuse and misconduct. Leising and Riter were reinstated, Maryanski was kept safe for decades, Nogaro was recently named in a CVA suit and thus suspended, and Father Art Smith was given a $1,300 a month condo for years (on the diocese’s dime) along with a host of other very special treatments.

Bishop Grosz is not fit for any kind of leadership let alone serving as Auxiliary Bishop of a diocese. The fact that he’s been in that position in our diocese for nearly 30 years is appalling. (He was consecrated on 2/2/1990). Next February 16th, he will turn 75. He has made it abundantly clear for several years now that he wants to retire as soon as possible upon reaching that magic number when bishops must submit their resignations. He is literally counting down the weeks.

Bishop Grosz should not be allowed to ride off into a rosy sunset as Yetter and others have tried to do. Bishop Grosz must be held accountable for his appalling actions, multiple cover-ups, and utterly complicit behavior. We cannot permit him to get away with what he has done over the course of three decades and to victims like Ryszard and Brian. Bishop Grosz has hidden away and avoided public scrutiny for long enough. He cannot get away with it any longer!

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The photo above captures Bishop Malone with his former and current priest secretaries – Msgr. David G. LiPuma and Father Ryszard Biernat. This photo was taken in October of 2013, which was less than 4 months after Father Ryszard took over for Msgr. LiPuma as Secretary to the Bishop. But it was nearly 10 years after Father Ryszard was abused by Father Art Smith, as he describes in this heartrending video.

Guess who knew about Father Ryszard’s abuse as soon as it was reported to the Diocese? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Guess who did absolutely nothing to help Seminarian Ryszard? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Guess who assisted in the ongoing cover up of Father Art Smith’s crime against Seminarian Ryszard? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Guess who knew that Seminarian Ryszard’s case was not properly processed and never even sent to the diocesan lawyers yet did nothing about it? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Guess who was Bishop Kmiec’s right-hand man when he suspended Father Art Smith’s ministry in the spring of 2012? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Guess who was Bishop Malone’s right-hand man when he reinstated Father Art Smith to ministry at the Brothers of Mercy in November of 2012? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Guess who personally called and arranged with the Brothers of Mercy for Father Art Smith to minister at their campus without warning the Brothers of Mercy about Father Art’s history of abuse? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Guess who was informed of two allegations of sexual misconduct by Father Art Smith at the Brothers of Mercy but did nothing to hold Father Art Smith accountable or inform proper authorities? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Guess who communicated regularly with Father Art Smith and conveyed his requests and concerns to Bishop Malone as this detailed, handwritten memo indicates? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Guess who was continuously solicitous and attentive to a priest with multiple allegations against him while ignoring the plight of a seminarian who was abused by this very priest? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Guess who unscrupulously handed off his significant Chancery role of Secretary to the Bishop and Vice-Chancellor to the young Polish priest who he knew was abused as a Seminarian? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Guess who is the current Chairman of the Presbyteral Council (priest advisors) for our Diocese? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Guess who spearheaded the “Year of Healing” initiative within the Diocese of Buffalo? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Guess who Bishop Malone appointed Rector of Our Lady of Victory Basilica, the crown jewel of our diocese, this past June? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Guess who was appointed by Bishop Malone to the Movement to Restore Trust’s Join Implementation Team as a diocesan representative? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Guess who stifled a survivor’s attempt to publicly speak about their experience as a survivor and a Catholic? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Guess which priest “plays the game better than anyone else,” according to more than a few of his brother priests? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Guess who has long been considered the favorite (of Mansell, Kmiec and Malone) to be named a bishop himself? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Guess who will become a bishop over my dead body? Monsignor David LiPuma.

Monsignor David LiPuma is a high-ranking, card-carrying member of the Good Old Boys Club. He is a significant, long-term part of the corrupt, corporate culture that exists within our Diocese. He has covered up crimes. He has shown much more concern for an accused priest than for an abused seminarian. Yet he has been routinely promoted and regularly lauded by Bishop Malone, who considers him a personal friend.

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There needs to be a total house cleaning at the Chancery*. As soon as I can, I will write a piece about Sister Regina Murphy, Chancellor, and Steve Halter, Director of the Office of Professional Responsibility. But for now, I want to focus your attention on Bishop Grosz and Msgr. LiPuma.

Malone must go. Grosz and LiPuma need to follow him out the door. They cannot remain in leadership in our diocese. 

*Female administrative staff not included.

