FORT KENT, Maine — A Roman Catholic priest assigned to St. John Vianney Parish is taking a voluntary leave of absence from public ministry, effective Tuesday, while the attorney general’s office conducts an investigation of allegations against him.
The Rev. James L. Nadeau, 51, has been serving the parish for seven years, Sue Bernard, spokeswoman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, and Brenda Kielty, spokeswoman for the Maine attorney general’s office, said Tuesday evening in a news release.
They did not indicate why Nadeau was under investigation. Bernard declined to provide further details and Kielty could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
Located in the St. John Valley in northernmost Maine, St. John Vianney Parish comprises St. Louis Catholic Church in Fort Kent, St. Mary Catholic Church in Eagle Lake, St. Charles Catholic Church in St. Francis and St. Joseph Catholic Church in Soldier Pond.
“In order for the investigation to proceed unimpeded, Father Nadeau has taken a voluntary leave of absence,” Bishop Richard Malone said.
“The diocese is cooperating fully with the Attorney General’s Office and at their request, I cannot discuss the allegations or anything about the investigation,” Malone said. “I am hopeful that this process will go smoothly in order to lead to an expeditious and just conclusion.”
“As in any investigation, it’s important to respect the presumption of innocence,” said Brenda Kielty, spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office. “It’s also important not to jump to conclusions about the nature of the allegations.”
Another member of the clergy will be assigned to the parish temporarily as soon as possible, according to the joint statement.
For Holy Week, Bishop Malone had planned to celebrate the Mass of the Oils on Wednesday evening at St. Louis Church. He has indicated that he will keep that schedule to be in solidarity with parishioners.
During his tenure at St. Louis, Nadeau led the more than $3 million effort to restore and reopen historic St. Louis Catholic Church after floodwaters from the St. John and Fish rivers threatened to wash it away on April 3, 2008. The two rivers merged into one that day, pouring nearly 3 feet of water onto the ground floor of the 100-year-old church.
The eight-month project involved countless hours of cleaning, repairing, haggling with insurance adjusters and dealing with church bureaucracy but the church reopened in times for Christmas Eve Mass.
In 2009, the priest took the controversial step of joining more than 150 other Fort Kent residents in writing letters of support on behalf of Chad Marquis, then 33, a parishioner convicted of smuggling hundred of pounds of marijuana across the Canadian border.
Nadeau also spoke at Marquis’ sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court in Portland.
The priest said that he had been meeting monthly with Marquis for spiritual counseling since his arrest. Nadeau said Marquis had been volunteering regularly at a local nursing home and had helped during the flood.
Nadeau was born in Caribou and was ordained in 1988. His first assignment was at St. Louis in Fort Kent that year. He also has served at St. Andre Catholic Church in Biddeford and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland.
Bangor Daily News writer Judy Harrison contributed to this report.
Rev. Nadeau is a fine man and a devoted priest. It is impossible for him to have done anything wrong. But, sadly, he apparently has to investigated in order to satisfy those who have anti-Catholic agendas. May God clear the Rev.’s good name soon. It’s a story similar to that of Boston area priests, none of whom were guilty of anything, I believe.
Not sure if serious!
That’s what I’m hoping too. Fr. Jim was extremely important to me when he was in Portland, and I credit him with what little faith I still have in the Catholic church. I really don’t think I could ever go back to the Catholic church if I found out he was involved in anything like this. How awful.
I have come to know Father Jim. He is a very devoted priest. But no matter how devoted he may seem he is still a human being. Whatever the outcome of this investigation, don’t let your faith be overly troubled because the object of our worship and admiration is Jesus Himself. Just think of what it must have been like when Peter denied Him three times during His passion. Yet Peter was chosen to lead His flock! That said, I’d be surprise if the investigation against Father Jim reveals any serious flaw. In the meantime I pray God will send us the grace to accept whatever comes out of it.
Thank you. My father said something similar on the phone to me last night, and it resonated. The church is such a mess these days that I find it harder and harder to go, harder to find people to relate to. I really appreciate your post.
Thank you too for the compliment. I feel like I am in the same position as you where it is hard to find anyone with whom to relate. There are so many opinions out there that it is indeed hard to separate fact from fiction if at all possible. It’s like hearing both sides in a divorce case, if that means anything to you.
Mr. Carlson was not guilty of anything either. Anyone could do some thing wrong why is it people seem to think that people that do great things are above doing wrong? Maybe we put to much truth in humans. Seems like people that are more trusted get away with a lot more that is the major difference . I have an abrasive personality. I ask the wrong questions at the wrong time . Sometimes I brush people the wrong way . Seems like most people would rather believe I would be the person to do wrong.
Wrong is throwing a snowball at a moving car. NOT sexually abusing children. Using a position of trust and power to get to children is evil. It is death penalty worthy in my book. People don’t get convicted on a one time thing and it is well known that so much of this has been covered up and priests have been moved from place to place for years and years. If there is more than one victim and their stories are similar, you better believe they did it.
What often happens is that an allegation is made by just one individual or is made by more than one individual who has collaborated with others before making their allegations known. Regrettably there is more to this so-called church scandal than priests abusing children and the type of coverups you allege. As many of half of the priests accused of sex abuse are actually innocent. Unfortunately once such an allegation is made, their once-good reputation suffers irrevocably.
You are assuming Father Nadeau sexually abused a child. I agree… that would be wrong and also agree it is punishable by death… but that’s quite an assumption to make. We don’t even know what he’s being investigated for.
It’s always hard to tell if and when there is a coverup. Members of ones family oftentimes are the last ones to suspect child sexual abuse. Would you say that they are engaged in a coverup in these instances? I suspect it’s not much different in the family of priests where priests, like their parishioners, respect and admire the peers within their own ranks. Also, accused priests, like all other priests, are moved from one parish to another for various reasons. There is nothing unusual about that. Perhaps you might then want to ask instead why an accused priest is return to his former ministry to begin with. The fact a priest is accused does not automatically indicate guilt. Priests who are deemed credibly accused – usually after an investigation – are entitled to a hearing within the Church itself for the sake of justice. In the past, priests who were determined to have abused children were sent away to facilities to rehabilitate. They were not returned to their former ministries unless they were deemed rehabilitated. The problem with that system is that not all priests returned to their former ministries were sufficiently rehabilitated if at all. The proper handling of child sex abusers it still a work in progress. Unfortunately, because it is, children are often unwittingly exposed to danger.
In order to stem child sexual abuse, the Church initiated a training program several years ago for all parishioners involved in one type of ministry or another. Children likewise are trained to protect themselves. Since it’s initiation, the number of credible accusations alleged to have occurred since has dropped sharply. Most of the accusations today stem from events that allegedly occurred more than two decades ago.
Mr. Carlson wasn’t convicted, because he committed suicide before any charges were brought. But I think most would agree the actions were those of a man with a guilty conscience.
Sad. I miss him.
“Impossible for him to have done something wrong.”
Amazing.
As “impossible” as a virgin birth ?
amen
Something is not “impossible” when it actullly “Happened”
The fairy tales also say that pigs can build houses. Anybody have the number of the one that uses bricks? I need a contractor.
You can tell it to the One who wrote this Book.
Which version? Which edition? Should we use just canonical or should we use the gnostics? Old testament or new? the “one” who wrote that book was a printer somewhere and before that a scribe somewhere, and before that someone passing on a story somewhere. Nice try though.
Blind faith, surprised the bdn printed anything about this, they sure havent covered this like it should have been,had to read the B. Globe to find anything out.
That was complete sarcasm.Reread the last line.I didn’t see three big color pics on the front page like the Catholic drivel Monday.
