‘I cannot sit back and do nothing’: leading parishioner supports priest exposing homosexual cover-up

PLYMOUTH, Michigan, November 28, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — A leading parishioner has spoken up to defend a priest who believes he was removed from the parish for objecting to an archdiocesan cover-up of homosexual grooming.

Ron Thompson, a parishioner of Our Lady of Good Council and at least until recently chair of its Finance Council, has released a statement defending Fr. Michael Suhy. The priest was banished from Our Lady of Good Council church and school in Plymouth, Michigan, last week following what archdiocesan officials claimed was a canonical process.

But Suhy swiftly released a testimony of an archdiocesan cover-up involving the alleged sexual harassment and grooming of a young man by a “prominent” employee of the Archdiocese of Detroit. Subsequently Thompson, Suhy’s civil lawyer, issued a statement pointing out that the priest’s removal was “unjust.”

“The evidence touted by the Archdiocese of Detroit in support of his removal is more than questionable: It is concocted and it is specious,” Thompson wrote.

“It includes (I do not jest): that the associate pastors Fr. Tim Wezner and Fr. Tony Camilleri were not consulted when Fr. Michael — the pastor — decided to get a dog for himself; that Fr. Suhy left sporting events “early”; and that Fr. Suhy didn’t rely upon Zillow.com for calculating the square footage of his rectory, instead preferring Redfin.com.”

Thompson also challenged Auxiliary Bishop Gerard Battersby’s claim that Suhy had “become overwhelmed with the responsibilities, burdens, and challenges of administrating a large and complex parish like Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish with its added dimension of having a school.”

“Fr. Michael was not overwhelmed with the administration of our large parish with its school as accused,” Thompson declared. “I say this, because I have closely collaborated with Fr. Michael in the formulation of the budget for the 2020/2021 Fiscal Year and have witnessed his leadership in various meetings.”

Suhy’s recent successes in his leadership of the parish included establishing an outdoor altar in the parish parking lot so that Masses could be said there during the pandemic; cutting the operating expenses of the parish by 20%; working with the school principal to reduce the school’s financial dependence on the parish; confirming over 100 children despite the pandemic, celebrating First Communions with over 100 children and their families despite the pandemic, and inspiring his parishioners to be generous.

“As of November 17, 2020, the Parish of Our Lady of Good Counsel was $79,000 ahead of budget in terms of weekly offerings,” the Chair of the Finance Council wrote. “A man who fails at being a pastor is not capable of presiding over such an economic success — during the midst of a pandemic and half-empty churches for that matter!”

The parish school, too, has been thriving, Thompson attested. The enrollment is increasing, and Suhy had an “almost daily” presence on campus, serving the school every Wednesday morning.

“As the civil attorney for Fr. Michael Suhy, I believe, as does my client, that he was removed after vocally objecting and expressing deep concern – repeatedly – against the whitewashing of the sexual harassment and attempted grooming and homosexual indoctrination that parents of a young man had informed both the Archbishop and Fr. Suhy of,” Thompson wrote.

The lawyer contrasted the kid-glove treatment given the male homosexual with the firing of a female music director after she “married” her long-term female partner. 59-year-old Terri Gonda was dismissed from her post by the Archdiocese this June.

“The fact that the Archbishop of Detroit selectively fires lesbian employees but decides to keep very close to him known male homosexual staff is not only unconscionable, it is hypocritical,” Thompson declared.

A GoFundMe drive to support Fr. Michael Suhy’s lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Detroit has been set up by Nicholas Suhy of Canton, Michigan. Suhy also now has an “official website” containing contact details and his former parishioner’s statement of support.

LifeSiteNews has reached out to both to Fr. Tim Wezner and to Ron Thompson but has not received a reply from either man.

To make your opinion respectfully and charitably known to the Archdiocese of Detroit, please contact:

The Most Reverend Allen H. Vigneron
Archbishop of Detroit
12 State Street
Detroit MI 48226-1823

The Most Reverend Gerard W. Battersby
Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit
35637 Cherry Hill Road
Westland, MI 48186

The fact that Thompson was appointed as chairman of the finance committee and is Fr. Suhy’s personal lawyer is somewhat suspect. I’ve heard he has raised around 56K for the priest’s legal funds.

The juxtaposition of the gay marriage between a lesbian organist and the claim that the Archdiocese is protecting another parish musician just because he is a male who supposedly knows where “all the bodies are buried” is also misleading. Canon law requires the Church to fire an employee who openly marries a member of the same sex. All they can do about a homosexual male, man or woman, who keeps their private life private is ask questions which the AOD did ask.

The claim of grooming a young man was made by the parents of the young man (18 at the time). There is no official charge as the “victim” said it never happened.

As to Thompson’s assertion that the investigating bishop into Fr. Suhy’s emotional problems includes the Associate pastor Fr. Wezner being upset because he was not first consulted about Fr. Suhy getting a dog is interesting because Fr. Suhy had the dog a year before Fr. Wezner was assigned to his parish.

Both Thompson and Church Militant have twisted the truth and failed to share quite a bit of pertinent information to their readers in an attempt to hurt the Archbishop.

That’s not to say that there hasn’t been mismanagement in other cases involving priests being removed from their parishes, see the sad case of Father Eduard Perrone, but in this instance it appears the Archdiocese followed proper procedure.

It seems to me that there is a lot of collateral damage being done to very good people in an attempt to claim “gotcha” by those who have a vested interest.

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‘I cannot sit back and do nothing’: leading parishioner supports priest exposing homosexual cover-up

Fr. Michael Suhy had released a testimony of an archdiocesan cover-up involving the alleged sexual harassment and grooming of a young man by a ‘prominent’ employee of the Archdiocese of Detroit.