Bishop Lavalley to Apologize to Victims at Special Sunday Service

By Larry Robinson
Watertown Daily Times
April 22, 2017

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news05/bishop-lavalley-to-apologize-to-victims-at-special-sunday-service-20170422

Bishop Terry R. La­Valley, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg, will apologize for past sexual abuse and other harmful acts by clergy and church officials during a special service at 3 p.m. Sunday at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Ogdensburg.

The so-called Mass of Healing is being held on what Catholics celebrate as Divine Mercy Sunday, the Sunday following Easter.

Bishop LaValley said Friday that the liturgy will acknowledge the pain caused by some pastoral leaders and other members of the church, whether it involved the sexual abuse of minors or other inappropriate actions.

“It’s an opportunity to come together and seek the Lord’s forgiveness,” Bishop LaValley said. “To express our sorrow, our regret, our shame, and to come together as the members of one family of faith to pray for each other and support each other.”

Bishop LaValley said the idea to preside over a special Healing Mass was inspired by comments recently made by Pope Francis, in which the pontiff said the Catholic Church should liken itself to a “field hospital after battle” whose main focus should be trying to heal those who have been injured and are suffering.

“He said we must heal the wounds, we must heal the wounds,” Bishop LaValley said. “It kept coming back to me, and so I thought, what can this local field hospital — the Diocese of Ogdensburg — do to help facilitate this healing of wounds, and frankly, the healing of wounds that are self-inflicted.”

Sunday’s special Mass is not only an opportunity to acknowledge and pray for those who have been victimized, but it will also serve as a reminder that the church needs to continue being vigilant toward maintaining a safe environment for young and vulnerable people, according to Bishop LaValley. He said it’s also an opportunity to seek to draw new people into the church fellowship.

“We’ve had in place for about 15 years now, a special safe environment program and policies in place in the Diocese,” he said. “And so this again will be another opportunity to heighten awareness that we need to be forever vigilant in making sure that our young people are not placed in harm’s way in the church.”

While the church has made progress in protecting children and young people, and raising awareness of child sexual abuse, Bishop LaValley said those who were victimized must not be forgotten.

The Diocese of Ogdensburg includes all or part of Lewis, Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Essex, Hamilton and Herkimer counties. There are approximately 100,000 households and 172,000 Catholics within the region, according to church officials.