Reverend no. 12's story (Crowley, Romanism a menace to the nation, 50th thousand,1912)

Text: "Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women..." Daniel 11:37 "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry..." 1 Timothy 4:1-3

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Rev. No. 12.—A Wolf in Priest's Clothing.

   He gave instructions for First Holy Communion to a motherless girl, aged thirteen years, who was accompanied by a girl of about the same age. He sat between the girls, who were standing up, and suddenly took indecent liberties with the orphan. The little girl was shocked, went home crying and told her married sister, with whom she lived, what had happened. This offence was brought to the attention of his Archbishop by affidavits made by both children and the married sister. The Archbishop referred the whole matter to his Auxiliary, who held a white-washing investigation.

   Rev. No. 12 left the parish upon the advice of certain ecclesiastical dignitaries. He was an honored guest at one of the oldest and most prominent convents in America, where young candidates for the sisterhood are instructed and where there is a very large female academy for Catholics and non-Catholics. He lived in continual fear of being shot by the father of the little orphan, or of being brought before the bar of the Criminal Court. He was persuaded to go to Europe by his friends, who were glad to get him out of the country for fear that he would be caught by the law and would tell tales. At this time he was having criminal relations with a young woman who was the dear friend of one of the mistresses of a certain member of the Episcopate, and who is referred to in a certain affidavit (sent to Rome) as having become a mother by His Lordship. He was provided with one thousand dollars when he left America. He went to Ireland. He tried to seduce a young American girl (who was traveling with her uncle) in the Victoria Hotel, Cork. He returned to America after a few months, and through the good offices of his friends he was provided with a home at St.——, appointed assistant pastor of a city parish, where he heard confessions, said Mass and performed other priestly functions. The Bishop came to this church to confirm a class of children. He was assisted principally by Rev. No. 12 who wiped from the foreheads of the innocent boys and girls the holy oil placed by the Bishop's hand. The good people present, who knew some of the unsavory facts, were indescribably shocked.

   While spiritual director of a young ladies' sodality he seduced one of its most prominent officers, and promised her that when he secured a parish of his own he would make her his housekeeper and they would then live as husband and wife. He acted as her confessor while committing sin with her.

   From 1893 to about 1900 he was an assistant pastor. Part of this time he was a professor in a female academy, and he was in the habit of having some of the boarders in the academy visit him in his private rooms in the presbytery, where he kissed them and took other liberties, frequently having some of his brother priests present.

   In 1903 he was appointed pastor of a fashionable rural parish, where he immediately commenced and carried to completion the erection of a large parochial residence, provided with a goodly number of bedrooms. He entertains quite lavishly, among his guests being some drunken and immoral broken down priests who have all their clerical faculties but no appointments, and during this last summer one of those reverend guests visited Catholic families in the neighboring metropolis and invited their daughters to spend the summer in the new presbytery, painting it as a delightful vacation resort and so situated that a morning dive could be taken from it into the waters of a placid lake. I personally advised Catholic parents not to allow their daughters to accept the invitation for I well knew that it was extended by lust.

Crowley, Jeremiah J., Romanism a menace to the nation (a new and original work) together with my former book "The parochial school, a curse to the church, a menace to the nation" (two books in one): a searchlight on the papal system startling charges against individuals in the hierarchy made and filed by the author and a score of prominent priests—with photographic proofs and illustrations, 50th thousand, Aurora, Missouri: The Menace Publishing Co. [, c1912], pp. 425-427.

Online Source: archive.org/details/romanismmenaceto00crowiala

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