WeAreCATHOLICS.com

Our Mission

The purpose of this web site is to help allow the hand of God to bring a healing touch to those who have been harmed by the devastating abuses of a minority of members of the Catholic clergy, either physically, sexually, verbally, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, financially, or simply be the abuse of power. St. Peter parishioners have been lied to by their pastor. Rockford Diocese parishioners have been lied to by their bishop. This web site hopes to reveal the truth by filtering out the many lies being told within God's Church and in His name.

Who Are We

The people behind this web site are Roman Catholics who love the Holy Church begun by Christ. However, we are gravely concerned for the current condition and culture of the institutional Church that has been conducive to the abuse of tens of thousands of children by over four bishops and their vicars. Many of those abused are now adults with no recourse for the suffering they have endured long ago and up this very day.

We have also learned of many other abuses of power on the part of certain members of the Catholic hierarchy. Unchecked pride and arrogance of members of the clergy is detrimental to the entire priesthood and hurts every member, particulaly the priests of integrity. Lay members are also greatly affected.

A large number of Catholics have left the Church because of the corruption and rottenness at the top, not unlike the money changers in the temple or the CEOs of Enron. We have heard from bishops all about their pain and embarrassment that resulted from the outbreak of the sex-abuse scandal that dominated national headlines in 2002.

But, what about the people in the pews? What about the people who no longer occupy those pews after spending years and years upon them? what have the bishops done in a way of providing pastoral care to those families and individulas, as Jesus would for the single lost sheep? It is often the case that those who suffer or grieve feel a sense of relief when they reach out to others who are also suffering or grieving. The best thing the bishops could do to alleviate any pain or embarrassment they have experienced would be to tend to their flocks with compassion and sincerity and to make sure every proper step is taken to prevent any further injury to anyone else.

Who's in Charge?

What happens when Catholics witness misconduct on the part of their parish priest on church grounds and toward a fellow parishioner? Or, when they suspect wrongdoing with the parish funds? Or, when they never receive Holy Communion in their hospital bed by a priest because he spends his days at the nearest riverboat casino?

What do Catholics do when a priest calls them out by name in the confessional? Or, when he suggest,s as part of their penance, they read a New Age book on Enlightenment? Or, when he calls them out as a sinner from the altar during Mass? Or, when they suspect non-Catholics are teaching Catholic catechism to children of unsuspecting parents?

The logical answer to these questions might be to notify the diocese where the bishop, who is every diocesan priest's spiritual advisor, has his offices. But, from the experiences of many Catholics who live within the Rockford Diocese, this has not been the answer or of much help at all.

A Necessary Forum

One of the objectives of this web site is to provide a forum for concerned Catholics - practicing, former, or fallen-away - and also for non-Catholics to share their concerns, experiences, questions, ponderings, and suggestions for healing and reform. Certainly, anyone who suggests the Catholic Church is not in need of meaningful reform is either not paying attention or in extremely deep denial.

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church 909 states, it is a right and even the duty of the laity to help remedy corrupt institutions. 907 suggests the Catholic Church may be included in that category. The bishops were warned in 1985 of the consequences of not seriously addressing the matter of clergy sexual abuse. The adoption of the Dallas Charter in 2002 came only after exposure of the scandal from the secular press. Little has changed since then, at least in the Rockford Diocese. We have witnessed repeated violations of the Charter by the Rockford Diocese only to read they passed their 'audit' which relies almost entirely on self-reporting. We see absolutely no enforcement of the Rockford Diocese Code of Conduct for clergy, employed staff, and volunteers. We see no real protections in place for any Catholics, no matter what their age or calling. In Rockford, we only hear the disdain the bishop has for civil govenments and the secular press, and that kind of leadership is doing nothing to foster the spiritual health and well-being of the flock

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