BY SAL GIARRATANI
LOOMING IN THE HORIZON
Last week when talking about the impact additional traffic will play on Sullivan Square from the Everett Casino and a the new construction on the other side of Sullivan Square from Assembly Row, I made a mistake. That new building rising up in Somerville is not a residential structure but rather the new headquarters for Partners Healthcare where everyday some 4,000 workers will travel to and from this Assembly Row site. I think the impact of this structure going up might even be worse than I thought a week ago.
THE CHURCH SCANDAL THAT DOESN’T WANT TO GO AWAY
We all remember the impact back in 2002 when the clergy sex scandal hit Boston Catholics like a two by four. It ended up chasing Cardinal Law out of Boston. Catholics were outraged at what we were hearing, the cover-ups and the shuttling of bad priests al over the place.
All of us are different Catholics today because of what we learned then. We hope to God it is all in the past but then things happen and it is thrown back in our faces. A few months ago a priest who served in East Boston admitted in court to abusing a second boy
Two weeks ago, someone showed up in front of East Boston’s Sacred Heart Church with a piece of paper he was passing out to churchgoers. It seems another case of alleged sexual abuse is front and center concerning a priest who was stationed at the Sacred Heart back in 1978-80.
As a Catholic I was once again torn about receiving this paper and angry that this issue never really seems to go away. Many who received the paper being passed out became agree with the person passing it out to them. It brings back the grief and sense of betrayal we as Catholics felt back 13 years ago when we cheered the departure of Cardinal Law to the Vatican. We could put him out of sight and mind.
I don’t know what to believe anymore. I felt so betrayed.
I write about this subject today because I remember back to the late 1980s, St. Mary’s Parish had one of these bad priests who ended up in charge of the altar-boys. Once again allegations were made. Once again I saw families I knew hurting from what reportedly happened to some of the altar-boys. It ruined peoples lives then and forever.
That particular priest ended up going behind bars up in New Hampshire but I hope to God that there is a special place in Hell reserved for those who abuse children.
Some day I hope there will be no more folks showing up outside churches looking for more victims still unknown to us.
JOE IS ON THE MEND
Stopped by Bunker Hill Florist this past Tuesday and saw the new signage is finally up. Looking good. By the way, Tom tells me that Joe Shabroui is about and about talking and walking at home where he is still getting his rehab after his nasty accident on Main Street in mid-July.
When it first happened lots of people thought he was a goner but he wasn’t. He got bounced a lot on that horrible day in July but now he is happily bouncing around in the safety of his own home.
This is definitely filed in the Good News Department