Newark priest knew of McCarrick "sleepovers," fires back at archdiocese

Father Robert Hoatson, who recently filed a lawsuit against the New York and Newark archdioceses, is now the second priest to go on record as saying that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick abused his authority by "inviting" certain seminarians to sleep with him. (Father James Haley was the first priest to on record about the matter.)

Then-Bishop McCarrick reportedly would have the seminarians sleep next to him, but did not engage in sexual activity with them.

When I had decided to leave the Irish Christian Brothers to become a priest in 1994, the very first question I asked the director of priest personnel, Father Bill Fadrowski, a former Marist brother who was selected to speak with me by McCarrick because his path to the priesthood was similar to mine, was, 'Has McCarrick stopped sleeping with the seminarians?'

I was concerned since I had been abused sexually in the Christian Brothers and did not want to confront the same issue with McCarrick. Without blinking an eye, Fadrowski responded, 'Oh, yes, the Papal Nuncio and Bishop [James] McHugh both spoke to him and told him to cut it out.'

A priest who did his seminary training in Newark wrote me and said he remembers the Newark seminarians dreading Fridays because it meant they might have to go to McCarrick's house at the Jersey shore.

Also, Father Hoatson had the following (edited) response to recent statements made by Archdiocese of Newark spokesman James Goodness:

[On December 15] I announced a five million dollar lawsuit against a number of Catholic institutions. Also yesterday, Jim Goodness, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Newark, told [a media outlet] that I had requested a transfer from my position and changed my mind. This is the truth of the matter:

In the fall of 2002, I requested to be named a pastor since it was my opinion that my work at Good Counsel Schools had been completed. I was asked to go there to straighten out a critical situation of mismanagement and chaos in both schools. After a year, I had hired two strong principals and the schools were getting back on their feet.

I never received a response from the archbishop after making the request in the fall, so I phoned his office in late December to find out why I had not been responded to. It had been my expectation that I would start a new assignment by January 1, 2003.

On January 14, 2003, I met with the archbishop... and he simply discounted everything I had to say. He then asked me to remain at Good Counsel Schools until June, 2003, and enter my name into the pastor's pool for assignment after June, 2003. I agreed to stay on as he requested.

In February, 2003, I received a call from Father Frank Rose who wanted to come to see me. He evidently had been asked to consider replacing me in June, 2003. I was not made aware that he would be calling me, so I asked for an explanation from the vicar general who had told Rose to phone me. I also put it in writing. The vicar general (Bishop Serratelli) responded with a letter asking me to cooperate with Father Rose since they were beginning to plan for my succession. He also complimented me on the excellent job I had done at Good Counsel Schools.

When the news about Father Frank Rose's possible assignment to Good Counsel Schools filtered out, members of the Good Counsel communities 'begged' me to change my mind and stay since Father Rose's reputation from his time as an administrator in another parish was not very good.

I did write to the archbishop in the late winter or spring and tell him that since he wanted me to stay at Good Counsel until June, 2003, I would be happy to stay through the next year, the time my term was to end. I never heard from the archbishop.

On May 20, 2003, I testified before a Senate hearing in Albany about my abuse and the cover-up by Church authorities.

On May, 23, 2003, I was called to the chancery and given a letter of termination from my ministry, effective immediately. Bishop Serratelli told me that Albany diocesan authorities had phoned the Newark chancery within minutes of my testimony to tell my archbishop what I had said in my testimony. Serratelli claimed my language in Albany was inflammatory and instructed me to tone down my language at the direct request of the archbishop.

Even though my letter of termination was effective immediately, Serratelli wrote to me after my termination to instruct me to work with my replacement but direct the commencement exercises for both schools in June.

Father Frank Rose did replace me as director of schools for the parish of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Newark, NJ, but he was removed four months after taking over for 'inappropriately touching an eighth grade boy.'

Father Hoatson also provided me with the following (edited) information regarding his experiences in the Archdiocese of Newark:

During my second assignment, the auxiliary bishop pastor verbally abused me consistently for no reason. At one point, I was the full-time associate pastor, principal of the parish school, part-time youth minister, chaplain of the Hackensack Fire Dept. and scouts, and took 30 of the 58 weddings and numerous funerals that year. In addition, I inaugurated an annual carnival to raise money for the school.

