Goodbye, Straight Men: Homosexuality in U.S. Seminaries

I would very much like to believe that the homosexual problem in the Church is over, that Michael Rose's 2002 exposé Goodbye, Good Men, caused major reform. But did it? I'm not so sure.

When you see men like Robert McElroy, who covered up for a notorious clerical sex abuser, appointed to a plum see like Washington, D.C. you know the elephant is still in the room. How many D.C. seminarians will be recruited who are, shall I say, light in the loafers? The priesthood can be a cushy job. Remember Bishop Michael Bransfield of Wheeling, WV, my husband's home town, who lived like a king. His behavior was no secret, but he enjoyed wining and dining himself for thirteen years on the faithful's dime. It was so bad I did a series with an anonymous priest, Nabi, who detailed the scandals. [See a recent local story from the Weirton Daily Times, Ex-Bishop Michael Bransfield’s ‘creepy’ behavior detailed.] How many bishops like Bransfield still rule dioceses in the U.S.? Many I fear.

Question for the Day: Why hasn't Bransfield been criminally charged for fraud and embezzlement?

He transferred millions from Wheeling Hospital into what was essentially a personal slush fund and used that and parishioner donations to line his own pockets, buy jewelry, eat at expensive restaurants, hire private jets, pay for his liquor bill not to mention spending hundreds of thousands to buy influence from other clerics. Read the Intelligencer's October 28th article with a barf bag in hand.

What makes all this even more disgusting is that last March the diocese found "no criminal activity" in their investigation of Bransfield. Who ran the investigation? Bransfield's gay amigos?

Read the definition of felony embezzlement. Isn't that what Bransfield did in moving millions from Wheeling Hospital to an account that he then used like a personal checking account? Keep praying that the boils on the body of Holy Mother Church are lanced and healed. It's time for Bransfield to face criminal charges! And when, for heaven's sake, will he be dismissed from the clerical state?

Nabi Sayeth: What Made FORMER Bishop Bransfield Tick? STUFF?

Former Bishop Bransfield Consecrates New Marble-Topped altar at Co-Cathedral in Charleston.

Nabi Asketh: What made FORMER bishop Michael Bransfield tick? Why was he so materialistic? Why did he spend so much money on “stuff”: Fine dining, expensive wines, hundreds of thousands of dollars on imported flowers, many first-class flights to Rome? Why did he cover up and protect clergymen who had sexually abused teen and post pubescent boys/young men? Why was he so silent on very important issues for the Catholic Church, especially homosexual “marriage” and the right to life of the Unborn? It must be known that not only was he mostly silent about the murder of the Unborn but he punished those priests under his command who did speak out in defense of the Unborn. How could he do this? 

Nabi Sayeth: A Soul is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

Nabi Sayeth: Many years ago the American Negro College Fund publicized the fund’s motto widely: “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” How true! But Nabi sayeth that this motto while important falls short of what could easily be the motto of Catholic schools: “A soul would be a terrible thing to waste.”

This leads to a most important question:

Nabi Sayeth: If the Chancery Walls Could Talk, What a Story They Would Tell!

Nabi asketh: Where have all the Good Servants gone?

During FORMER Bishop Bransfield and his Lavender circle’s reign of opulence, numerous devoted, faithful and self-sacrificial people were “disappeared” from Diocesan positions. Why? Because they were devoted and faithful TO OUR LORD and generous in the amount of time they gave in service. But that wasn’t good enough for the crew.

Follow the Money in the Diocese of Wheeling!

Today, I’m introducing a special guest who will be sharing insider information about the Diocese of Wheeling. My guest chooses to call himself “Nabi” (the prophet) and I welcome his input and wisdom. The prophets of the Old Testament were bold in revealing the sins of Israel (especially those of her rulers and religious establishment) and calling for repentance. Nabi will be exposing Bishop Bransfield’s shameful administration of the diocese and financial mismanagement to fund his own lavish lifestyle. It is not surprising. Homosexual immorality and financial theft to fund the lifestyle commonly go together. 

Wisdom from the Nabi....

Bishop Bransfield and the Strategy of Silence: Nothing to see here, folks, move along!

Good job, Mike. Focus on the silence strategy.
And use your influence to shut up  all those
loud-mouthed bishops calling for investigations.
Get your lawyer on it. He knows how to do it!

My husband is from Wheeling so what happens in the Diocese of Wheeling Charleston always catches my eye. After 48 years of marriage and countless visits to Warwood, the suburb that nurtured my husband and his faith, the area holds a special place in my heart. I can't count the number of Masses, marriages, baptisms, etc. we attended at Corpus Christi. If I close my eyes I can walk up the aisle to "our spot" in the nave and watch the priest come out of the sacristy for daily Mass. I walk out the back of the church and see the park across the street and the "new" church hall on the corner where we attended many festivities and parish events. Down the street I can see the old men's home where Larry's dad spent the last years of his life.

What happens to the Church family in Wheeling, which includes many of Larry's family, my dear in-laws, matters a lot to me. So I was interested to read the email I received below about a meeting in Wheeling held a few days ago to discuss the abuse crisis with concerned laity.

A Letter to God -- "Help me, Lord, during these very dark days."

A priest friend sent me a letter to God this morning written by a self-described "lover of God begging for healing." That is something we certainly need so I want to share it. [See below.] I thought her comment about the "glitter and gold, the luxurious cars and mansions" points to a major problem in the episcopacy so I hotlinked to a CNN article about diocesan mansions. How many people in the pew, the sons and daughters of these spiritual "fathers," live like that?

The Bible tells us that "love of money is the root of all evils" and there is plenty of evidence in the episcopacy proving some bishops are "material" boys. I thought of that yesterday on the feast of Pope St. Pius X, the son of peasants, who once said he was born poor, lived poor, and would die poor. That is certainly not the lifestyle of many of our bishops, like Bishop Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston. He could be described as one of our own "bishops of bling" here in the U.S. He scandalized many of the flock when he arrived in 2004 (including several of my husband's siblings who live in the diocese) with his "renovations" to the bishop's house. Here's what I wrote about him in 2012 when he was named in an abuse trial: