WINDSOR (CANADA)
Niagara Falls Review [St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada]
April 28, 2023
By Abby Green
Documentary following man suing Catholic Church screens May 18
A hard film to watch, but an important one.
The film “Prey” will be shown for free at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake on May 18 at 6 p.m.
Niagara’s William O’Sullivan is helping to host the screening.
O’Sullivan is a victim of sexual abuse by disgraced ex-priest Donald Grecco, who, in October 2017, received an 18-month sentence for sexually abusing three boys between 1975 and 1982.
His total number of known victims is six.
Since publicly sharing his story, O’Sullivan has become well known across Niagara for his advocacy work, and for protesting outside of St. Kevin’s Church where his abuse happened.
O’Sullivan refers to the movie as a “docu-film,” and it follows the story of Rod MacLeod, who has a similar story to O’Sullivan’s.
“He’s a survivor in Windsor of Father Hodgeson. His nickname was Hod, and it has his whole deposition in this documentary,” he said of the film. “It is an absolutely amazing documentary. Disgusting, but absolutely amazing. If I can give any credit to a priest, I can give it to this Father Hod, because when he did his deposition, he knew he was dying and he gave it all up. Everything. All the names, all the boys, all of them. So and it’s not very often you hear of a priest doing that.”
Prior to the pandemic, O’Sullivan had been planning regular educational movie nights where he would show similar documentaries and there would be discussion and guest speakers. He got to show one film, “Night Spotlight,” before the pandemic cancelled his plans.
O’Sullivan said he’s had people question why and how he’s able to show such a film at a church, but he said it’s all about building rapport.
“(People) just assume that I hate God, I hate Jesus, I hate people that walk in those buildings. And it doesn’t have anything to do with Jesus, God, it has nothing to do with that,” he said. “This has to do with the most powerful institution on this planet getting away with trafficking children.”
The free movie night will include guest speakers, and O’Sullivan promises awareness and education.