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Why Does Dana Point's St. Edward the Confessor Church Continue to Honor A Teen Rapist?
Friday, Mar. 6 2009 @ 6:13AM
By Gustavo Arellano in Ex Cathedra
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| Leninan second from right, in a picture Brown would eventually Stalinize |
On its history page, the St. Edward the Confessor website spins this pretty tale:
In July, 1995, St. Edward parish welcomed its new pastor, Fr. John Lenihan. Fr. John came from St. Boniface parish in Anaheim where he had been a pastor for thirteen years. Full of energy and enthusiasm, he embraced the challenges of Fr. Knight's legacy and worked with the community to face the needs of the future.
In 1999, Fr. John began a capital campaign to purchase 2.5 acres of adjacent property for additional parking, expand and renovate the religious education building, and replace the old church building (Knight Hall) with a functional parish center. The first 2 phases of construction, the parking lot and Religious Education building expansion, were completed in 2001. With the 2005-2006 school year, St. Edward the Confessor parish school will reach its full capacity of 2 classes per grade level, Kindergarten through 8th grade.
In 2001, Fr. Steve Sallot, the rector at Mater Dei High School, was appointed as temporary administrator at St. Edward the Confessor.
What a swell guy, huh?
Here's what the mini-history doesn't tell:
*Lenihan supervised Lyons and roomed with him. Oh, the stories they must've shared in the kitchen!
*Lenihan left St. Edward after admitting to a consensual sexual relationship with adult women, 'cause, you see, that's too much for Brown.
*In 2003, Lenihan admitted to having molested another teenage girl; the Orange diocese paid out a million and change to settle the civil suit.
So, the question remains: given this sordid past, why on Earth does the parish continue to honor teenage rapist John Lenihan? Even Santa Margarita High has removed all references to pedo-priest Michael Harris from its history page, even though Harris is by far the main reason for its existence. If this scenario bothers you, join the protest outside St. Edward the Confessor this Monday at 3 p.m. outside its steps, a protest led by Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP). See you there!
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Tj Donkey show says:
Because the girl that he got PG was 16 and she was clode enough to the legal age. Anything goes with the RCC. I hear in the Grand photo of things are not going well for the church all over the country. Humm New laws will stop guys like Lennahan in the future.
Posted on Friday, Mar. 6 2009 @ 8:10AM
truths says:
Thanks again to the OC Weekly and Gustavo for encouraging public participation in a matter of interest - protecting children from sexual predators/monsters!
Question:
WHY DOES DANA POINT'S ST. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR CHURCH CONTINUE TO HONOR A TEEN RAPIST?
Answer:
BECAUSE THE FAITHFUL IN THE PEWS ARE AFRAID TO SPEAK OUT, IN FEAR THEIR PERSONAL, BUSINESS AND RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS WILL BE DEFAMED AND DESTROYED... and, law enforcement, attorneys and government leaders play politics to stay in the good graces of the Church and the safety of children and employees is their lowest priority.
Evidence:
HOW MANY VICTIMS OF SEX CRIMES, FAMILY MEMBERS, EMPLOYEES OF THE CHURCH AND FAITHFUL IN THE PEWS HAVE BEEN DENIED DUE PROCESS OF THE LAW? If anyone can figure it out, please post.
Posted on Friday, Mar. 6 2009 @ 9:29AM
Annie K says:
Why does the Catholic church get away with prostituting it's children to priests year after year, generation after generation?
BECAUSE THE CATHOLIC DEVOTEES ARE MINDLESS SHEEP WHO WILL DO ANYTHING THAT A DISGUSTING PRIEST SAYS!!! THEY BELIEVE THE LIES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND BELIEVE THAT THE PRIESTS WILL BE REMOVED FROM SERVICE (WHEN THEY SHOULD BE IN JAIL CELL WITH BUBBA INSTEAD) BUT INSTEAD ARE MOVED TO OTHER PARISHES, ONLY TO ABUSE AGAIN.
WAKE UP CATHOLICS!! YOUR CHURCH CARES NOTHING FOR YOU -- THEY ONLY WANT YOUR MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on Friday, Mar. 6 2009 @ 9:49AM
A. Nonymouse says:
Wasn't that "molesting" and "rape" related to the reported payment for an abortion, too?
As one cut off from the Church for objecting to abuses, I wonder why this priest was promoted rather than excommunicated as called for in Canon Law.
Thanks to the sometimes honored and sometimes vilified Bishop Soto, I am back in the good graces of the Church.
Posted on Friday, Mar. 6 2009 @ 10:16AM
Susan Rokko says:
If Lenihan had stolen their money, then the SHEEP at St. Edwards would be up in arms. But since all he took was the innocence, childhoods, lives, futures, Hope and Faith, of little girls;The Children of the Churchthe; Children of GOD.....Well, No Big Deal! Even though he arranged for and paid for an abortion for one of his victims whom he impregnated. SHEEP!!!!!!! HE PAID FOR THE MURDER OF HIS OWN CHILD BY MEANS OF ABORTION, SHEEP!!!! Once Again.....NO BIG DEAL!!! RIGHT?????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Somone once mentioned what would happen if Catholics (such as these SHEEP at St. Edwards) were to walk in on one of these pervert priests as they were raping and/or sodomizing a child? What would the SHEEP do? Would they run to pull the priest off his victim? Would they run to the child and scold him/her for tempting the poor priest, causing him to rape said victim in the first place? Would the SHEEP run to the priest to see if he might have hurt himself , and ignore the victim lying a few feet away, bleeding vaginally and/or anally on the floor? Would the SHEEP hold an emergency parish meeting to discuss if they should report this perverted event to church authorities? SOUNDS CRAZY??? No, Not Really. What is CRAZY is continuing to honor a man who rapes and sodomizes children. Do Roman Catholic Children Have Little Or No Value In The Eyes of You SHEEP???!!!!!!!!!!!! WAKE UP SHEEP!!!!!!!!