That is right no way Father Jim would even have time to do anything wrong,My God that man is so busy he doesn’t even take time to eat,trying to please everyone,and keeping all the churches going.Think about it!!!We are praying for you Father Jim and stand behind you
Angle Sharp
Not impossible, but not likely either. There are just too way many
unsubstantiated, damaging allegations against priests just because they
are priests. One thing all these have in common in most instances: they
usually date back to alleged occurrences more than two decades old and
are backed up by the now discredited organization called SNAP (Surviviors Network of those abused by Priests) whose leaders has been found to be corrupt starting from the top.
SNAP is only discredited in your eyes and the eyes of the Catholic League. Sort of like saying that Planned Parenthood is discredited because you say it is. The Catholic Church has lately been trying to get that org. to shut down as retribution because of the scandal it has uncovered. The case in MO is really about burying a small org. with burdens it cannot fulfill because it only has a couple of employees.
No, dearie, if SNAP is only discredited because the Catholic League says it is, I’m not sure that counts.
Suggest you read http://www.thesestonewalls.com
And the details of the reports on SNAP and their “counseling” of victims–less than $600 out of a $3million budget. They’ve got a lot of explaining to do.
http://www.catholicleague.org/…
Reading thesestonewalls is for fools. It has been said that jails are full of innocents, just ask the inmates.
So far as his (the former Rev. MacRae) main accuser being being discredited. Yup, if you want to believe his ex-wife and her kid. Now they would not have a reason to talk bad, would they?
So far as counseling of victims, that is not for SNAP to pay. Usually any agreement the Cath. Ch. signs includes paying for things like that.
Keep believing that the whole thing is a made up story for people to get money. That is why the Catholic Church is where it is. Open your eyes, fix the problem, then work to overcome it. Blaming SNAP, the media and anti-Catholic sentiment only makes your side loose respect when church records prove that there was abuse by a tiny minority, and lots of cover-up by the majority of the bosses. Then real problem is that while there was/is lots of concern about the hierarchy of the Church itself, there was no concern for the victims.
It looks like you’ve been on the Catholic League web site. Good for you if this is the case. SNAP has been exposed for what it is really about, that is, taking down the church. The truth of the matter is that it is not so much about representing those who have been truly abused by priests as its name implies. God only knows how many innocent priests they have unjustly attacked and attempted to drag down the gutter with it smear campaigns.
This is not the first time I’ve gone to the league site. They are a throwback to what apologists for the church would have had if we had the internet during the inquisition.
Again, SNAP is only attacked by apologists for the Catholic Church. They are a tiny org. that has faced the wrath of a huge worldwide org. that protected criminal activity by their priests for years. They are NOT “exposed” as you say. And they are not the ones who have dragged down innocent priests. Most of the accused priests have been shown to be what they were accused of.
I will not reply to your reference to the inquisition since it is not pertinent to the current discussion and is an entire topic all by itself. Also, contrary to your assertion SNAP has been exposed, by itself mainly. I will not dig up the information for you since, as you said, you are familiar with the Catholic League’s web site. Pertinent information can be found there with quotes from the SNAP organization leader himself.
By the way, I wonder if you would be as critical of the Catholic Church as you are if it changed it’s positions on homosexuality, so-called gay marriage, and abortion, through it support all these issues? No, your world view and the Church’s positions on these issues cannot possibly have anything to do with your wild criticism of the Church, can it?
The Inquisition is as pertinent as anything else because of the Church’s long held positions that it never changes it’s positions. Unless, of course, you talk about when they changed their positions. Such as Papal infallibility (late 1800s), the bodily assumption of Mary (same time frame), etc. It only apologized for Galileo’s punishments 400 years later. What does it say about the Inquisition?
I grew up Catholic, in St. Louis parish, as a matter of fact. Was an alter boy, the whole nine yards, so I know all about Catholicism. No need for you to lecture me on that. The Church’s postitons on some matters are irrelevant, they do evolve, no matter what they say.
A couple of for instances. Until the 1200s, priests could marry. Even now there are some married Roman Catholic priests. Yup, do a search using the words ‘married catholic priests’. So why do they claim to have it as a message from God that priests cannot marry?
The Church should limit itself to biblical matters. Nowhere in the New Testament does Christ mention homosexuality. So where does this fixation on gay marriage come from? From the apostle Paul, who never married, put down women and travelled around with the same male friend for years? Why don’t they condemn philandering and sex abuse like they do homosexuality? How long did it take for JPII to condemn the goings on in the Church in Ireland for instance, and how many times did he denounce homosexuality in the meantime?
The early Christians were led by women. There are records of lots of congregations led by women, especially in Hellenized areas. Yet, the Catholic hierarchy now maintains that it has never been led by women, that women have always been 2nd tier leaders, and that they are not able to change the rules because God says so. Where do they find this prohibition in the Bible?
So the world view of the Catholic Church is not as unchanging as they have led you to believe. I have no problem with religions that are different from my world view, just with those that reek of hypocrisy. Also, if the Church kept to spriritual matters, it would be doing what it is supposed to do. But when it interferes in secular matters in the guise of spirituality, that crosses the line. They shouldn’t make everybody live according to their worldview. The middle ages are passed, and the sooner the current leaders of the Church realize that, the better off we will all be.
You have so many misconceptions about the Church that I don’t know how to begin to answer you. To begin with, celibacy is a church discipline not a doctrine as you implied.
As to the treatment of Galileo, if you are really interested in knowing the full details, I offer you the following link to read:
http://www.catholic.com/tracts/the-galileo-controversy
On homosexuality, Paul clearly condemns it as you know. And what you probably don’t know is that Christ told his apostle that he would send his Holy Spirit to guide them unto all truth. So clearly, Christ spoke about homosexuality in indirect fashion. Also, we cannot assume that he did not address this issue directly before he died. He may very well have done so. Certainly he addressed the issue of marriage as a union between a man and a woman, particularly in his reference to the book of Genesis.
There is no credible evidence of women being ordained by the Church in all of the Church’s history even though some may have been “ordained” in disregard of the Church’s proscription against it.
Finally, you seem to have a misunderstanding of divine revelation. The Church has always maintained there are three sources, not just the bible alone. The Protestant view about scripture being the only source is a relatively new concept in Church history. As a matter of fact much of the New Testament was not in existence until about 30 years after Christ died. Christians then as well as afterwards depended for their source of information on oral traditions passed down by the apostles and the divine teaching authority of the Church to interpret them, not to mention scripture.
Finally, the Church has a divine mission to teach the truth and lead its flock. Please tell me when it interferes in secular matters and I will tell you how these matters concern the Church. But I don’t understand why you don’t want to give the Church a public forum. Is this not the United States of America where people and institutions are free to speak out regardless of message content?
A discipline, not a doctrine? Parsing words. If it is just a discipline, why did the bishop who ordained women get excommunicated?
And because Christ said the Holy Spirit would guide them, that means he meant ……whatever you want it to mean? Kind of a weak argument. I think it means otherwise.
And that old canard about marriage always being between one man and one woman doesn’t hold up when you read the Book of Kings. How does that fit into your theology when some of them had hundreds of wives?
What is relatively new in Christianity is the concept of ordination. Certainly not biblically based. When the bible says that the “power” could be passed on, nowhere does it say it was limited to males. Nowhere.
The whole concept of the bishop of Rome having primacy was invented by Constantine. He also is the one who assembled the leaders (not bishops, because only a few congregations had hierarchy in the 300s) and hammered out the hierarchy as it exists. This was so that he could better run the new church like an arm of the Roman Empire.
The earliest written evidence of the Gospels are from the period after the legalization of Christianity. Some were not written until 400 years AD. And some that were written before do not even appear in the Bible. It was a bunch of Roman corralled clerics who decided what went in, and what went out. There is lots of evidence of lots of other books of the Bible. Don’t tell me you think that the ones left are the ones that were “inspired”. Since the Catholic Church persecuted any thing or anybody who did not go along with the program they were passing out, who is to say they got it right? The Thomas Gospel was tossed.
Finally, too many times the Church has taught “truth”, only to be reversed in later centuries. If it was reversed, it couldn’t have been truth, could it.
The new thinking is that the truth will be interpreted by some man who was proclaimed himself infallible in 1713. Another reason to question the pope’s claim to divine guidance is, why were there popes and anti-popes? Often times during the middle ages (especially), different groups of clergy elected different popes. Which one was the true pope? Obviously the one who wrote the history. But what if the other elected pope had won the war? I also found this, which I thought was interesting:
984-985 Boniface VII. One of the more disgusting anti-popes. Actually, twice anti-pope. In 974, supported by the Roman clan of the Crescentii, Boniface was “elected” Pope. He soon had the lawful Pope Benedict VI (r. 973-974) murdered. The outraged Romans expelled Boniface, who fled to the Eastern Roman Empire. In 980, while Benedict VII (r. 974-983) was absent, the usurper briefly seized Rome. Again expelled. In 984, with Byzantine support, Boniface again seized Rome, had John XIV (r. 983-984) murdered, and installed himself as “pope” until he died in 985.
Boniface VII is listed as a pope in the church. A saintly man indeed. His successor named himself Boniface VIII.
Then why were so many of them convicted????
Not enough of them were convicted.Bernard Law got a PROMOTION and got to hide in Rome with a nice setup.A LOT of them were allowed to “retire”.
True, but the proven accusations about the many don’t prove the accusations against the one (Rev. Nadeau).
Absolutely.I’m all for letting the justice system do its work.I never mentioned Mr.Nadeau.
no comment was going to say something but i know my comment will be deleted.
Actually, a very small percentage of accused priests are convicted.
Actually, many of the priests accused were convicted. Other dispositions are like the case of Hans Hermann Cardinal Groer, head of the Catholic Church in Austria. When the accusations were made, he denied them, then when proof was offered, he dragged his feet. Then he fled Austria, “retiring” to another country so that he was outside the laws of Austria. Then he had the good sense to die before the Curch investigated fully. He resigned in 1995, died in 2002, still a Cardinal.
It’s not just priests. The scandal involves higher ups whjo hid the priests, moved them around, and ignored calls for their ouster. Now the Church is reaping the whirlwind that it sowed for all those years.
And the trial in Philly moves in fits and starts because the Catholic Church is once again dragging its feet.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/landmark-philadelphia-priest-abuse-trial-reveals-catholic-church-strategy-on-complaints/2012/03/31/gIQAfRyQnS_story.html
You mentioned “many of the priests accused were convicted”? Just how many is “many”?
Also, you’re information concerning Cardinal Hans Herman Groer does not go along with the facts. The reason he was not prosecuted was not because he left Austria. According to all the sources I checked I out, the reason was on account of the expiration of the statue of limitations in Austria. Also, he did not die when he chose to die to avoid being fully investigated. He died of cancer. He did not commit suicide.
Finally, I read your reference concerning the trial of an accused priest in Philadelphia. I don’t see anything in the article to indicated that the Church is dragging its feet in this case. What the Associated Press article states is that
Monsignor William Lynn, a priest in charge of 900 priests in the diocese, is being “charged with child endangerment for allegedly leaving predator-priests in ministry, and conspiring with others to cover up the festering problem.” Nowhere in the article is there any mention of the Church dragging its feet.
I just wish you’d check out your facts a little better from now on.
Facts are this: The Cardinal was accused. He denied it. Facts came out, he resigned. Parliament looked into it, he left the country. The Church tried to put a smiley face on it by pointing out the statute of limitations had passed. The Church never demoted the man, and he died 7 years after the scandal broke, still a Cardinal. Do you deny this?
Finally, the article is only one of many about this trial. You should read the whole story. Here is more. The prosecutors have been trying to get information from the church since 2005. That means for 7 years they wanted to see the original memos the late Cardinal wrote, but the Catholic Church did every legal trick in the book to stop the revelations. That is footdragging in my book. Maybe stalling for 7 years in a trial concerning sexual abuse is fine by your standards.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-philadelphia-catholic-church-sex-abuse-20120326,0,1979259.story
http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/archdiocesan-official-accused-covering-abuse-begins-trial
And finally:
http://articles.philly.com/2012-02-24/news/31095897_1_church-lawyers-priests-abuse-complaints
The last link is a short story written about the time the existance of the memo was revealed. The memo was written in the early 2000s, they knew about it, but it took years for the church to come clean about it.
Don’t lecture me about facts. If you bothered to dig a little for yourself, you would have seen the foot dragging. You would have read the whole story about the late Cardinal pervert from Austria. Instead, you choose to read a little from safe Catholic sources to prove what you already think.
Okay, I grant you now have an argument concerning church officials in Philadelphia dragging their feet in providing information.
But what about your charges against Cardinal Hans Herman Groer? You were wrong about the reason he was not prosecuted and about “he had the good sense to die before the church investigated fully”. He did not die willingly as you implied. He died of natural causes, namely, pneumonia after being treated for cancer. That doesn’t sound to me like someone who was trying to leave the scene to avoid prosecution.
Finally, you are wrong again in your assertion he died “still a Cardinal” when in fact he retired as Archbishop of Vienna at age 75. Incidentally, my source is not a Catholic source at all. (Your wrong again!) It’s from Wikipedia. That said, yes, you need to be lectured about getting your facts and assumptions straight.
The reason he was not prosecuted is because the statute of limitations had passed. This from his obit:
Other former students at the all-male school in Hollabrunn, 40 miles north of Vienna, came forward with similar charges. State prosecutors never became involved because the statute of limitations for sexual abuse of a minor had long since expired when the matter came to light. Groer had applied for retirement in 1994, when he turned 75, but John Paul left him in his post.
Also this from when another Austrian churchman slammed the church for their answer to allegations of abuse:
“The scandal hit Cardinal who was accused of abusing boys, resigned in 1998 without ever admitting his guilt, without any official Church punishment and he died five years later”.
I said he had the good sense to die, not that he willed himself dead. You need to work on your English as well as your command of facts. The man was a proven pedophile, not by me, but by Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn. Again, read a little bit past the headline. There are wonderful nuggets in the story.
So far as his leaving the country, I remember something like this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/78503.stm
and
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/60823.stm
It appears he never left the country, instead going into internal exile. In this story, he admits to something, but like usual, it’s hard to make out what it is, but since the allegations of abuse were rife, I think we can assume he was addressing them.
So the chuirch knew he was a pervert, but he died merely an Archbishop. Boohoo. He was never punished.
Besides, it sounds like you’re accusing him of a crime that hasn’t even been divulged yet. What makes you insinuate he’s guilty of sex crimes anyway?
Well…unfortunately, what other crimes are these men usually found guilty of: jay-walking, littering, money laundering? What is the crime most of the time? And since it is usually the same crime, people should have a right to discuss it – we’re not on his jury panel…yet.
Wake up, this is being revealed all over the world, google it !
Because anything you google is true.
Give me a break then do a snopes search just a fraction has been released so far
Sent from my U.S. Cellular Android device
—– Reply message —–
Really?
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050208/news_1n8shanley.html
and
http://alterboys.tripod.com/Faith/Convicted_andx.html
What are you reading that says few or none were convicted? Or are you saying that all of the convictions and all of the settlements were fabricated?
Rev. Nadeau may be innocent, but to state it is impossible for anybody to have done something and that it stems from anti-Catholic bile is just as breathtaking as those who claim that anybody suspected is guilty.
That’s exactly what my parents said when I told them what had happened to me in the rectory when I was 15 years old. Back then they covered it up big time and there was no place to go. Even the police would not listen or do anything about it. I was an alter boy at the time and very devoted to the faith. This most trusted man, the pillar of the community had what began as innocent hugs, sexually violated my youth. I have not, even when my father passed and his funeral was held, nor will I ever set foot in a Catholic Church again. I forgave my parents for their ignorance, but I cannot forgive the Catholic church for it’s lies which were supported by the entire pastoral diocese including the bishop.
I don’t judge the people of the Catholic faith, that is not my position. But be careful not to be blinded by it. I eventually forgave myself after many years believing it was partially my fault which it never was. Many other victims who I have met, and you would not believe how many there are, are still dealing with their demons.
I’ve been happily married for over 30 years, have 3 wonderful grown children who have blessed me with grand children. Our family trusts in the lord everyday. I pray the truth will come out. If this guy is innocent, and I pray that he is, then fine. If not, God will deal the ultimate punishment.
Your story is amazing, as well as your views of forgiveness. I think ultimately, no matter what you believe in as who or what is the higher power, love and forgiveness is the main idea. Thanks for sharing, as I recognize it may have been difficult.
It is NOT “impossible.” Nothing is impossible. Remember Rev. Robert Carlson?
I hope it all gets cleared up soon.
That has been said about many of those already busted. Unless you where personally watching him 24/7/365 his whole life then you do not know what he did or did not do.
First let me state I respect your opinion however please look up fr steven poitras then archbishop william murphy accused of moving priest around even to mexico to avoid trial . Also why is Cardinal Law living so well in the vatican with no need to face charges in Massachusetts. Boston college requested removing crosses from classrooms But there are good priests in our parish community but they suffer from those silime like murphy, poitras and law I was given the right to eat meat on fridays during lent when he was my assistant pastor @ st patricks in south groveland massachusets.In his back pocke will bett is a one way ticket to the vatican where he is immune to Massachusets laws. I am a Catholic but realize the real world
impossible? as impossible as rev. carlson?
I’m shocked & saddened….
Me too, I would have thought Madawaska would have been considered “northernmost” community.
When driving to Madawaska it certainly takes a long, long time, it has to be the “northernmost” community in Maine.
Although I have spent time with Father Nadeau and think that he is a great man, I do not think it is Impossible for him to have done something wrong. He is not perfect, he is not Jesus, even Father Nadeau can make mistakes
“It’s also important not to jump to conclusions about the nature of the
allegations.”
It seems as though some of these comments are already doing this within minutes of the article being posted. Please do not jump to conclusions.
I agree,Wake Up People,This is Holy Week and stop jumping to conclusions,Father Jim has done nothing but good things for the people of Aroostook county.He has brought many of us back to church and is a great teacher of the lord.You should not gossip of things that you do not have the facts on.We will all be sad when we do not have a mass in all of our churches anymore.Suport Father Jim,he is a good man of the lord.Pray for him,and hope he will be teaching us more words of the lord, STOP JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS!!!!!!
You are in our Prayrs Farther Jim!!!!
Angle Sharp
Well, there’s usually never enough in the collection plate to support larceny charges, or anything similar.
I think those that are suggesting something more nefarious are doing so because probably (I have no figures for this) over 90% of the charges against priests during the last decade involve that, and it is not an unreasonable assumption. It’s just probability.
It is also a ruinous, terrible charge and that is why the AG would rightfully be reluctant to divulge it.
Father Jim has made an amazing impact over the past year for my family and I…He is a very intelligent man and actually from someone who hasnt practiced their faith like they should, he had me wanting to attend mass every Sunday. He is always there when u need him and I think and hope this allegation does not send him away, because he will be greatly missed by all!!!!!We will keep you in our prayers Father Jim…..things will work out…..
The highest levels of professionalism and integrity are paramount requirements to conduct such an investigation. I hope and expect the permanent staff of the A.G.”s office can fulfill their responsibilities in this sensitive matter. I tremble at the thought of Mr. Schneider becoming personally involved in this investigation.
Mr Schneider is a fine AG, much more professional and objective than our last one.
Our tax dollars at work investigating an organization that pays no taxes.
Let’s not assume the worse of this man. It could be something unrelated to the church. I am not Catholic but my husband and children are so there for I do practice the Catholic faith. It’s said to see people judge him without knowing why. Remember innocent until proven guilty.
Don’t like to change the subject but, Ft. Kent, Eagle Lake, or Soldier Pond are not the most northern towns in Maine. Madawaska is. Just to put geography straight.
Hey Madtonboy,, Estcourt Station “Just to put geography straight.” is the most northern town in Maine..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estcourt_Station,_Maine
Hey BDA, for your info, neither Ft. Kent, Eagle Lake nor Soldier Pond are the northernmost towns. Just to get the geography straight, it’s Madawaska………..
Madawaska would be singular. The rest would be part of the plural.
What, you never heard of escourt???
I am so saddened by this news. Fr. Jim is an amazing priest! May this investigation go quickly and may they clear his name. Lots of prayers your way Fr. Jim!!!! In last weeks homily you mentioned how after the fire there is new life. It is Holy Week. After the crucifiction, there was new life. Hold on to that Fr. We love you!!!
AMEN!
Whatever the allegations, I too hope it doesn’t drag on. But if there is fire with the smoke, I hope the Church doesn’t drag it out by refusing to show what it knows. Dragging this out benefits only those who are pre-judging the situation from both sides.
I do hope you mean that the truth comes out, whatever it is. Not that they clear his name, even if he is guilty?
I do hope the truth comes out. Regardless of what it is.
I’m still unsure how this pertains to this situation, because as far as i’m concerned, in this country we are innocent until proven guilty. No one knows what the allegations are. If this were any other man being investigated for unknown allegations, these harsh rumors wouldn’t be spread. But as soon as a it involves a man wearing a white collar, he immediately wears a target.
In this country you are GUILTY until proven innocent…………ever noticed that? If one was innocent, then why are they put in jail and bailed out. I’m not sure where the other saying came from, but it definately isn’t practiced in this country.
Rev James Nadeau is at the top 2% of all priest that I have met. May he be cleared of all allegations against him. Our prayers are with Rev James and expecially during this very Holy Week.
Keith and Bern West Covina, California and Soldier Pond, Maine
OK – Mad Town guy, is that really a big deal to you? Anyway, back to what this article is about.. I think we should keep in mind that Fr Jim is a human. Yes, humans do make mistakes – even someone as great and trustworthy as Fr Jim. Born and raised Catholic, I learned how to forgive in my Sunday school, at home with my parents and even in my St. Louis religion class. Regardless of what happens, lets remember what we all learned in Sunday school, forgiveness. I can remember how many people were upset with Fr Jim a few years ago for whatever reasons. I had a second thought about attending Mass for a while until someone told me, “attend church for God, noone else”…..
You molest another human being especially a child then the ONLY forgiveness you should get is from your GOD when you see him. Most of us will not forgive.
