By Joan Garvin
Town Crier Correspondent
The St. Nicholas Catholic Church community found itself at the center of the current exposé of clerical sexual abuse when the April 25 San Jose Mercury News reported the alleged molestation of two boys 25 years ago at St. Martin of Tours, San Jose, allegedly by their pastor, Joseph T. Pritchard.
St. Nicholas became the focus when the article included received a phone call from the San Francisco Archdiocese (San Jose did not become an diocese until 1981) informing the family that “Pritchard was getting therapy and would be transferred.” Pritchard became pastor of St. Nicholas in 1979.
Led by Pastor Fr. Gary R. Thomas, and Pastoral Associate Rosheen Glennon, C.S.J., the St. Nicholas community immediately responded with an aggressive campaign to identify and assist any parishioner harmed in any way by the actions of Pritchard or anyone else in authority in the parish at any time.
Although Pritchard died of cancer in 1988 and had no contact with anyone currently in the school, St. Nicholas Principal Mary Williams Coyle addressed the eighth-grade students the day the article appeared to inform them of the controversy and allow discussion.
“I have appreciated the way that Father Gary and the Pastoral Staff have acknowledged and addressed these challenges in a very proactive and straightforward manner,” Coyle said. “Our family life curriculum, which is incorporated into the instruction at all grade levels, covers issues of morality and conduct.”
Kevin Kannengeiser, who has taught and coached at St. Nicholas since the 1976-’77 school year, also discussed the article with his eighth-grade classes that day to prepare them for the news. Kannengeiser considered Pritchard “a close personal friend” as well as pastor. He said that there was “never anything untoward” (in Pritchard’s conduct), no gossip, no innuendo” from the boys many of whom he had for three years.
Thomas spoke to the congregations at all the Masses April 27 and 28. He summarized the information reported and the results of his own investigation of the situation. The Rev. Francis Cilia, vicar for clergy in the diocese of San Jose, told Fr. Gary that there was nothing in Fr. Pritchard’s file to indicate the problem at St. Martin’s or that the St. Nicholas community was warned of any prior problems. Thomas said that to date no one at St. Nicholas had come forward with any report of inappropriate behavior on Pritchard’s part.
An open forum for the parish was held April 29. The facilitator, Dr. Larry Percell, has conducted a private practice and worked with the criminal justice system in San Mateo County for 30 years. He is currently studying at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park in preparation for the priesthood.
An April 16 letter from Patrick J. McGrath, Bishop of the San Jose Diocese, was included in its entirety in the Sunday bulletin, distributed at all the Masses. In it, McGrath stated, “We are committed to preventing abuse through education and screening - including fingerprinting, to taking seriously every report of misconduct and complying with civil authorities in reporting allegations related to minors and vulnerable adults.”
Percell opened the April 29 forum reinforcing McGrath’s admonition that “the Church has a responsibility toward the most vulnerable, the children and elderly. Child abuse is sinful, criminal and a betrayal of trust” and that in any discussion, any action, “the victim always comes first.”
Parishioners took advantage of the two and one-half hour open-mike forum at the April 29 Forum to express their shock and anger at the church’s past practice of transferring pedophile priests into another vulnerable community.
Suggestions to be implemented in the parish immediately include: publishing notes from the forum; having Thomas and the school faculty talk with all grade levels to address their questions and ease their fears in a developmentally appropriate way; keep the communication open and schedule another community forum if necessary.
With only a month until the meeting of the American Catholic bishops in Dallas, the discussion evolved into plans to inform their representative, McGrath, with specific suggestions. They are determined to prevent any further conspiracy of silence to protect anyone who harms the innocent.
Thomas said, “This issue has awakened the people of God … angry enough to mobilize not against our Bishop but with our Bishop.”
