By Bridgette P. LaVictoire
Lez Get Real
November 21, 2011
http://lezgetreal.com/2011/11/man-uses-sledgehammer-to-destroy-nj-child-abuse-victims-memorial/
 |
Thirty-seven year old Gordon Ellis took a sledgehammer to something specific on the grounds of St. Joseph’s Church this past Friday. Now, while there are many people who would like to do some damage to the Catholic Church these days, what Ellis did was smash the 400-pound basalt millstone at the church. The millstone was a memorial to those sexually abused by priests at the parish.
The memorial is built off of a reference in the Bible that says “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.”
Ellis was arrested in town a few minutes later. Police are unsure why he did it or if he had a connection to the church. The memorial was dedicated in 2004 near the rectory where James T. Hanley use to live. Hanley has been defrocked after admitting to the molestation of a dozen children at this parish and others.
According to The Daily Record:
Ellis remained in the Morris County jail Sunday in lieu of $25,000 bail after being charged Friday night with possessing a weapon — a sledgehammer — used in the commission of a crime, defacement of private property, desecration of a venerated object and criminal mischief, Mendham Police Sgt. John Camoia said.
Monsignor Joseph Anginoli, the pastor of the church, stated that the memorial will be replaced, but it will be altered somehow. He stated that “It will be replaced but probably not take the form of what was here.”
The memorial came into being after Jim Kelly, one of Hanley’s victims, committed suicide. Patrick Kelly, a Mendham Township resident and member of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, stated that “I’m in shock over this. At least one church official (Lasch) had the guts to stand up and acknowledge the abuse of the past and a willingness to ensure that it didn’t happen again. … We would want it replaced as completely as it was. It stood for everybody in our community and for the silent majority (of people who didn’t come forward to talk about their abuse).”
Kelly was one of those molested by Hanley. He brought his son Alex to see the destroyed memorial. He stated that “He knows I go to meetings to talk about bullies and that this was a statue to help kids who were picked on by bullies.”
A youth basketball coach saw the destruction and called the cops.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.