I talked to a young man 25-30 years ago. He stated that he was abused by a priest. I asked him what he did-he stated that he was touched several times on the shoulder. I asked him if there was anything worse than that, he stated no. I told him that the priest probably didn’t abuse him. It is sad to see innocent people on either side of the situation needlessly and wrongly involved for the incident. Don’t judge without concrete facts to back up the situation. Too many are blamed for something without a chance to prove otherwise. Yes, some individuals did wrong, but there are modern day witch hunts like those in Salem,Massachusetts.
I would assume that within the last 25-30years there is more questions and procedures they follow in order to know what “abuse” they are talking about touching a shoulder wouldnt result in an investigation
Years ago and perhaps even today, Catholics were so idolizing of the clergy, that when their children tried to tell them of something wrong that happened, the children were not believed. If their children were abused in the Catholic schools the parents never dared to complain. Sad very sad.
I find that this newspaper,Bangor Daily News, may be disingenous(as I am bad at spelling) if this is not a child abuse case-which I don’t think Father Nadeau would do-but potentially in another area. If the reporter knew this then why was the information about ALLEGED child abuse brought up in the article. BDN has gone from moderately conservative to down right liberal. Too bad, it was a “critical thinking” newspaper where both sides are looked at-not like the major news channels with egg on their face or in some cases in their eyes in reference to the Martin boy who died of a gun shot. Time is showing the real truth do not jump to conclusions as with yellow sensationalism like the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton who only want to stir up the people. Where were the news channels when a white was killed by two African-Americans a couple of months ago?
Nowhere in the article is ALLEGED child abuse brought up – only in the multitude of comments.
yOU ARE CORRECT BUT EVERY SITUATION MENTIONED IN BDN DEALS WITH THE SUBJECT OF CHILD ABUSE-SOME OVERDO IT AND OTHERS NOT… tHERE WAS AN ARTICLE MENTIONED ABOUT ALLEGED VICTIMS TALKING FOR OVER 30 MINUTES IN aUGUSTA-A DAY OR SO AGO.WHEN PRIESTS ARE MENTIONED(CORRECTLY OR NOT) PEOPLE THINK CHILD ABUSE.AS SHOWN WITH A LOT OF THESE COMMENTS. BDN IS STILL NOT A MODERATE POSITIONED NEWSPAPER.
Trayvon has NOTHING to do with this.Stay on topic per the TOS.And if you think the BDN is liberal,you’re crazy.They keep handing $$$ to Gagnon ,Krauthammerhead and Heath every week.They’ve made it very clear they are anti choice as well.
I was one of the victims of abuse by a priest but it didn’t affect my belief in God it just made me keenly aware that priests, ministers and other members of the clergy no matter what their particular faith are flawed human beings not God and should not be idolized as such. I am not saying Fr. Nadeau has done anything and I will pray to “God” for him.
A lot of “speculation” of pedophilia in these comments…And why is that so? Answers will come…I pray another priest does not bite the dust…And the clergy wonder’s why the pews are empty…
So discouraging…
Hmm I wonder what the allegations are?
Yes we need to NOT jump to conclusions as he is innocent until proven guilty. Having said that, let’s all be realistic, there must be something going on for an investigation to be going on. Yes, he is a very well liked man but alot of the sexual predators are. I hope he is innocent but won’t be surprised if he is, because the priesthood has been proven time and time again as a safe haven for predators of little boys. Remember, he is a man first, then a priest. So lets see what comes out of this and I think we all need to be prepared for the outcome. (as humans we all have good and bad in us)
Keep in mind that he is human just like you and I, so he is not perfect…
Is this your response, too, when a non-religious person is under investigation for something? If the guy down the street was under suspicion for theft, child abuse, drug use, etc., would you immediately say “Oh, he is human, not perfect, just like you and me.”? Would you say “God teaches forgiveness” for whoever harmed Ayla? For the drunk driver who kills or maims your daughter? For the drug abuser who steals from you to pay for a fix? How about for an atheist?
Absolutely. Forgiveness leads to healing, which is what we all need after a tragedy, no matter what size. It would take a long time, lots of emotional wrestling and a very strong person to forgive after an incident like Ayla, or a drunk driver, but that’s at the core of Christian/Catholic beliefs. Guess what – for every jerk who claims to be Christian and spout off about why the people around them are wrong/going to hell/etc, are probably 99 Christians/Catholics who spend their time meditating, focusing on patience and love, and trying to make a better world.
Great words but do you forgive those who flew the planes on 9-11? Or bombed the hotel in Mumbi and killed so many? Or those who sent Jews and others(plenty of others went too) to the ovens? At what point do you not forgive the unforgivable?
Forgiveness is at the core of Catholicism. It’s a difficult place to reach, and a place that Catholics struggle to reach. As I said in my above post, it takes a very strong, faithful person to forgive his enemies, regardless of the degree of their crime. I’m absolutely not there, and I don’t claim to be. I think that’s part of the journey of life. True forgiveness comes from an unwavering faith that God will handle these people who do such horrible things. Do I have doubts? Absolutely. I’m human.
That said, forgiveness is also for the forgiver, not for the forgivee – eg, forgiveness brings peace to the heart & mind of the wrong person, so that they can move on with their lives and not carry around anger in their hearts. Letting go of anger is extremely difficult, being at peace with the decisions made around you isn’t always easy.
I don’t know; again, I was raised Catholic and haven’t been to church in awhile beacuse I carry too much anger for it. I could use a lesson in forgiveness, I think. But the reason I brought up forgiveness at all was that a previous poster suggested that Catholics only work to forgive other Catholics, and wouldn’t forgive an atheist. That idea, I know, is absurd.
Thank you so much for your great work!I’m sure you’ve been threatened or worse.How can I help?
Well, we do have to recognize the apparent Track Record of the Catholic Church and the multiple legal issues with many Priests. It really comes as no surprise.
How anybody today can possibly believe there is a God is a bigger mystery to me than the belief in God itself. Folks, just a few years ago, the common belief was that there were 12 Gods. Time to get smart and believe in the best science and to realize that human beings have limits of comprehension just like dogs and apes do. I recently tried to teach my dog algebra and he just couldn’t get it. PS: The best thing that could happen on our planet is to abolish all religion. It is, and always has been, the root of evil, hate and carnage.
“The best thing that could happen on our planet is to abolish all religion. It is, and always has been, the root of evil, hate and carnage.”
They have tried that Bill. Couldn’t kill enough of them could they.
Tell you what. I will take my chances there is a God and that for the past few thousands of years has withstood the test of time against the latest post from an internet newspaper site.
I think you may be confused a bit about what religion is, religion just isn’t going to church every sunday and if you pray hard enough you get what you want. at it’s core the catholic faith is about entering into a relationship with christ itself. I don’t see how you could see that as an impossibility. I would think that the presence of god would be one of the more obvious phenomenon today.
Right on the money, Mr. Randall! The biggest reason people still believe is because they never question…they were raised to believe and they were taught that it is sinful to question. I remember as a child, raised strict Catholic, having doubts about the whole story but every time one of those doubts would come into my head, I would panic and do everything possible to chase the doubt away for fear of going to hell for questioning….the nuns constantly told us it was a cardinal sin to question the “Great Mysteries.” Of course it is, otherwise people will use their head and their reason to see the mythology for what it is. Stop and think, folks, how many ancient myths and superstitions have been explained away by scientific knowledge….the reason for thunder and lightning, the cause of floods, what fire is, what causes disease, what cures disease, etc. etc….now stop and think how many scientific explanations/facts have been explained away by supernatural causes? Zero. Religions and gods were created by the ancient human imagination to explain things they did not understand. We have the tools now to understand so much more than the ancient tribes did….it is time to use those tools and knowledge to live in the present rather than in the myths of the past. Just think how much tension, hate, and war would go away if we stopped fighting over whose god is best and whose religious rules are right.