I was glad to do it all, but the pastor had promised me a reduction in duties so I could have a day off. When I reminded him of his pledge, he told me that if I didn't like what I was doing, I should go to the archbishop and get a transfer. When I fired a parishioner from our after-care program because she had been arrested for smuggling money through customs, the pastor told me I was insensitive to her.

When I was told about a former scout master who had not returned over $7,000 to the scout troop when he left, I pursued the case, which was not pleasant. I succeeded in getting the money returned, but it took much work and the assistance of the regional scout leaders. The pastor told me I was insensitive to the scout leader who also was an usher at the parish and took up the collection!

It was in Hackensack, too, that I replaced a man who was removed for allegedly abusing a male parishioner.

After I told Myers all of this, he responded by saying, 'Oh, Charlie McDonnell (the aux. bishop pastor) is the nicest man in the world.'

Msgr. Peter Cheplic was removed as pastor of St. Aloysius Parish in Jersey City for an admitted case of sexual abuse of a teenager at the Jersey Shore. His best friend, Father Joseph Petrillo, was pastor of the parish in which I resided in 2002, Our Lady of Lourdes, West Orange. Petrillo approached me one night to tell me that he was moving Cheplic into the rectory. I balked at the suggestion, reminding him that the parish school was about 100 yards from the rectory and that it was not appropriate for an abuser to be living in the rectory. He moved him in.

I got sick (acute gastritis) and landed in the hospital. As a survivor of sexual abuse, I was nervous living with an abuser. I told the vicar general about this situation, and he responded about Cheplic, 'The poor man, what he's been through.' I had to move out — Cheplic stayed. When I told Myers this, he responded, 'You don't know the whole story about Cheplic.' By the way, three more victims of Cheplic have surfaced recently.

I moved to St. Mary's, Closter. Within a month of my moving in, a nun from the parish convent came to see me. She was being abused by her superior, in all ways but sexual. I advised her to ask for a transfer because her story was horrific. What I didn't realize was that her superior and the pastor were friends, and when the pastor realized that I was speaking to the first nun, and then a second nun, and then a third nun, he began to harass me.

He took away my rectory garage and gave it to the nuns' superior, cut back my Mass schedule, and told me I didn't know how to live in a rectory since I did not put the newspapers back in order after I read them! I literally escaped this place in the dead of night.

Myers' response — nothing. He told me I might be developing a reputation as a malcontent.

The other side:

Newark Archdiocese, Albany Diocese respond to priest's lawsuit

Matt C. Abbott
Matt C. Abbott
December 16, 2005

The following are two (unedited) statements from the Archdiocese of Newark and the Diocese of Albany regarding the lawsuit filed by Father Robert Hoatson.

From James Goodness, director of communications for the Archdiocese of Newark:

I have stated on a number of occasions over the past few years that Fr. Robert Hoatson is a troubled individual. Based on information contained in his filing with the federal court yesterday, I can only reiterate this statement forcefully and unequivocally.

I will not deal with his personal allegations against several bishops, in particular Archbishop John Myers. These allegations are simply preposterous. I believe (a phrase that Fr. Hoatson is very quick to make use of in his filing) that Fr. Hoatson will carelessly and recklessly use falsehoods to draw attention to himself. In making these allegations, he sullies not the reputations of the individuals he is attempting to bring down, but rather his own reputation.

But the mirror has two faces, as they say, and there are some things that Fr. Hoatson has conveniently tried to hide from view.

Concerning his "firing" from the position of director of Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Newark, Fr. Hoatson has conveniently forgotten that on November 6, 2002 — well before he claims that he was fired, Fr. Hoatson wrote to Archbishop Myers requesting that he be relieved as director of Our Lady of Good Counsel School. He cited as his reasons a personal assessment that his work at the schools was completed, and his desire was to return to full-time parish work. He asked for a reassignment by January 1, 2003. Archbishop Myers tentatively approved the request on November 8, 2002

On December 18, 2002 Fr. Hoatson again wrote to Archbishop Myers asking for an appointment. In that letter, he reiterated that he wished a change of assignment by January 1, 2003.

The Archbishop met with Fr. Hoatson on January 14, 2003 and discussed Father's hopes for a new assignment. In that discussion, Father agreed to remain in the post of director of the school for the spring 2003 semester.

