The Worthy Adversary

Category: Hawaii

  • New Abuse Lawsuit Against Damien, Honolulu Diocese

    The latest lawsuit exposing a long string of sex abuse and cover-up scandals at Damien Memorial School in Honolulu

    Two Honolulu men file new clergy sex abuse suit

    They accuse a former Damien Catholic teacher

    He has allegedly molested at least 12 kids in five states

    A former Damien principal has also been named as predator

    New state law lets victims expose abusers & protect kids

    Brother Robert Brouillette

     

    What:

    Holding signs and photos of themselves when they were abused, abuse victims and their supporters will disclose a new child sex abuse and cover-up lawsuit against the Honolulu Catholic diocese and a convicted predator cleric. The suit charges that a Catholic brother:

    — Sexually abused two Damien Memorial School students,

    — Was transferred from school to school because of abuse allegations,

    — Was removed from Damien for abuse allegations, but parents and students were never informed.

    They will also:

    — Discuss a recent child sex abuse accusation against a former Damien principal,

    — Urge victims and witnesses to report to abuse to law enforcement, not church officials, and

    — Show how a landmark new Hawaii law is helping to warn parents about predators.

    Where:

    Outside of Damien Memorial School, 1401 Houghtailing Street (at School Street) in Honolulu

    When:

    Thursday, November 8 at 11:00 am

    Who:

    Two to three victims of child sex abuse and their supporters who are members of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPNetwork.org), including a California woman who is the group’s Western Regional Director and a former priest who is now one of the nation’s leading experts on the Catholic clergy sex abuse crisis.

    Why:

    This week, two former Damien Memorial students filed a new child sex abuse and cover-up lawsuit against the Honolulu Catholic Diocese and Br. Robert Brouillette, an Irish Christian Brother and former teacher at the school.

    Both men, who are still Oahu residents, charge that Brouillette sexually abused them while both were young students at the school. One victim was abused in 1984 and the other was abused in 1986. They were able to come forward and expose Brouillette because of a landmark new Hawaii law that allows victims of child sexual abuse to come forward and seek justice in the courts, no matter when the abuse occurred. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/07/opinion/more-time-for-justice.html?_r=0.

    Separate from the lawsuit, the Irish Christian Brothers, a New York-based Catholic religious order that runs Damien, declared bankruptcy in 2011 to avoid costly and public child sex abuse civil trials. http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/16904070/group-says-child-predators-worked-at-catholic-school. Both victims also filed claims against Brouillette in the bankruptcy. According to attorneys, sixteen victims from Damien have come forward as a result.

    Brouillette has been accused of sexual abuse by at least a dozen victims in IL, CA, HI, AZ and MO. In 2000, he was convicted of possession of child pornography after being arrested in an internet child molestation sting. His last known address was in Missouri. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news/1999_12_04_Presecky_CatholicBrother.htm

    This is just the latest in a string of scandals at Damien Memorial School. Last week, a former Damien principal was forced to step down from his job in Seattle due to allegations of abuse. Br. Karl Walczak, Damien principal from 1987-1999, was accused of abuse while he was a teacher at an Irish Christian Brother school in Chicago. The alleged victim filed a claim in July, but Irish Christian Brother and Archdiocese officials did not disclose the allegations until Halloween. SNAP and parents were outraged at the delay in disclosure.
    http://www.komonews.com/news/local/ODea-High-School-principal-resigns-amid-sex-abuse-allegations-176692501.html?tab=video&c=y. A lawsuit against former Damien chaplain Fr. Gerald Funcheon was filed in May. http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/561462/Lawsuit-claims-abuse-by-former-Honolulu-priest.html?nav=5031.

    SNAP is urging all victims at the school to come forward and get help while they have civil rights under Hawaii’s new window legislation. The two-year law, sponsored by Senator Maile Shimabukuro, expires in 2014.

    The victims are represented by Attorneys Mike Reck and Mark Gallagher. Copies of the lawsuit will be available at the event.

     

  • Hawaii bishop starts the finger pointing game

    Here’s a sad, sad story from today’s Honolulu Star Advertiser. Honolulu’s Bishop Clarence Silva blames victims for not coming forward to him, his predecessors for covering things up, enemies of the church who “capitalize on this very real problem,” proponents of gay marriage, pro-life advocates, and just about everyone else.

    Really? Since when do the gay marriage and pro-life movements have ANYTHING to do with child sex abuse and cover up?

    My modest proposal? Name the perps, open the files, disclose allegations, turn ALL evidence over to the cops and quit blaming victims. That’s pretty easy, right?

    Because the Hawaii civil window will force him to do it soon enough …

     

     

  • Finding my ‘ohana in Hilo

    ‘Ohana can come from the most unlikely of places.

    I went to Hilo, Hawaii last week for a single reason: Expose priest George DeCosta, who has been accused of abuse by two youth and former students at Honolulu’s Damien Memorial School. De Costa is now living in Volcano, a town about 20 miles outside of Hilo, where he went after Honolulu Bishop Francis DiLorenzo forced him to retire in 2002.

     

    Malia Puka’O Kalani

     

    DeCosta spent 30 years as pastor at St. Mary Gate of Heaven – now Malia Puka’O Kalani – parish. When he was forced out – in the midst of a massive priest shortage – the parish was left without a permanent priest. He was also forced to retire the same year, 2002, that Catholic clergy sex abuse “reforms” forced bishops across the country to remove child-molesting clerics.

    Now, DeCosta is the pastor of a religious “community” in Volcano and travels the country with a national group called Music Ministry Alive. Within the past week, DeCosta’s photo and bio have been taken off of the website.

    George De Costa from The Music Ministry Alive Website

    I went to the small Malia Puka’O Kalani Parish not quite knowing what to expect.

    I stood outside for less than 5 minutes before a man came up to me and said, “Are you the whole rally?”

    “Yeah,” I told him. “It’s just me. Hope it’s not disappointing”

    “We’ve been waiting to talk to you. Please, come back and sit.”

    He led me to the back open area patio where five people sat, waiting for me. He pulled a chair up for me, gave me a water, and we started to talk. And talk. And talk. They were all alarmed about the allegations and had known Fr. George for a long time. But they also knew the they had to listen to the victims. They knew about the shame and silence victims suffer and how difficult it can be to come forward in such a small, tight-knit community, where culture and religion are often at odds.

    One of them, a community leader as well as a member of the parish, said something I will never forget. We were discussing the clash between much of Hawaiian culture and Catholicism, and he said, “I did not choose to be born who I am. But I choose to be proud of who I am. That’s why I am here, talking to you.”

    When I left, I received hugs and thank yous and a hand-knitted lei. And I am fairly confident that the Malia Puka’O Kalani community will begin to talk openly about child sexual abuse.

    John Burnett of the Hawaii Tribune Herald wrote a great piece about the allegations.

    Asked if there had ever been similar allegations against him before, DeCosta said: “I believe there was one other one about five years ago, maybe, but nothing ever came about it.” He didn’t say what the allegation entailed, but said that it “wasn’t at Malia.”

    So I guess we have three allegations. And far too many unanswered questions.

    Fortunately, the strength and love of the parishioners will keep them vigilant, until we can all get to the truth.