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	Appeal for Generosity Made Bishop Stresses All Donations Are Used to Help the Needy By Jack Dew Berkshire Eagle Downloaded April 29, 2004 PITTSFIELD -- In the face of waves of controversy that have engulfed the Roman Catholic Church and the Diocese of Springfield, the church's annual Catholic Appeal will try to raise $3.1 million to support ministries and agencies that rely on private donations. Seeking to overcome any public mistrust of the church, the newly named bishop of the Springfield Diocese, the Most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, held a morning press conference at the Catholic Youth Center and made a plea that people not hold past church sins against the appeal. Allegations of abuse It is a delicate maneuver for McDonnell, who took over after former Bishop Thomas L. Dupre stepped down in February as allegations were emerging that Dupre molested two boys in the 1970s. Two weeks ago, the Rev. Ronald E. Wamsher was placed on administrative leave and is accused of sexually abusing three brothers years ago. That same week, Michael Graziano, a layperson who was in charge of the diocese's Catholic Communication Corp., resigned after he was accused of sexual misconduct dating back to 1985. "This appeal comes during a very difficult time for the Diocese of Springfield," McDonnell said yesterday, addressing reporters in the gymnasium of the Catholic Youth Center's Melville Street facility. "The abuse crisis has hit Western Massachusetts hard. Some may feel that a way to express displeasure with the breach of trust that did occur in the church is by not contributing to the appeal. I can understand the feeling. But to withhold funds really is to impact innocent people." Last year, the Western Massachusetts appeal's goal was $2.9 million, and $2.7 million was raised. McDonnell said he hopes to raise $3.1 million this year to fund the 41 programs that benefit from the annual appeal. He said every dollar pledged will be used "only for works of mercy, for ministry and for service. None of these funds are or will be used, in any way, for those in the ranks of the church who betrayed our trust." Charities worried The leaders of Catholic charities are admittedly worried that the steady drumbeat of scandal will weaken contributions. Vincent Marinaro, director of the Catholic Youth Center, said he fears his program, which serves 1,300 members by sponsoring and hosting activities like cheerleading, basketball and summer camps, will suffer if its loses some of the more than $50,000 it received from the appeal last year. "It's about 16 to 20 percent of our budget, and we can't run without it," Marinaro said. "I know that people are angry [at the church], but I can't emphasize enough that this money comes to us" and is not diverted to other church programs. The Youth Center in Adams relies on an $8,000-a-year contribution from the appeal to pay staff salaries. It serves children from Adams, Cheshire and Savoy. "Honestly, without the Catholic Appeal's funding, we would be in trouble," said the center's executive director, Liz Baker, in a telephone interview. "It is very hard to get grants that directly support staff, and if you don't have the staff, you can't run the programs." While the appeal may be a test of how morale among the 260,000 Catholics in the Springfield Diocese has been affected by the scandal, McDonnell said fund raising has been hurt as well by the weak economy that is only now showing signs of recovering. There are more than 40 lawsuits and complaints against the diocese by people who say they were victims of abuse. Earlier this month, McDonnell agreed to a 45-day moratorium on all litigation while lawyers try to reach settlements in the cases. Yesterday, he said he had no new information to offer on the progress of those talks. Asked how the diocese would pay the potentially staggering cost of settlements, McDonnell said, "I'm less than 30 days on the job, so I really don't have all the answers yet. I'm hoping it will be found, but what I'm trying to do and trying to ensure is that it does come from sources that are not from donations people have made. It may mean [church] property, it may mean that we go to any moneys that come because of investments, something like that ... but I do want to assure that [the appeal] is not part of it, definitely." There is still the likelihood that more cases of past abuse will come to light, McDonnell said. "As we rebuild trust, people who have been victimized in the past and have not spoken up may wind up speaking up. I don't know. I am hoping ultimately we will find out, but ... some people are more reticent than others." The Catholic Youth Center's Marinaro said he believes McDonnell will be able to pull the diocese out of its current crisis. "He goes into a church or any place and he is like a rock star: He gets standing ovations, and he has dealt with hard problems before ... I don't think there is any wiggle room left -- when issues