Independent report finds inappropriate sexual activity at Boston seminary
Shaken by allegations of sexual
wrongdoing at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, the Archdiocese of Boston
released an independent report Friday that confirmed instances of
inappropriate sexual activity and found that social drinking was
frequently encouraged.
The year-long review, led by former
Massachusetts US attorney Donald K. Stern and the Boston law firm Yurko,
Salvesen & Remz, was prompted by two former seminarians who alleged
in social media posts that their religious studies had been tarnished
by an atmosphere of heavy drinking, sexual harassment, and bullying.
Investigators concluded that the
seminary was not “a den of sexual misconduct fueled by excessive
drinking,” but that it lacked strong leadership, solid financial
controls, and tolerance for dissent.
John Monaco, one of the former
seminarians, wrote that he brought his concerns to a faculty adviser in
2015, only to be urged “to learn to play the game.” The adviser said
“the seminary culture and inappropriate behavior by other faculty
members was out of his control,” according to Monaco.
In 2014, two seminarians were
dismissed for sexual misconduct after they were discovered inebriated
and largely undressed in one of the seminarian’s rooms, according to the
report.
The following year, at least six
seminarians received lewd, anonymous texts from what investigators
believe was another seminarian. One outraged seminarian, Andrew
Solkshinitz, wrote that when he alerted St. John’s officials, “this was
the response: ‘It’s not like he sent you pictures of his penis. Don’t
overexaggerate and act like a victim.’ ”
In other findings, two seminarians
since 2016 were discovered to have used dating apps. One withdrew from
the seminary, and the other was dismissed.
And in 2013, two seminarians who had
been assigned to teach religious education at St. Mary’s High School in
Lynn exchanged e-mails and texts with a 15-year-old girl, according to
the report. They were informed that the texts were against school
policy.
However, one of the seminarians
continued the texts in 2014, sending messages with remarks such as “love
you,” “I miss you,” and “sweetie,” the investigators said.
According to the report, the seminary
responded “quickly and appropriately” to allegations of sexual
misconduct. In addition, the report said, “our investigation uncovered
no evidence of any sexual activity or any sexual behavior between
seminarians and faculty members.”
O’Malley said Friday that he welcomed the findings.
“The inquiry has presented issues that
require remedial action and oversight for ongoing compliance,” the
cardinal said. “I am confident that the facts brought forth by this
report and the actions being taken to address those issues unite us in
the commitment to ensure that St. John’s Seminary maintains a standard
of excellence for the formation of men discerning the vocation of a life
of service to the church.”
Boston attorney Mitchell Garabedian,
who has represented victims of clergy sexual abuse for decades, was not
impressed with the investigation.
“Clergy sexual victims feel that the
report by definition is not truly independent given that the Catholic
Church paid the investigators, revealed only what could not possibly be
denied, and only discusses the tip of the iceberg concerning
inappropriate activity at St. John’s Seminary,” Garabedian said.
The review, which focused primarily on
the last six years, found that training at St. John’s often occurred
without any clearly defined boundaries between faculty and seminarians
and without reliable channels to voice concerns in what could be a
strict and intimidating environment.
The seminary’s former rector,
Monsignor James Moroney, was a prolific fund-raiser and helped increase
enrollment. But he was described as largely absent from the liturgical
life of the seminary and often canceled classes he led, the report
found.
Nicknamed “Diamond Jim” by seminarians
because of his generous spending, Moroney used St. John’s funds to buy
an $800 outdoor grill that a group of seminarians wanted. He also
offered to buy a car for a seminarian who complained of difficulty
reaching class.
Moroney, who could not be reached for
comment, has been reassigned as rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul in
Worcester. He apparently did little to rein in a culture of occasionally
excessive drinking at the seminary.
His vice rector, the Rev. Christopher
O’Connor, fell off a barstool in the seminary’s Common Room in 2015
while drinking hard alcohol during a bachelor party for a lay staff
member, the report said.
While a group of seminarians dubbed
“The Vatican III” provided music, seminarians took advantage of the
stock of subsidized beer provided by St. John’s throughout the year and
drank late into the night. The beer cost only $1 or $2 a bottle, leading
one seminarian to joke that they had access to the “cheapest beers” in
Boston
The report noted that “like many other
seminaries across the country, St. John’s is not a ‘dry house.’ ” But
the drinking there pales in comparison to alcohol consumption on typical
college campuses, investigators said.
The review recommended much broader
oversight by the board of trustees, which has been relegated primarily
to financial and real estate matters. More attention needs to be paid to
the “human formation,” or social development, of these future priests,
the report advised. St. John’s currently has 96 seminarians.
The archdiocese has taken steps to
implement nine recommendations from the report, including an anonymous
hot line for concerns, stricter controls on alcohol use, and tighter
financial discipline, church officials said.
Monaco, the former seminarian whose social media post helped spark the review, said he was pleased with the review.
“What I experienced and witnessed was
completely inappropriate and unbecoming of seminary faculty and
seminarians alike,” he said. “What was hidden is now in the light, and
my specific complaints . . . have been answered through a thorough and
careful report.”
About 80 people were interviewed for
the report, including current and former seminarians, faculty, staff,
and priests. The lawyers said they were given unrestricted access to
seminary records and received “complete cooperation from both the
seminary and the archdiocese.”
O’Malley first announced the review in
August 2018. Two months later, Stern and the law firm were hired after
O’Malley was criticized by Attorney General Maura Healey, among others,
for initially appointing two members of the seminary board and a former
faculty member to the review board.
Hannah Krueger of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Brian MacQuarrie can be reached at brian.macquarrie@globe.com.
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