On February 5, 2003 Bishop Arthur Serratelli, then Vicar General of the Archdiocese, wrote to Fr. Hoatson confirming that the reassignment would be effective in June 2003. At this point, the decision had been made to grant Fr. Hoatson's request to leave Good Counsel School. It is important to note that during this time period, the Archdiocese received correspondence from a number of laypeople involved with Our Lady of Good Counsel advising that during his tenure, Fr. Hoatson was responsible for strained communication with administration, faculty and staff, and that he dismissed the role of parents and other laypeople in the life and direction of the school.

During this time period, and even before he wrote to the Archdiocese in November 2002, Fr. Hoatson frequently made visits out of the diocese as an advocate for victims of sexual abuse. At no time was he reprimanded for these actions or told to cease. However, I must note that while he was away on these visits across the country, he was not performing his duties as director of the school. I can only surmise from his actions that he did not feel that his role as director was an important or necessary one. I can also only surmise that he did not feel that the children of Our Lady of Good Counsel School were important.

On March 27, 2003 Fr. Hoatson wrote to withdraw his request for a new assignment. Unfortunately, a new director had already been selected and was preparing to assume the post, so it was too late to put him back. I can only surmise that Fr. Hoatson finally understood the old adage, "Be careful what you wish for."

Therefore, Fr. Hoatson's contention that Cardinal Egan and Bishop Hubbard contacted Archbishop Myers in May 2003 to seek his removal from Our Lady of Good Counsel School simply does not bear up under the facts.

Fr. Hoatson also claims that for his entire time as a priest, he has been a "victim of clergy abuse." What this accusation really comes down to is the following:

Fr. Hoatson appears to believe that the extraordinary amount of work that every parish priest must undertake, and the multiple hats that they must wear as they work in ministry, constitutes abuse. With respect to Fr. Hoatson, such abuse included his work as chaplain of the town fire department and moderator of the parish pre-Cana program. Yes, these duties were in addition to his duties as principal of the parish school and his sacramental work in saying Mass or hearing confessions. All priests are overworked. Most priests in this Archdiocese have multiple assignments and duties. They may be weary, but they do not feel abused. In fact, if anyone should have been pitied during Fr. Hoatson's parish assignments, it probably would have to be the pastors who had to put up with what soldiers during the Civil War would have called Fr. Hoatson's "malingering" — shirking one's duty.

From a brief review of his history, it appears that the only time Fr. Hoatson may have been happy was when he was on leave from religious life and employed as a golf instructor.

Archbishop Myers did issue a "precept" against Fr. Hoatson about a month ago, and here are the reasons for this precept:

1. Fr. Hoatson does not live within the geographic area of the Archdiocese, as required under the laws of the Church. He maintains a regular residence in Rockaway Park, New York, within the geographic area of the Diocese of Brooklyn. There is a residence for him within the Archdiocese — at Nativity Parish in Midland Park. He has not used it. While it is permitted for priests to maintain residences outside of the diocese for which they are ordained for their days off or vacations, they must live the majority of the week "where they work."

2. Fr. Hoatson established a counseling and advocacy organization — Rescue and Recovery International — located within the geographic area of the Diocese of Brooklyn, without seeking the consent of the Archbishop or the Bishop of Brooklyn. Neither bishop ever gave such permission. Under Canon Law, diocesan priests cannot undertake a ministry or establish a business without receiving permission from their bishops. Nor is it permitted to establish a ministry in another diocese without the permission of that bishop.

3. The precept also calls for Fr. Hoatson to adhere to his assigned duties as chaplain of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark, an assignment that he accepted in 2004 but which he apparently deems is a "no show" job. The managers of Catholic Charities have reported that he does not regularly appear and perform the duties he has been assigned. We know this for a fact because, on his own Rescue and Recovery website, Fr. Hoatson claims that he is regularly in Boston working with victims of abuse, and that he travels extensively to promote his work as a victims' advocate. Unless he has mastered bi-location, Father cannot be in two places at once. He apparently has chosen to be someplace other than the assignment he accepted.

It should be noted in this particular matter that when Fr. Hoatson was offered the chaplain position at Catholic Charities, Archbishop Myers stated that Father could work with victims of sexual abuse within the framework of Catholic Charities, which has extensive facilities and resources to deal with victims. Obviously, Fr. Hoatson chose to disregard the Archbishop's encouraging recommendation.

4. The precept also reminds Fr. Hoatson that he is to show proper reverence and obedience to his bishop, something that he promised to do when he was ordained in 1994. It is obvious from the filing that Father has forgotten this part of his ordination promise, and has forgotten his calling to serve the Church.

