SPRINGFIELD (MA)
The Republican
June 11, 2019
By Anne-Gerard Flynn
When the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield initiated a review board in 1992 to hear testimony of clergy sex abuse victims, as well as that of alleged abusers, veteran clinical psychologist Patricia Martin was asked to volunteer as one of the initial members.
She did for six years, sometimes weekly, motivated in part as a mother of four children wanting to protect all youngsters from abuse, but knowing the board could only recommend to the bishop which allegations were credible to remove a priest from ministry.
Last year, Martin found herself involved with the review board again — this time in support of an alleged victim who told her by way of seeking advice that he had been abused multiple times and at multiple locations. He claimed he was abused at the hands of the late Bishop Christopher J. Weldon, as well as by at least two other now deceased priests, Joseph Clarence W. Forand and Edward Authier, at St. Anne’s Parish in Chicopee.
He wanted to know if he would be doing the right thing to go before the board to tell his story and asked Martin if she would she go with him if he did.
He did and what he said in terms of allegations against Weldon is now being disputed by the diocese as never having been made to the board. Martin, who had accompanied the man, recently told the Berkshire Eagle, which that broke the story, that the Springfield diocese is “lying” to protect Weldon, who served as its fourth bishop from 1950 through 1977 and built many of its schools and churches.
“This is the story he told,” said Martin of what the alleged victim told the board in June 2018. He confirmed it again through Martin on Monday for The Republican.
“In my 35 years of being a clinical psychologist, this was the worst abuse I heard of a darling little boy,” she said.
“This survivor had repressed memories that began to surface about six years ago and he came to feel he had to go to the church and tell them,” said Martin who said she felt the need to speak out as a practicing Catholic, as well as for the victim whom she said was not ready to be interviewed by the press, but was willing to have details of his abuse disclosed by her.
The alleged victim, after several years of counseling on his own, approached diocesan officials in 2015, Martin said. He told them of his abuse and sought reimbursement for his counseling.
In April 2018, she said he recounted his story to the investigator who meets with alleged victims on behalf of the review board. That same month, the man met with Martin and two of his friends to discuss appearing before the review board.
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