How is this on topic?
Interesting
story you wrote and a very similar experience I had with the Nuns. When I
questioned them as young boy, I was told that it was not my “right” to question
the nonsense I was being taught. I was ordered to “believe” what they said –
end of discussion. My question to the nuns centered around the “holy ghost”
which I truly did not understand as a religiously conditioned young boy. I am
now 77-years-old and I have yet to have anyone describe god, heaven or hell, in
physical or scientific terms. And I have never had a rational discussion with
anyone who “wants” to believe there is a god and all the other hand-me-down
stories by people who could neither read nor write and who had never had a day
of schooling in their lives. And remember that in 1935, the year I was born, it
was illegal to teach evolution in our schools.
Because there is no science or physical evidence that GOD is real or there is a Holy Spirit etc. There is science to tell us that the Earth is 5.6 Billions years old and that all the religions came up with stories to try to tell how we came to be and what happens when our bodies die.
I spent so many hours with my priest with him trying to get me to understand the Holy Spirit- I always thought it was the Virgin Mary!!!
Exactly! I was raised in this very town as a catholic and I never thought to question this religion till I was older. We were forced to go to religion classes during our regular school day and of course we never missed church each Sunday. Whenever I make it to church now I sit and listen to the prayers that people recite and I know the words too but it’s only because I have heard them repeated over and over again. I have no idea what most of the words in the prayers even mean! I am not saying that there isn’t something bigger out there, but I like to rely on facts and proof that something exists. I am not going to believe in something just because a book tells a great story( I don’t care if it’s the oldest book around)
On that note, I feel as though we should not assume that this investigation is about pedophilia, but I can understand why it is one of the first things that comes to peoples minds. This just seems to be a major trend in the Catholic church these days.Look at the priest who committed suicide in the Bangor area not too long ago. People were shocked and said they knew he was not capable of ever harming another person especially a child! Turns out that he was also under investigation for child molestation. So to all the people who say that this Father is not capable of doing such things, think again. Haven’t there been serial killers who have been the most upstanding citizens of the community. People are capable of all things good and bad!
Really? The root of all that is wrong? The causes of all wars?
Civil War, not caused by religion.
WWI, not religious based.
WWII, including Japanese aggression against China, not religious caused.
Korean War, not religious in nature.
Vietnam War, again, no religion involved.
I could go on, but all you will do is show a counter list of wars that were based on religion. Crusades, 30 Years War, etc.
Still, you have to allow for all the people who went forth into the world doing good because of their faith. Dr. Sweitzer, Fr. Damien and Mother Theresa are only a few examples of people who gave up security to help people who they did not know. How about the many many examples of people who did good because of religion?
Nazis persecuted people because of their religion. As did Lenin, Stalin and Mao. None of these examples should lead anybody to say that anti-religionists should be abolished, that everybody should be forced to have a religion.
So even though fundamentalist believers with power do cause lots of problems for those who don’t believe like them (Puritans, Jihadists, fundamentalist Christians and Jews), moderate main-line faiths are not a major source of problems in this world.
Sorry about you dog not catching on to the math. Maybe he is a ‘slow learner’ dog or the teacher is deficient. ;)
Hey, at the same time why not abolish all the social outreach programs the
church has to offer, Including giving to poor, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick or imprisoned, taking care of orphans, as well as a plethora of other services. Or why not abolish all the schools and hospitals, first started by the church. Oh wait….That would be a terrible idea.
Amazing how many atheists flood the comment strands of an article that has to deal with organized religion. Your obnoxious banters give me just the more reason to pray for you. And may I just say that I would never go to an article about your “beliefs” or lack thereof and start a bunch of crap on a comment strand just out of respect for you. Grow up
Just goes to show that atheists aren’t the only ones who lump a group together and cast aspersions…
Atheism is the largest growing group since 2000,far outpacing any religion,many of which are losing members wholesale.There is hope for logic and science.
I’m well aware of that. You should read the most recent ARIS survery.
Here is a link to it:
http://commons.trincoll.edu/aris/
Thanks!You won’t see this covered in the papers since they are slaves to the CC.
Just more intolerance from the nuts.I do not need prayers from anybody.I’ll turn to dust or be in a jar after I’m dead and so will you.And interesting you’d note “how many” atheists are out there-MANY more than you’d think even though we’ve been ignored,scorned,threatened and marginalized
I’m an atheist too, Bill. Wasn’t “raised” one, but realized in my early-to-mid 30’s that’s what I was.
To each their own, I say. But I believe in reason over faith.
Read the current Newsweek cover story”Forget the Church,Follow Jesus.EXCELLENT.
I’m an atheist, so, you know my position on religion and God. But dang, that’s nice. There’d probably be a lot of nice Christians and a lot few nutjobs if they “followed Jesus” instead of the church…
I wonder if Chad Marquis will speak on his behalf?
Give this Man a break. The little town that could is filled we back stabbers, its all about me, snobs and hobnobbers. There is alot of dirt in this town and they do well for others for the pat on the back that gets them into the limelight and gets them what they want. But there are alot of good people and Fr Jim is one of them, he has to deal with all of this on a daily basis. So I am sure it was a toe stepping episode with the wrong person that did this. So think about this….
I think it’s really unfair to throw FK under the bus and to put it out there like it’s crawling with “backstabbers and snobs”. You get a mix of those, along with really amazing people in any small town. If I had the means, I would move back up to “The little town that could” in a second
BTW he also told me that it is not the CHURCH (Building) that is important it is faith not only religion but doing good for others and treating people the way you want to be treated. We have all gone away from this and I am not a GOD believer because it is like the tooth fairy in my eyes. It just gives everyone a sense of goodness and ethics..
Wow I could go on and on but enough said…
I’m thinking that it’s extremely unfair to make FK seem to be crawling with “backstabbers and snobs”. It’s like that in any small town, no matter where you go a mixture of “hobnobbers” and wonderful people. I would move back to my “little town that could” in a second if I had the means to do so.
It’s called free will.
Step off your high horse and realize that people can believe whatever they want. If you don’t like people believing in God, understand that others don’t like your disbelief.
I’ve no problem with atheists, except when they try disproving other people’s faith.
I won’t tell you that you’re ugly just because you think the mirror says otherwise. It’s rude and obnoxious.
Atheists do not disprove religion, science does, and does it well.
I Respect your right to not believe in god, please respect my right to believe in god.
Please respect my right to believe in the easter bunny. Even if they both do not exist.
Just awful and plain immature…
If you believe in the easter bunny I respect that even if i dont.
Thank you Matthew,when I see him this Sunday I will pass it on that you are a good person.I hope he leaves you a nice basket.
Why would you belittle someone for their beliefs or their Disbeliefs?? I would rather Believe there IS a GOD & find out later he never exsitetd… than to spend my whole life not believing and finding out he does.
Reality and religion are not a good mixture.I take it you do not believe in evolution or science.If I need a heart transplant call a doctor,not a priest.If I go to war,don`t pray for me,get me a flak vest.
Why do you think that people can’t believe in both religion and science/evolution?
Provided there is a heaven, and you get to the gates and the gatekeeper knows you only believe because you’d rather “believe and later find out he never existed…” you’ll be heading down below anyway.
Well said, Dane.
Actually, science does not disprove faith. That is a false equivalent. Sort of like saying that 40 degrees F is 2X as warm as 20 degrees F.
Just because a person cannot prove something doesn’t mean it can’t exist.