Photo of Bishop Malone and priests taken from this article: https://www.wnypapers.com/news/article/current/2013/10/04/112881/buffalo-bishop-richard-malone-visits-our-lady-of-peace

 

 

The Bishop’s public calendar for this week is quite interesting. Yesterday, he met with the “Independent” Review Board. Wonder what “independent” decisions they’ll be publishing soon.

Today at 1 pm, Bishop Malone is scheduled to meet with the Joint Implementation Team that he created as a bridge between the Movement to Restore Trust (MRT – click for their website) and the Diocese. I am fervently praying that the JIT members will have the strength to forego any joint implementing in favor of demanding Bishop Malone’s resignation.

But just look at this JIT group photo! You’ve got Msgr. LiPuma there on the far left – a priest secretary to THREE bishops who DID and SAID NOTHING for decades. Then there’s Fr. Peter Karalus and Sr. Regina Murphy, who are members of the Bishop’s Senior Staff and were well aware of the Nowak situation and DID NOTHING. John and Maureen Hurley are there – will they value influence and power over truth and justice? This week we will learn their final answer to that vital question.

At 4:30 pm on Thursday, the Bishop will gather with his Council for the Laity – a group of influential, wealthy Catholics including such well known names as Don Postles and Terry Connors. (Yes, you read that right – Terry Connors is on the BCL.) Will these folks be cheerleaders for the Bishop or will they finally take a stand?

Bishop Malone listens to influential, wealthy people MUCH more than he does ordinary Catholics. He doesn’t listen to anybody, really, but certainly not the likes of us. If someone is prestigious, powerful or prosperous, he will at least listen to them and might be influenced by them. Let us pray for all of these men and women that they might act with faithful fortitude and demand the Bishop’s resignation. 

Please God, help these people to use their power for good!

The bee is more honored than other animals, 

not because she labors, but because she labors for others.

~ Saint John Chrysostom

My first statement to the media last year ended with these words:  “My heart is heavy, but my soul is at peace.” There were many reasons for that heaviness of heart, but one of the foremost was that I felt as though I’d left a comrade on the battlefield. Father Ryszard, my colleague of three years and hopefully a forever friend, was still working closely with and for Bishop Malone. Last autumn, I was so desperate to get Father Ryszard out of there that I practically staged an intervention. Fortunately, it did not occur as planned and Father had the stamina to persevere in his role as Secretary to the Bishop. Without his strength, we would not have The Malone Recordings.

As I noted in a statement to the media, none of the information revealed in the Malone Recordings is shocking to me. It simply confirms what I came to learn about Bishop Malone – that he is an arrogant, cowardly and self-centered prelate who is incapable of effective, pastoral leadership. He must resign immediately.

The real story of the Malone Recordings is the heroic courage and quiet strength of Father Ryszard Biernat. He is an immigrant, a missionary, a survivor and a priest. It was appalling to learn about and then witness how the Diocese and Bishop Malone treated Father Ryszard. They revictimized and retraumatized him repeatedly. If this is how they treat a survivor priest who was a member of Senior Staff, no wonder they treat other survivors so deplorably! All last year, I desperately hoped that Bishop Malone would be the man I had thought him to be. At every turn, he dashed those hopes. Father Ryszard, on the contrary, became even more the man I thought he was – a man of God devoted to the good of His people.

Before he became a whistle blower priest, Father Ryszard was best known as the beekeeper priest. His affinity for bees began in the 5th grade and has only grown stronger since then. I used to love it when Father Ryszard would stop by the Chancery in his bee suit on his way to the bees. I don’t have a picture of that ensemble, sad to say, but I do have a photo of his “bee truck” parked in the Catholic Center lot:

Father Ryszard was always filled with such tangible joy when he was heading out to see his bees. I used to laugh and say that I was one of his millions of co-workers since he had so many bees in his hives! Father is very well suited to the craft of beekeeping as it requires a love for animals and nature, a curious and resourceful mind, a resilient and humble spirit, great trust in God and a calm demeanor in the face of potential stings! Father devoted so much time, effort and energy to caring for his bees and cultivating their golden gift so as to share it with others. It was clear that Father cherished his time with the bees as an opportunity to reconnect with nature and rejuvenate his spirit.