Finally, Fr. Hoatson contends throughout his filing that he has been a victim of abuse from his earliest days, and that his time in high school, and as a member of the Christian Brothers congregation, and as both a seminarian and priest have been marred by a constant stream of sexual abuse by clergy and religious.

Yet, in his own words, written during the time he was preparing for the priesthood, Father presents a very different picture — one in which he claims that his time in high school was idyllic, that his role models among the Christian Brothers in high school were exemplary, but that his problems with the religious life were centered around the rural atmosphere where he was living, and the onset of panic attacks. Archbishop Myers has dealt with Fr. Hoatson and his troubles most patiently and compassionately over these past few years. The disciplinary action taken in November 2005 was necessary only because of the magnitude of his failure to perform his assigned duties.

Throughout his filing, Fr. Hoatson talks about his "belief" in the fabrications he outlined. As a Catholic layperson I, too, believe in many things — in redemption, and most specifically, in the power of prayer. I pray that you will all see Fr. Hoatson's attempt to hide his own failings for what it is — the work of a troubled man, and that you see that this is newsworthy only in that a priest with failings has chosen not to seek help, but to lash out at those who are ready to help him through his troubles.

From Ken Goldfarb, director of communications for the Diocese of Albany:

John Aretakis has repeatedly discredited the cause of legitimate victims of sexual abuse by churning out frivolous "press release lawsuits" and making false allegations against Bishop Hubbard, other priests and public officials in the Capital District.

His allegations against Bishop Hubbard were thoroughly scrutinized and thoroughly repudiated by an exhaustive independent investigation by former U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White, who found that Mr. Aretakis had sought to induce people to make false claims against the Bishop.

Mr. Aretakis has disgraced his own profession attacking judges, including a state Supreme Court Judge who fined him $7,500 for repeatedly making false statements and who called his arguments "so disingenuous as to be unethical and unbecoming an attorney." He is currently facing criminal charges in Rensselaer County for allegedly stealing documents from a process server serving court documents. He has publicly acknowledged that he is facing multiple allegations of professional misconduct.

When it comes to "RICO" lawsuits, Mr. Aretakis is a three-time loser. Three times he's brought specious claims against the Albany Diocese to state and federal courts. Three times he's failed. The Albany Diocese looks forward to answering the false and patently absurd claims in this lawsuit. Bishop Hubbard has never had — nor has he ever sought to have — any authority or influence over Father Hoatson's priestly assignments.

Related links:

Fr. Hoatson is promoting a homosexual agenda, insisting that the Catholic Church is being hypocritical for disapproving of homosexuality while the vast majority of priests and bishops, he alleges, are homosexuals. Among the points of facts asserted in this case is the assertion that Archbishop Myers is gay. He calls this a fact, even though he bases this fact simply on his own belief, and unspecified rumors. Such gossip is a grave sin, made all the worst by the very public figure and representative of the church whom it is he has chosen to defame. Not only that, these "points of fact" are immaterial to his case; the only motive for them must simply be to have such rumors entered into a legal record. Such an absurd inclusion undermines the credibility of his case, and any lawyer worth his salt would know that.. unless the sole purpose for the lawsuit is to push an agenda. And he has purposely made his agenda quite clear: the promotion of a homosexual priesthood.

If his testimony in Albany was anything in nature close to these unfounded assertions, it is little wonder that he has not been granted a pastoral assignment, notwithstanding the objective disqualifications cited by the diocese.

_______________________________\
The objective of the lawsuit:

"The plaintiff does not agree or allege (as does the Vatican) that homosexuality is a mental disorder and plaintiff believes that homosexuals should be afforded all gay and civil rights."

"NEWARK ARCHDIOCESE and had the plaintiff HOATSON fired from his position as Director of Schools at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Newark, New Jersey."

Thank God he WAS fired! A director of a Catholic schools who testifies publicly that he believes that the church and state should support sodomy!

"The plaintiff has personal knowledge of this and states that consensual, adult and private sexual behavior by and amongst these defendants is not an issue or at issue. The issue for the plaintiff is that this behavior has compromised the defendants' ability to supervise and control predators, and has served as the reason for the retaliation and harm repeatedly done to the plaintiff and the plaintiff's career in exposing predators and helping victims of clergy sexual abuse."

How could this be so? He claims he was already being punished for his whistle-blowing in early 2002. Myers only arrived from Illinois in October, 2001. How could he let pedophiles get the dirt on him so quickly?

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