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	Let Our Hearts Go out to the Many Good Priests Serving By Bernadette McKenzie Kutufaris Philadelphia Inquirer [Philadelphia PA] September 29, 2005 Like many Catholics in the Philadelphia area, I felt a stream of mixed emotions last week when Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham released the grand jury report detailing the sexual abuse of many children by priests from the archdiocese. I hastily found the documents online and read through them, afraid of what and whom I would find in the 400 pages. It was to my great dismay that I found a handful of priests listed that I did indeed know. I was even further dismayed when reading about the alleged actions of the retired cardinal. Indeed, I was sickened. My faith was momentarily rocked off its axis. I found myself questioning all that I had been raised with and experienced in my short 28 years of life. On Sunday, my family and I arrived at our church, St. Francis of Assisi in Springfield, Delaware County, and sat among the many parishioners who were looking for answers. The need felt in that church that morning was glaring. The priest celebrating Mass met our needs, feelings and questions head on. He addressed our concerns in the most passionate, heartfelt homily. I left that church with a renewed sense of faith and spirit. My concerns and the concerns of the congregation were addressed. I come from a long line of Irish Catholics. I am one of five children of two devout Catholic parents. I received a Catholic education from preschool to college. In my lifetime, I was blessed with a miracle, one that led to the canonization of a saint. After I spent a few years battling a debilitating spinal-cord disease, the sisters (Oblate Sisters of St. Francis de Sales) in my parish initiated a novena - the recitation of prayers over nine days - to their foundress, Leonie Aviat. A few days into the novena, I experienced a reversal of pain and of the debilitating effects of the disease. I went on to live a normal and healthy life. Because of my upbringing and this experience, I have seen the goodness of God. I have come in contact with and spent time with many priests from a variety of orders who are wonderful holy men, among them, Pope John Paul II. When I left church on Sunday, I thought not about the accused, not about the retired cardinal, but of these men - the innocent priests who I believe are feeling the same emotions of shock and betrayal that the rest of us are feeling. I thought of the men who answered their vocation and have lived a life serving God and the community. I thought of the men who inspired others to form relationships with God and Jesus. I thought of men who celebrate the innocence of children and teach them God's message. I felt a measure of sadness for them. I wondered what it must be like to be judged because of the actions of a few of your colleagues. I am in no way condoning the actions of the offenders. I am heartsick about the abuse. It is beyond my wildest imagination that any adult could possibly inflict pain on children the way that many archdiocesan priests have done in the last 30 years. It is just as heart-wrenching to know that these men are free from judicial action and therefore could possibly offend again. Now, though, my thoughts are with the good and honest priests. I honor the good that they have done and I pray that people will not allow this incident to draw them away from the church. Our world needs faith now, more then ever. Faith is not found in the men on the altar, but in the hearts and prayers of the faithful. Bernadette McKenzie Kutufaris lives in Springfield, Delaware County.
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