The Shameful Letter from Bishop Burbidge about Fr. Ron Escalante.......

Derek and Ann Humphry

....Or how to clear a priest while implying his guilt about.......about .....something?

Well, after almost a year, here is the final outcome of the diocese's "investigation" of Fr. Ronald Escalante, a good priest accused of a "boundary violation." As someone who has watched the damage done to faithful priests in this diocese for decades, I am angry and disgusted.

As I studied the letter, it reminded me of Ann and Derek Humphry, founders of the Hemlock Society. Ann watched Derek kill his first wife, Jean, who was dying of cancer. He smothered her with a pillow although the story put out was that she took deadly drugs. They also killed Ann's parents.

Later, Ann herself contracted cancer although it was in remission and she wasn't depressed. At least not until Derek urged and pressured and bullied her to kill herself. They divorced, but Derek continued to harass her unmercifully. One day she rode her horse up into the Oregon hills, took a deadly cocktail, and left behind a note basically saying, "Derek wins." (Read more here.)

The Diocese of Arlington criticizes "lapse of journalistic standards" over Fr. Escalante article.

Fr. Ron Escalante

Below is the statement on the Arlington diocesan website responding to the Blue Ridge Leader's article about the unjust treatment of Fr. Ron Escalante who was removed as pastor at St. Francis de Sales in Purcellville over an alleged "boundary violation" with a teenage girl. [See article here.]

Excuse my eye-rolling over the diocese's statement. What a bunch of hooey! We hear all the time about how bishops want openness and transparency. Don't believe it! My mom raised me to be too much of a lady to use the language that comes to mind. I doubt if protecting Fr. Escalante's privacy is the main point in all this and their attack on the Blue Ridge Leader is nothing but a diversion. I want to commend Valerie Cury and the Blue Ridge Leader for defending the rights of a good priest. I trust their investigation more than I trust the diocese's. If the sex abuse crisis has taught us anything, it's to be skeptical, not of the Church, but of the Church bureaucracy. My comments are in red.

Bishop Burbidge, Give Fr. Escalante Back to the People of Purcellville and End This Charade of a Trial: READERS, PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION!

SIGN THE PETITION

After reading all the various accounts and comments in the case of falsely accused Fr.
Ronald Escalante, pastor of St. Francis de Sales parish in Purcellville, VA, I was left asking myself one thing.  Why?  Who would accuse this priest of a violation, NOT of sexual abuse, but of a violation of “boundary,” the latest in the bureaucratic jargon for dealing with the actions of clergy in the modern Church? 

Where could such a claim come from and again, WHY?  As it turns out my suspicions were correct in assuming it had something to do with money.  It seems the Director of Religious Education for the parish happens to have a brother who is a gardener and the two of them thought it would be a grand scheme if they created a not for profit whose stated goal was to feed the poor, by soliciting funds from a wide audience very willing to support the launch and growth of a “project” to provide produce for the hungry.  Naturally, if the appeal is successful and the money starts to roll in, there’s a lot of gravy over and above the actual expenses that could be distributed to the “managers” so to speak, who would be repaid and repaid for their efforts.  

Fr. Escalante Saga: Will Fr. Mullaney be Investigated for a Boundary Violation?

Fr. Mark Mullaney

[For background and previous articles on this situation, go here.]

A second witness has come forward to corroborate that Fr. Ron Escalante's accuser was told to lie, not only by her mother, but by the associate pastor, Fr. Mark Mullaney. According to this witness (called Sophia 2), the accuser (called Molly) said Fr. Mullaney told her to say that Fr. Escalante touched her "tits" (his word) and that made her uncomfortable. She also told her friends that Father told her to lie for the "good of the parish."

Fr. Mullaney is also notorious for dropping F-bombs right and left (not just when he hits his thumb with a hammer). Is that appropriate behavior for any Christian, much less a priest?

The Lepanto Institute has the story.

Second Witness Testifies that Catholic Priest’s Accuser Admitted to Lying

The Fr. Escalante Tale Goes On...

...and it's beginning to feel like Tales from the Crypt. Check out the offices of the PR bureaucracy at the Diocese of Arlington:



Not sure who the guy in the coffin is....What do you think?

If you haven't been following the saga up to now, go here and here.

The Legacy of Dallas: Scapegoating Innocent Priests

This is the lead article from the Spring issue of the Les Femmes newsletter, The Truth. You can find the full newsletter at www.lesfemmes-thetruth.org. 

by Mary Ann Kreitzer

Antonio Gramsci, Marxist revolutionary - How
many of our bishops are offspring of his plan?

Sometimes the best way to understand the present is to study the past. The chaos in the Church over the sex abuse scandals and the incompetent, even criminal, way bishops deal with it didn't come from nowhere. It was planned and orchestrated. We could go back several generations to Bella Dodd's 1953 testimony to the House Committee on Un-American Activities where she outlined how, as a Communist agent, she infiltrated the seminaries with homosexuals in the 1930s. It was Antonio Gramsci's strategy of destroying the enemy from within. Gramsci saw that the Christian West could not be destroyed by direct assault. The institutions had to be subverted first. As author

Fr. James Thornton writes in Gramsci's Grand Plan:

How to Railroad a Good Priest! The Fr. Escalante Saga Goes On!