come up, we have to bring them into the light and deal with them." PITTSFIELD -- In the face of waves of controversy that have engulfed the Roman Catholic Church and the Diocese of Springfield, the church's annual Catholic Appeal will try to raise $3.1 million to support ministries and agencies that rely on private donations. Seeking to overcome any public mistrust of the church, the newly named bishop of the Springfield Diocese, the Most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, held a morning press conference at the Catholic Youth Center and made a plea that people not hold past church sins against the appeal. Allegations of abuse It is a delicate maneuver for McDonnell, who took over after former Bishop Thomas L. Dupre stepped down in February as allegations were emerging that Dupre molested two boys in the 1970s. Two weeks ago, the Rev. Ronald E. Wamsher was placed on administrative leave and is accused of sexually abusing three brothers years ago. That same week, Michael Graziano, a layperson who was in charge of the diocese's Catholic Communication Corp., resigned after he was accused of sexual misconduct dating back to 1985. "This appeal comes during a very difficult time for the Diocese of Springfield," McDonnell said yesterday, addressing reporters in the gymnasium of the Catholic Youth Center's Melville Street facility. "The abuse crisis has hit Western Massachusetts hard. Some may feel that a way to express displeasure with the breach of trust that did occur in the church is by not contributing to the appeal. I can understand the feeling. But to withhold funds really is to impact innocent people." Last year, the Western Massachusetts appeal's goal was $2.9 million, and $2.7 million was raised. McDonnell said he hopes to raise $3.1 million this year to fund the 41 programs that benefit from the annual appeal. He said every dollar pledged will be used "only for works of mercy, for ministry and for service. None of these funds are or will be used, in any way, for those in the ranks of the church who betrayed our trust." Charities worried The leaders of Catholic charities are admittedly worried that the steady drumbeat of scandal will weaken contributions. Vincent Marinaro, director of the Catholic Youth Center, said he fears his program, which serves 1,300 members by sponsoring and hosting activities like cheerleading, basketball and summer camps, will suffer if its loses some of the more than $50,000 it received from the appeal last year. "It's about 16 to 20 percent of our budget, and we can't run without it," Marinaro said. "I know that people are angry [at the church], but I can't emphasize enough that this money comes to us" and is not diverted to other church programs. The Youth Center in Adams relies on an $8,000-a-year contribution from the appeal to pay staff salaries. It serves children from Adams, Cheshire and Savoy. "Honestly, without the Catholic Appeal's funding, we would be in trouble," said the center's executive director, Liz Baker, in a telephone interview. "It is very hard to get grants that directly support staff, and if you don't have the staff, you can't run the programs." While the appeal may be a test of how morale among the 260,000 Catholics in the Springfield Diocese has been affected by the scandal, McDonnell said fund raising has been hurt as well by the weak economy that is only now showing signs of recovering. There are more than 40 lawsuits and complaints against the diocese by people who say they were victims of abuse. Earlier this month, McDonnell agreed to a 45-day moratorium on all litigation while lawyers try to reach settlements in the cases. Yesterday, he said he had no new information to offer on the progress of those talks. Asked how the diocese would pay the potentially staggering cost of settlements, McDonnell said, "I'm less than 30 days on the job, so I really don't have all the answers yet. I'm hoping it will be found, but what I'm trying to do and trying to ensure is that it does come from sources that are not from donations people have made. It may mean [church] property, it may mean that we go to any moneys that come because of investments, something like that ... but I do want to assure that [the appeal] is not part of it, definitely." There is still the likelihood that more cases of past abuse will come to light, McDonnell said. "As we rebuild trust, people who have been victimized in the past and have not spoken up may wind up speaking up. I don't know. I am hoping ultimately we will find out, but ... some people are more reticent than others." The Catholic Youth Center's Marinaro said he believes McDonnell will be able to pull the diocese out of its current crisis. "He goes into a church or any place and he is like a rock star: He gets standing ovations, and he has dealt with hard problems before ... I don't think there is any wiggle room left -- when issues come up, we have to bring them into the light and deal with them."
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