In addition to creating his renowned Holy Honey, Father Ryszard used his beekeeping experience to enrich his homilies and talks. In a 2014 interview, he explained that “honey bees in Eastern and Central Europe are a symbol of the Christian religion because they work together and sacrifice. Their instinct is to protect the hive. Hives are a living organism with different bees taking the role of collecting water, nectar, pollen, feeding the young and cleaning the hive. They take many roles with one goal – producing something good. [Hence] the parallels between the hive and the Church.”

Father Ryszard lived out this hive symbolism in his person and in his priesthood. He was the ultimate team player: helpful, hard-working and humble. Never once – not once in three years! – did I ever ask him for help without receiving an immediate, affirmative response. He would almost literally drop what he was doing to help someone in need whether they requested a bus pass, a Bible or a blessing. He did many good deeds in quiet, unassuming ways. Father likely never realized that I noticed his humble acts of service or generosity. He was not doing good for accolades or applause – as Bishop Malone and Bishop Grosz are wont to do – but to serve God and His people. I often thought that in so many ways, Father Ryszard embodied this description of Jesus from the Acts of the Apostles: “He went about doing good.”

Father was always seeking out or responding to opportunities to minister to the people of God in WNY. Gifted with tremendous empathy, he was often at the bedside of the dying or consoling those who grieved their loss. A humorous and holy preacher, he was constantly being asked to say Mass, lead a mission or give a talk. Naturally comfortable with people of all ages, he was beloved by children and revered by adults. More than a few times, people would find out where I worked and say, “Oooh, you get to work with Father Ryszard every day??!!!” Usually this query came from a parishioner at one of the parishes where Father Ryszard was stationed before he was assigned to the Chancery. “Father Ryszard used to be at our parish and we just loved him and we miss him so much” were words that I heard frequently. I remember one little girl telling me just how lucky I was to work with Father Ryszard. She was so very right.

In addition to his generous ministry, Father Ryszard lived out the hive symbolism through his many sacrifices for the Church of Buffalo, as he always referred to our diocese. He came to Buffalo as a young Polish man who barely spoke English and was still acclimating to our U.S. culture. Sexually abused by a priest when he was a seminarian, he would be revictimized by Bishop Grosz and retraumatized by Bishop Malone. Yet Father persevered through it all and was ordained here in 2009. He has generously served the people of our diocese since then. Like the bee, as St. John Chrysostom said, Father has labored for others. He even accepted the hardest assignment of them all: Secretary to Bishop Malone.

Some of the priests seemed to think that Father Ryszard was living on easy street with his Chancery assignment. No, he was living on servitude street. You want to know the first thing that tipped me off that Bishop Malone was not the man I thought he was? His treatment of Father Ryszard. Bishop Malone was mercurial in the worst way. One day he was treating Ryszard like a beloved nephew — the next day Father would be on his black list for some unknown (and likely asinine) reason. No matter how the Bishop was treating him, Father Ryszard continued to do the following with admirable grace and good cheer: drive him every where, share most meals with him, attend almost all of the same meetings, coordinate and direct all of his liturgies, arrange for all of his travel, and listen to him day in and day out. In Father Ryszard I witnessed heroic charity in the face of hubristic cattiness. So often last year I braced myself for 5-6 hours of Bishop Malone only to realize that Father Ryszard routinely spent every waking hour with him. Such realizations always made me cringe… and left me in awe of Father.

There is much that can and will be said regarding the content and context of the Malone Recordings. It is not the purpose of this post to dwell on those specifics although I am familiar with such matters. Instead, I wanted to take this opportunity to speak to you about Father Ryszard and the good man of God that he is. Like his bees, Father Ryszard has continuously worked and sacrificed to “produce something good.” He is as honest as he is genuine. He sincerely strives for holiness. And he always seeks to do good.

At the end of the aforementioned interview, Father Ryszard was asked what makes him happy (other than working with bees and kids – albeit not simultaneously). His response is pure and beautiful: “Celebrating the Eucharist behind the altar – I feel as if I belong there. Nowhere else in the world do I feel as comfortable; it’s like a puzzle piece that just fits. There is a great affirmation – like drinking satisfies thirst; for me, celebrating the Eucharist affirms my calling. I can’t picture myself any happier than I am right now, doing what’s right and following the Lord.”

I believe that Father Ryszard has done what is right and is following the Lord. Father is making the truth known and bringing light into our ongoing diocesan darkness. It is hard to express both my pride in him and my loyalty toward him.

Father Ryszard used to be my trusted colleague. Now, he is a fellow whistle blower. But most of all – he is my good friend. He has my heartfelt gratitude, admiration and support.