I've been following the Fr. Escalante situation for some time now. Go here for some background.

"Credibly Accused" but Innocent Priests

People have a right to their good names. In fact, it's a moral imperative defended by Church teaching. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that "Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury." It goes on to describe the sins of rash judgment (leaping to conclusions), detraction (revealing sins of others to those who have no need to know), and calumny (lying). All of these are sins against justice and violating them demands the "duty of reparation." What does this consist of? According to CCC 2487, "This reparation, moral and sometimes material, must be evaluated in terms of the extent of the damage inflicted. It obliges in conscience."

Think of exactly how damaging a false accusation against a priest is! He is alter Christus! It is like crucifying Christ once again.

This is How You Smear a Good Priest! Bring Back Fr. Escalante!

New Revelations in the Father Escalante Saga

Blue Ridge Leader 10 hours agoOur Towns, Top News0 Comments

By Valerie Cury

In November of 2018, Father Ronald S. Escalante, Pastor of Saint Francis de Sales Church in Purcellville, was placed on administrative leave by the Catholic Diocese of Arlington.

More Priests Need to Fight Back....Like These Two Priests!

*QUICK HITS* Two Falsely Accused Priests Fight Back and Win!

After posting about Fr. Escalante yesterday I read the article above about the victory of two priests falsely accused. I hope Fr. Escalante pursues a civil lawsuit against the accuser and her parents as well as the diocese, not in a spirit of vindictiveness, but to protect others. When a liar's behavior is rewarded (The mom wanted to get rid of Fr. Escalante and now she has.), she is encouraged to use the same tactic in the future against another innocent person. To allow that is a grave problem.

Calling All Crusaders in the Church Militant: Defend Your Good Priests!

I received this email today from a parishioner at St. Francis de Sales in Purcelville who is up in arms over the treatment of Fr. Ron Escalante. What she urges is absolutely necessary. Silence in the face of calumny and injustice is unacceptable. If you aren't aware of the mistreatment of Fr. Escalante go here. Defend your good priests before there aren't any left!

Dear Parishioners,

It is time to rise up and put pressure on the Bishop to return our beloved Pastor to SFDS.  Please send a written letter to:

Ask the Question!

Bishop Burbidge, Where is Fr. Escalante?

Barron's Letter to a Suffering Church Falls Flat!

I finished reading Bishop Robert Barron's Letter to a Suffering Church last night at adoration. After reading a review, I ordered a copy thinking perhaps my husband and I would offer to purchase several hundred copies for our parish family.

Last night I changed my mind.

The book is short, only 100 pages of large, well-spaced print, hence, I suppose, its description as a "letter." The five chapters focus on the sex abuse crisis (The Devil's Masterpiece), Biblical teaching on sexuality (Light from Scripture), a concise history of some of the past bad times in the Church with bad clerics (We Have Been Here Before), a cogent argument for not leaving the Church (Why Should We Stay), and finally what comes next (The Way Forward) and a brief conclusion.

I was with Bishop Barron for the first four chapters and liked very much his emphasis on the Holy Eucharist, the primary reason we should never leave the Church. Where else can one receive Jesus - Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity -- to nourish both body and soul? Nowhere. No wonder Peter responded to Jesus' question whether he would leave saying, "Where can we go?...You have the words of eternal life."

Chinese Woman Gets Slap Down from the Pope and an Ad Limina visit for Bishop Burbidge

Now what could these two events possibly have in common? Read on....



According to a tweet by Msgr. Ferrari, a priest who lives and works in Rome, the Chinese woman was begging the pope to help the Chinese people. Keep in mind that Francis threw faithful Chinese and their underground bishops under the bus in an incredible betrayal. The persecution since then has intensified even for government-appointed churches. You can see Msgr. Ferrari's tweet here. When asked who his source was, he said it was a Chinese priest working in Rome who spoke to the woman.

Good News: Fr. Duesterhaus Cleared. (About time!) Please keep praying for Fr. Ron Escalante!

Editor's Note: Releasing a brief press notice announcing the exoneration is easier to do than to restore the good name of a priest held up to public contempt for month. Accused priests are treated as guilty until proven innocent. How many Catholics know about the accusations? How many fewer know about the exoneration. How will you restore Father's reputation, Bishop Burbidge? 

Diocesan Review Board concludes Father Michael Duesterhaus
not credibly accused of child sexual abuse

July 24, 2019

Since March 14, 2018, the Diocese of Arlington has provided announcements and updates regarding allegations of child sexual abuse and other inappropriate conduct against Father Michael Duesterhaus. Father Duesterhaus was placed on administrative leave pending investigations conducted by local law enforcement agencies and the Diocese of Arlington.