BishopAccountability.org
	Parishioners Back Priest By Debra Glidden Lynn Daily Item [Swampscott MA] January 31, 2005 SWAMPCOTT - Parishioners at St. John the Evangelist Church consoled one another and expressed disbelief over allegations made against their former pastor, who resigned on Friday after allegations were made he tried to solicit sex for a fee. At the 10 a.m. Mass at St. John the Evangelist on Sunday, which was attended by more than 200 people and presided over by Monsignor Paul Garrity of St. Mary's Church, the mood among parishioners as they entered the church. The Rev. Jerome Gillespie, 55, who was sent to St. John's in September, is scheduled to appear in Chelsea District Court on Feb. 17 to face charges of enticement of a child under age 16, solicitation of sex for a fee, and annoying and accosting a person of the opposite sex. He is alleged to have propositioned a 12-year-old girl and her mother at a Chelsea restaurant last Tuesday night. The parishioners at the Sunday morning service said they doubt the allegation. "I can't believe it. I really can't. He is very well respected and has been turning this parish around," said Jean Publicoper, who recently moved to Lowell but attends Mass at St. John's whenever possible. "I really have trouble believing it," said parishioner Wendy Lyons. Another parishioner, who asked not to be identified, said he is convinced Gillespie is stands falsely accused. "There is more to this and it'll all come out in the end. I am certain Father Gillespie will be vindicated," he said. Garrity, who is vicar of the Salem Vicariate as well as pastor of St. Mary's, celebrated the Mass at St. John's Sunday morning. He said when he heard the allegations against Gillespie he experienced many of the same emotions the parishioners must be feeling. "When I heard the news I felt shock and sadness," he said. He urged the parishioners to come together as a family. "Sometimes difficult things happen in families. That is the time to pull together and draw strength from each other and God," Garrity said. Garrity, who has known Gillespie for years, led the congregation in prayer for Gillespie and "all people who have been impacted" by the recent events. He assured parishioners that the Archdiocese of Boston is working aggressively to find a new pastor for the parish. Shock waves reverberated through other churches on the North Shore, including Sacred Heart in where Gillespie served as pastor for seven years. Parishioners at Sacred Heart in Lynn expressed their support for Gillespie at Mass on Friday afternoon, according to parishioner David Solimine Sr., who is a longtime friend of Gillespie's. "I don't know anyone who believes these allegations. Everyone here is in total disbelief and expressing their support for him. I had people coming up to me at Mass and asking where they could send (Gillespie) letters and cards," Solimine said. Chelsea Police issued a summons on Friday after Gillespie was accused of propositioning a girl and her mother Tuesday evening at Floramos Lounge, an Italian restaurant in Chelsea. Gillespie resigned on Friday and the Archdiocese of Boston, in a statement released late Friday afternoon, said, "Fr. Gillespie's resignation was accepted in the interest of all parties involved and does not represent any indication of Fr. Gillespie's guilt or innocence as it pertains to this allegation." Suffolk County District Attorney's Office Spokesman David Procopio said Gillespie was not dressed as a priest when he is alleged to have made the inappropriate comments to the mother and daughter and there were no allegation made about physical contact. Procopio said Gillespie was sitting at a separate table from the alleged victims, and that they did not know he was a priest. Gillespie, who has been a priest for more than 20 years, has served at several other North Shore parishes, including Our Lady of the Assumption in Lynnfield. In 1994 he was transferred from Our Lady of the Assumption in Lynnfield to Lynn, where he was the pastor of Sacred Heart for seven years. He was transferred to St. Monica's Parish in Methuen in 2001. He was reassigned to St. John the Evangelist Church last September.
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