The converse is also true. Just because a person believes something doesn’t make it real.
And then there are those of us who don’t believe, but like going to church for the singing, the handholding and the sociality of it all. It makes us neither holy nor hypocrite, because it is none of anybody’s business why we go.
I didn’t say faith, I said religion. Faith is religious proof.
Religion: The Earth is the center of the universe, my faith proves it
Science: The Sun is the center of the universe, here is the proof (poor Galileo got imprisoned by the church for that one), and our universe is just one of thousands of universes, plus we have found several Earth-like planets in other solar systems.
Religion: The Earth is just over 6,000 years old, my faith proves it
Science: The Earth is millions of years old, here is the fossil record to prove it
Religion: God created man, my faith proves it
Science: Modern man is the result of copulation between pre-modern man and Neaderthal, here is the genetic blue print to prove it.
Religion: You have a demon in you, that’s why you are sick, you need an exorcism, my faith proves it.
Science: You have a bacteria, these cultures we grew prove it.Here is an antibiotic, it will clear up shortly
Really? You state things that you say are what religion teaches. Religion teaches that this is a geo-centric universe? Really? What religion. Science also taught that from the time of Ptolmey until the invention of telescopes.
Science also taught things about spirits, etc. (humors they were called). So blind faith in science can also lead you up the wrong alley.
Also, modern man does not descend from H. sapiens + H. neanderthalus. Modern Europeans, likely. How about H. sapiens who remained in Africa? Or, if you want something to learn about, see where the Melanesians came to be. Google ‘Denisova Cave and Melanesians’.
Earth is billions of years old…not millions.
what science books are you reading
“Step off your high horse and realize that people can believe whatever
they want. If you don’t like people believing in God, understand that
others don’t like your disbelief.
I’ve no problem with atheists, except when they try disproving other people’s faith.”
(1) He did not say you CANNOT believe what you want, he said he doesn’t UNDERSTAND why you believe it (his right); (2) You reserve the right to “[not] like [his] disbelief” but you take real offense at his not liking YOUR belief; (3) You’ve “no problem with atheists” except that you don’t like our disbelief and you don’t like our speaking up about why we don’t believe or try to “disprove” what we see as myths….and yet you and other believers feel you have every right to speak up about your beliefs, try to disprove disbelief, and get angry at anyone who counters what you believe. Can’t have it both ways……either we ALL get to speak up about our beliefs/disbelief or NOBODY gets to.
usually the critics of religion wait until a person passes away then accuse all sorts of things. True that 1 bad person is too many- let the court system handle it then decide what to say and do. As a protestant I still believe that it should NOT be GUILTY until proven INNOCENT. Have any specific charges even been discussed ?
It just goes to show that things are not always what they seem.
Again???
Matthew 7:5
You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Lets let the investigation proceed, before we start to slander
I hope he is innocent but the track record for these guys is not good.
If you were born and raised as a Catholic, you will likely be one as an adult.
If you were born and raised as a Muslim, you will likely be one as an adult.
It’s called religious conditioning. Why aren’t you religious folks bright enough to understand that? And finally, are you religious folks SO dumb that you must go to a religious institution every Sunday and have some power loving, lazy religiously conditioned person explain the contents of a book to you that was compiled by many men like the one who has you under his spell?
Breathtaking in your stereotyping.
If you were born a Jehovah’s Witness, you are likely not to grow up to be one. How does that fit into your scheme of things.
And if you predicate the intelligence of people by their religious faith, you are as blind as the ones you are disparaging. Where do you get the thinking that religious people are less bright than those who believe like you? From the same well that provides the Taliban and Tammi Faye Baker with their water?
Raised as a Catholic and went to Mass every Sunday and holy days but as an adult I left and became an Episcopalian and have never been happier. No Pope, Bishop etc telling me what I can and can’t do in my own country.
I was raised a “Friend” (Quaker) as an adult I am an atheist. My Sister and brother are both non-Friends after having been raised the same way. I grew up in a Irish Catholic neighborhood. most of my friends no longer practice Catholicism. If religious organizations are there “to condition” they are doing a fairly poor job.
Just let you all know, if this was about abuse it would be the Bishop dealing with it not the attorney general so you can stop accusing him of that. Fr. Jim puts on one of the best masses in the St. John Valley and many Sunday’s my husband and I find ourselves traveling from St. Agatha just to attend his mass. He has maintained not just a huge congregation of parishioners but a huge population of youth involved with the church and a choir worthy of huge amounts of praise. Every mass is packed to the brink with families, adults of all ages, children, and singers. This in itself says something for many congregations in the St. John valley continue to deteriorate. For those of you feeling the need to voice your negative personal opinion on here, ask yourself, do you sit in church every Sunday, have you been to a different mass with a different priest, how many times have you changed religion just because you don’t like the person leading the mass. No one is perfect and not everyone will get along with their priest but there is no need to crucify him for it. Shame on you.
How good of a mass he puts on has nothing to do w/what is going on. Perhaps is not sexual, perhaps its monetary. No one knows and speculating doesn’t help anyone. Why publish something w/no facts. Very cloak and dagger
Amen…
There are definitely some narrow-minded people out there. Poor Father Jim. His masses are unlike any others I have ever attended. He speaks so we can make connections to our everyday life. I have nothing but praise for him.
And for the ‘very’ few that think Father Jim teases children or is ‘belittling’ parishioners, how narrow-minded you must be. He certainly does NOT. I have been to every Christmas mass since I was a young child and I go to mass every Sunday. I haven’t witnessed this. Have you ever heard of ‘humor’? Father Jim uses humor sometimes in his homily. Should we be under the assumption that priests stand at the pulpit and preach and that’s all? They are not allowed to talk ‘matter-of-factly’ to the parishioners about the homily so we can make connections to it or crack a joke?? If we start to accuse people like Father Jim, what do we have left in this World-No one to turn to in times of need.
I have spoken to Father Jim numerous times about issues in my life, and he has been nothing but caring and a great ‘free’ listener. I don’t want to lose him. I pray that all of this is sorted out and he can go back to his normal life but somehow I don’t foresee it being normal again because he will constantly be living with the accusations people have made. How awful.
I believe that whatever it is about, if a law was broken, the legal authorities will deal with it, not the Church authorities. The Church will decide if he gets defrocked, the legal system will decide if he goes to jail or is fined. Too many years of “the bishop will deal with it” left the reputation of the Church in shambles and allowed pedophiles to walk free.
Matt and Chris – great job. We do not need people like Bill telling us what we can and cannot believe. It is our free will to believe what we want. Wait until people need their own personal guidance. They will turn to God, and what we will do? Accpet them.
after being called dumb by Bill Randall so many times am I supposed/allowed to be offended ? believe in religion or not the basic principals of religion i.e helping others not so fortunate etc. would help in any society. A person does not have to believe in order to see that there are far more good things about religion than there are negative.
As far as being called dumb lots of times by Bill R.– just another opinion that perhaps shouldn’t have been expressed because it’s no more than cyber bullying with no face. Odd how kids in elem. school can’t do this but adults will call names/insult and suffer nothing.
Why BDN has not removed this post and disabled comments to the article on the website is beyond me!! 90% of these comments are disgusting and deplorable!! Who do yo people think you are?? Regardless of your beliefs, thoughts, or convictions EVERYONE in this country is entitled to the presumption of innocence period!! Shame on BDN and shame of all of you who have decided to share your disturbing thoughts!! If you are not Catholic, or you do not go to church do not attack the religion to sensationalize your sacrilegious beliefs and possibly seriously damage a good mans reputation before justice can run its course. I think a letter to the editor is in order for allowing this slander to continue!!
