Matt C. Abbott
Novel inspired by alleged clergy sex ring; Remembering 'McCarrickgate'
By Matt C. Abbott
The Principal's Office
Sister Rosemary was around 35 years old. She paid much attention to her appearance, wearing her hair up, a touch of lipstick and large, gold hoop earrings. And, no, she did not wear any religious habit.
She sat at her principal's desk across from a priest who sat back comfortably in a stuffed chair. Father Ted Nowacki was in his early 40's. His brown hair had begun graying ever so slightly at the temples. He preferred to wear his cassock around the parish, which he considered a symbol of his priesthood and a sign of his authority as Pastor.
Word traveled back to Father Ted that Sister Frances' opinions regarding sex education conflicted directly with Catholic teaching. As the priest learned more about the subject, the more concerned he became. A confrontation with the principal became inevitable. When they met, he put Sister Rosemary on the defensive.
The above is an excerpt from The Boys' Club, a new novel by George Kocan, a friend of mine. The Boys' Club was inspired by the recent (and ongoing) true-life investigation into an alleged Chicago clergy pedophile ring with the same name.
(The late Malachi Martin's novel Windswept House also was loosely based on the alleged ring, which may have been connected to the unsolved 1984 murder of professor and choir director Francis Pellegrini, an acquaintance of Father Andrew Greeley. Another interesting aspect of this case: Cardinal Joseph Bernardin reportedly had visited the Pellegrini crime scene.)
Kocan's novel tells "the story of Ted, who after spending 15 years as a specialist in psychological warfare in Korea, returns to the United States to enter the Catholic priesthood. Upon being assigned as the pastor to his childhood parish, he makes a horrible discovery that brings him face-to-face with an evil conspiracy," according to a press release from the book's publisher, PublishAmerica.
Remembering 'McCarrickgate'
In light of the retiring Cardinal Theodore McCarrick's recent statements regarding same-sex civil unions, I thought I'd revisit a previous column of mine about the Washington Post and McCarrick's abuse of power via seminarian "sleepovers."
Said one priest:
"If you want someone who can verify the 'alleged' stories of 'Teddy' [Cardinal Theodore McCarrick], all you have to do is ask the publisher of the Washington Post, which has been sitting on the story for almost three years. I know this for a fact.
"The reason Archbishop Myers sold the beach house was because every bishop knew of the 'nephews' [seminarians]. The reason the Post sat on the story: The cardinal is a liberal Democrat.
"It was the publisher who voted against the editorial board to run the story about 'Teddy's nephews.' You can ask [name deleted] about this as well. You can also contact [name deleted] of [place of employment deleted]. He slept in the bed with Teddy at the beach house. Archbishop Myers knew all of this before he arrived in Newark."
A related column: http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/abbott/060201
© Matt C. Abbott
The Principal's Office
Sister Rosemary was around 35 years old. She paid much attention to her appearance, wearing her hair up, a touch of lipstick and large, gold hoop earrings. And, no, she did not wear any religious habit.
She sat at her principal's desk across from a priest who sat back comfortably in a stuffed chair. Father Ted Nowacki was in his early 40's. His brown hair had begun graying ever so slightly at the temples. He preferred to wear his cassock around the parish, which he considered a symbol of his priesthood and a sign of his authority as Pastor.
Word traveled back to Father Ted that Sister Frances' opinions regarding sex education conflicted directly with Catholic teaching. As the priest learned more about the subject, the more concerned he became. A confrontation with the principal became inevitable. When they met, he put Sister Rosemary on the defensive.
The above is an excerpt from The Boys' Club, a new novel by George Kocan, a friend of mine. The Boys' Club was inspired by the recent (and ongoing) true-life investigation into an alleged Chicago clergy pedophile ring with the same name.(The late Malachi Martin's novel Windswept House also was loosely based on the alleged ring, which may have been connected to the unsolved 1984 murder of professor and choir director Francis Pellegrini, an acquaintance of Father Andrew Greeley. Another interesting aspect of this case: Cardinal Joseph Bernardin reportedly had visited the Pellegrini crime scene.)
Kocan's novel tells "the story of Ted, who after spending 15 years as a specialist in psychological warfare in Korea, returns to the United States to enter the Catholic priesthood. Upon being assigned as the pastor to his childhood parish, he makes a horrible discovery that brings him face-to-face with an evil conspiracy," according to a press release from the book's publisher, PublishAmerica.
Remembering 'McCarrickgate'
In light of the retiring Cardinal Theodore McCarrick's recent statements regarding same-sex civil unions, I thought I'd revisit a previous column of mine about the Washington Post and McCarrick's abuse of power via seminarian "sleepovers."
Said one priest:
"If you want someone who can verify the 'alleged' stories of 'Teddy' [Cardinal Theodore McCarrick], all you have to do is ask the publisher of the Washington Post, which has been sitting on the story for almost three years. I know this for a fact.
"The reason Archbishop Myers sold the beach house was because every bishop knew of the 'nephews' [seminarians]. The reason the Post sat on the story: The cardinal is a liberal Democrat.
"It was the publisher who voted against the editorial board to run the story about 'Teddy's nephews.' You can ask [name deleted] about this as well. You can also contact [name deleted] of [place of employment deleted]. He slept in the bed with Teddy at the beach house. Archbishop Myers knew all of this before he arrived in Newark."
A related column: http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/abbott/060201
© Matt C. Abbott
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