Posted on Friday, Mar. 6 2009 @ 11:25AM
Albino Luciani says:
Soto is a known and proven pedophile enabler, aid & abettor and co-conspirating felon, as well as liar, racketeer, perjurer, obstructor of justice, who himself is an in the closet GAY, yet riles against homosexuality in public (alla Rev. Ted Haggard in the Rockies).
Soto was sent to Sacramento to try to clean up a serious financial embezzlement (tens of millions of stolen laity monies), tax evasion, fraud and pedo enabling left by Weigand, as well as pander to new donations from the affluent Hispanics and business owners.
Soto is currently on a planned PR Stunt speaking tour to other CA Dioceses (as are the other Miters doing exchange speaking programs), under the hidden agenda; that if you get ahead of the (bad) headlines, and present yourself in person to the rank and file kool aid drinking laity, who do not yet know about daily vetted & verified reporting at this blog & www.bishop-accountability.org/
abusetracker, you might just Bull Shit & Baffle the donors some more, to keep contributing revenue, into the Bishop Appeals, offetory plate, charities (to be siphoned and diverted off illegally to hush monies, lawyers, lobbying against statute of limiations laws on pedos, PR firms, as well as living luxury life styles).
When you think Soto, remember he follows the Roger Mahony, Tod Brown, Robert Brom Playbook to the letter, and whose credo/motto remains = ISAIAH 28:15!
Anyone believing there is any redeeming member of the USCCB (Unremoved Sexual Criminal Cabl Bishops) or Roman "La Cosa Nostra" Curia, should have their head examined, or re-examined....these are all minions of SATAN.
Edmund Burke reminds each of us: "The only condition for the triumph of evil is for good men (or women) to do nothing."
St. Paul to the Ephesians, 5:11, says: "Do not deal in fruitless deeds of darkness, but expose them!"
It is you moral and ethical duty to remind all laty that the reason this pedo cult exists, is the direct result of perpetrators and racketeers like Soto, Brown, Mahoy, Brom, etc., and they cannot be part of the solution.
How do you force the removal of these serial pedo cult office holders? "STOP DONATING LAITY!" as St. Peter Damien correctly asserted.
FIAT LUX & VERITAS!
Albino Luciani,
MURDERED POPE,
Not Smiling, From Heaven
Posted on Friday, Mar. 6 2009 @ 11:45AM
Victoria Martin says:
WOW!!! I know some Lenihan Victims personally; and I know what he did to them.Yes, it is monstrous to believe that the Catholic Children have so little value in the eyes of the church, it's leaders and it's laity. There is a burning pit in hell for people who sexually butcher children, and the pit is big enough for all those who enabled these demonic perverted priests, brothers, deacons, nuns and (even some) bishops in their crimes against Nature, Man and Our Lord and Savior. I suggest that this Monday, if the Good People of Saint Edward the Confessor Parish have the courage, (And It Will Take A Lot Of Courage) invite the Victims onto church property and allow them to tell you the things that were done to them by the clergy of our once ancient and honorable faith. Mother Angelica says, "We are all called to be Great Saints". Show the compassion of Jesus and listen to these poor lost children of the church who have suffered so much. The Victims have shown courage by speaking out about their sufferings. Because of them (perhaps) your children, or you grandchildren, will never have to suffer as they've suffered.
Posted on Friday, Mar. 6 2009 @ 11:48AM
Stanley Fiala says:
Folks, I must remind you all that only protection the children have are their parents. You should go vigorously after the parents not church. Make sure that every Catholic parent was check by the OC Child Social Services and were cleared to take children with them to the church.
We should adopt county ordinance stating that a child under 21 cannot be in the church without a presence of their parents at all times.
We should also adopt same ordinance for all catholics schools where the children under 21 must be at all times attended by their parents.
Posted on Friday, Mar. 6 2009 @ 12:47PM
Gloria says:
St Edwards does not have the inglorious record or un-distinction as having the most. Pedo Priests. My old parish of St. Maria Goretti in Scottsdale ,Az. had the inglorious record of FIVE IN ONE PARISH. I knew them all. They were not all there at the same time. But I knew them to be the nicest, smartest people I knew & would have vouched for them with [almost] my fortune, and sacred honor. That is one reason I am no longer a RC. I am a Christian.
I am not bitter or angry but I am not a fool either. I do not drive the get a way car for the criminals.I am not an aider or abbetor. I love Jesus Christ too much for that.
Posted on Friday, Mar. 6 2009 @ 2:53PM
Amy says:
I happen to be a member of St. Edward's. It's a beautiful church with beautiful people. Has it had its hard times? Yes. Have we had these pedophile priests? Yes. I personally knew Father Lyons and Father Lenihan. Nothing happened to me personally and I didn't know anyone else that had anything happen to them.
St. Edward's does not honor these men. They are sickened and saddened by what they have done. In the case of Father Lenihan, he actually accomplished a lot of good things while at St. Edwards. We can remember his accomplishments; we are not praising or "honoring" what he did to those victims.
As for all the people badmouthing Catholics and the Church, you should be ashamed of yourselves. The Church is not perfect. How can it be? It's filled with human beings! I don't diss other religions. I don't make fun of Muslims or Buddhists. By the way, the "born again" Christians or "non-denominationalists" have had their share of problems. No church or religion is perfect. No human is perfect.
But God is. And all that anyone need do is maintain a relationship with God. Because that's all that matters. Not pedophile priests or cheating pastors. If you're going to church solely because of a priest or pastor, you're not there for the right reasons.
Posted on Wednesday, Jul. 22 2009 @ 9:23AM