When a child is taken from its home the state has to prove Jeopra before they can remove that child. It is understandable that they do the same when taking a Priest away from his chapel (which is his baby ithe same sense parents are to their children). As a now adult growing up in the valley having learned only of the misconduct a local, well respected priest did to a child made me sick. Being a mother I couldn’t fathom something like that happending, but being from this area I know its possible. HOWEVER, I really hope for everyones sake in the area that we don’t experience something like that again. And I really hope there is full coverage as this is something we all deserve to know. Everyone is human, we all have a chance to make our own choices dispite our ‘role’ in this world…good or bad.
Why BDN has not removed this post and disabled comments to the article on the website is beyond me!! 90% of these comments are disgusting and deplorable!! Who do yo people think you are?? Regardless of your beliefs, thoughts, or convictions EVERYONE in this country is entitled to the presumption of innocence period!! Shame on BDN and shame of all of you who have decided to share your disturbing thoughts!! If you are not Catholic, or you do not go to church do not attack the religion to sensationalize your sacrilegious beliefs and possibly seriously damage a good mans reputation before justice can run its course. I think a letter to the editor is in order for allowing this slander to continue!!
Is this your hobby? Posting the same response over and over and over?
It’s not ok when it’s a priest, but when it’s someone who has been arrested for bath salts or some such thing, mocking them openly is fine? Religion does not make anyone a better person, nor does it grant them a free pass when it comes to public relations. Those days are over.
Why BDN has not removed this post and disabled comments to the article on the website is beyond me!! 90% of these comments are disgusting and deplorable!! Who do yo people think you are?? Regardless of your beliefs, thoughts, or convictions EVERYONE in this country is entitled to the presumption of innocence period!! Shame on BDN and shame of all of you who have decided to share your disturbing thoughts!! If you are not Catholic, or you do not go to church do not attack the religion to sensationalize your sacrilegious beliefs and possibly seriously damage a good mans reputation before justice can run its course. I think a letter to the editor is in order for allowing this slander to continue!!
Did you read the article? There are no implications about the nature of the investigations and it even stresses the presumption of innocence. Shame on you for freaking out.
harveyjake, all of the commenters who you are complaining about are doing nothing more than what you are doing – expressing an opinion. Lighten up.
Free speech stops at slander.
I agree!!!!!!!!!!
While the presumption of innocence is a valid and true point, what the comments here represent is the Catholic Church’s squandering of the public trust. They are not trusted to do the right thing anymore, and that is not the result of these comments, these comments are the result of the Catholic Church’s actions. The church has no one to blame but itself for the reactions of those posting here.
Freedom of speech! Everyone is entitled to express their opinion publicly!
Free speech stops at slander.
It’s called free speech-the same thing conservatives LOVE to scream about anytime their perceived rights are infringed upon.
I’m hoping that when there proves to be nothing to this story that the Bangor Daily News will run a B1 page story and include it on the internet that Fr. Nadeau was found innocent.
Just another Priest gone wroung to many of them.
Every year we get this kind of story during Holy Week. Catholic
priests are always judged guilty without trial.
If someone is guilty, he should be punished. But the story of this
witch hunt–even in Maine, where the Klan flourished against Catholics–is way
more complicated. Innocent people have been jailed: http://www.thesestonewalls.com
And some of this is related to lawyers lining their pockets:
http://www.catholicleague.org/…
Father Jim does not in any way belittle people, young and old. He is extremely well loved by the people who know him. Those who speak negative about him do not know him at all. He is compassionate, funny, caring, and loving. He has touched many, many people with his sermons and actions. He practices what he preaches. For those of you who do not believe in the Almighty God, I will pray so God can still open up the gates of heaven for you and your loves ones someday. For those of us who truly believe in Father Jim, there is a rosary being said at the 4:00 PM today at the St. Louis church in Fort Kent. Hope you can attend if you are not working.
What
I encourage the BDN to do is refrain from publishing articles when they do not
have any facts other than a speculative one. We can wait a day or two, or even
a week, until the AG’s office releases more information. Or we can wait and see
if the good Father jumps off the Bangor bridge like the recent case of the
Father did, who was under investigation.
Whats funny ( and I think we should wait until all the facts are laid out for us) is that people eagerly jumped to accuse carlson and the investigation is still not complete. All that has been presented is an accusation bdn articles and a lot of speculation. Many of those same people who jumped on him Are saying ” father Jim couldn’t have done this because he did so much good” or ” he meant so much to me this is impossible”. Same things people who knew carlson for years were feeling and were ostracized for. Its interesting to see how quickly people change their tune when the person accused is someone they knew.
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone…yadda yadda yadda…(How sad is it that an atheist like me has to stand here and defend a Catholic priest’s right to be presumed innocent???)
Let’s hope that if anyone has knowledge or may have been harmed by James L. Nadeau, they will have the courage to speak up and report it to police, not the church officials.
Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Associate Director, USA, 636-433-2511
snapjudy@gmail.com
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims.
SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 12,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers and increasingly, victims who were assaulted in a wide range of institutional settings like summer camps, athletic programs, Boy Scouts, etc. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
A James Nadeau, a real jerk with personal issues, once worked for me as a Central Office Equipment Installer. He later murdered a lady who jilted him, went to State prison, and died there. Is this the same James Nadeau that you are referring to?
If he went to a state prison and died there i don’t think they are the same person.
In World War II, the Ladies Aid, an organization without religious overtones, performed these public services. Today there are dozens of such organizations – and many of them with specialties such as the one I mentioned that deals with sexual abuse. Churches and religious oriented organizations are self-serving – and always will be.
For heaven sakes be patient people. Don’t draw conclusions before knowing what the investigation is about. Remember, it’s only an investigation, not an accusation. When the attorney general has completed its investigation we will know at that time whether charges will be brought forward. Until then keep your cool and stop speculating.
Sir, there are people reading these comments who DO know what the investigation is all about – and I happen to be one of them.
Bill if you such an expert on this investigation (which I doubt you are) can you please share some relevant information, because from reading your posts, I have learnt about ladies aid in world war II, you had an unrelated friend named James Nadeau, Catholics are bad, and you have an incompetent dog. None of those things listed have anything to do with the investigation.
Bill please provide specific facts and proof relevant to this case if you know so much.
I’m still waiting for this information you claim to have.
Really? Hhmmmm
Yo Jones. I used to think SNAP was the real deal until I found out they would
not take on the problem of people who work in law enforcement committing
rape and pedophilia while using their badge to coerce the victims, eh?
Google driving while female penny cherrington
this just in from the whisper stream
April 4, 2012
Longtime Pocahontas sheriff’s deputy indicted in 12 sex crimes; investigation still open
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A longtime Pocahontas
County sheriff’s deputy has been charged with 12 sex crimes against four
girls under the age of 16 and one woman while in police custody, State
Police said Wednesday.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/3ce0a5fc5d6d43bea97e2497b071adb5/WV–Deputy-Indicted/
Some years ago Dateline (then on ABC at 6PM) did a series of stories on criminal speeding and resulting accidents by police. They aired 3 out of five segments of this piece, and suddenly without explanation the story was dropped. Dateline took a hiatus and returned the next season in a different (non-primetime) slot.
Dear God, please grant the investigators the insight and bravery to do what is righteous, no matter what. Amen.
The investigation is not complete jumping to conclusions or making statements about father now is slander just because you can hide behind a monitor still does not make it right. Let the investigation proceed, we need to let the criminal justice program run it’s course.