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Post by beta on Aug 10, 2017 19:46:22 GMT -5
I read "Michelle Remembers" when it was first published and I'm ashamed to say that at first, I believed it. Don't be too hard on yourself! There was a new public awareness of child abuse, and with the Christian fundamentalists and their obsession with the "ex-witch/ex-satanist" narrative, it was the perfect storm. At least you figured it out - it's quite shocking to me how many people still believe all of that.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Aug 11, 2017 10:42:01 GMT -5
I read "Michelle Remembers" when it was first published and I'm ashamed to say that at first, I believed it.
I remember reading it in the early 80s when I was in the Navy. I didn't believe it for a minute because Satanic ritual sexual abuse practiced by groups consisting of several adults makes no sense. Nevertheless, I recall some of those who read it believed every word, while others didn't. One thing I remember is that the book began with an allegation that Victoria, British Columbia, is a Satanic hotspot, which was/is utterly ridiculous.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Aug 11, 2017 20:23:45 GMT -5
How can anyone believe this?
The central thesis of The Keepers is that an alleged abusive priest, the now-deceased Rev. Joseph Maskell, can be tied to the disappearance and murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik. However, some of the central accusers who claim Maskell sexually abused them when they were young girls have quite a bit of explaining to do.
For example, in 1995, a woman named Jean Hargadon Wehner (above) – whose claims play a central role in The Keepers – filed a civil lawsuit against Maskell under the name Jane Doe. What was uncovered in the course of her suit can only be described as disturbing. It turns out that all Wehner’s claims of abuse surfaced through the dangerous and discredited practice of “repressed memory therapy.”
According to court documents, Wehner claimed that in addition to Rev. Maskell, she was abused by:
four additional priests three or four religious brothers: (Brothers Bob, Tim, Frank and Ed) three lay teachers a police officer a local politician an uncle two nuns.
Good grief. Really, Jean?
The above is an excerpt from The Media Report, July 27, 2017.
Additionally, during her efforts to “remember,” Wehner utilized a self-therapy method called “dialoguing with the inner child.” Wehner named and described her five inner children as: Beth (very passive), Ethel (puritanic), Gloria (tomboyish), Jeannie and Martha (materialistic.)
She also, for some inexplicable reason, announced at a hearing there was never a person known as “Brother Tim” and her reference to him at deposition was erroneous.
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Post by steve on Aug 11, 2017 22:52:57 GMT -5
Sheesh! Did she ever meet anyone who didn't sexually abuse her?
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Post by pat on Aug 12, 2017 13:03:22 GMT -5
She also, for some inexplicable reason, announced at a hearing there was never a person known as “Brother Tim” and her reference to him at deposition was erroneous. If she was mistaken about "Brother Tim," didn't anyone think that she might have been mistaken about other things and that maybe her entire story was erroneous?
I've been reading on a few other sites where a few people are beginning to question these women and on one of them, someone using Disqus even posted a link to this site, but their post wasn't there very long.
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Post by catherine on Aug 13, 2017 5:48:59 GMT -5
I remember reading it in the early 80s when I was in the Navy. I didn't believe it for a minute because Satanic ritual sexual abuse practiced by groups consisting of several adults makes no sense. Nevertheless, I recall some of those who read it believed every word, while others didn't. One thing I remember is that the book began with an allegation that Victoria, British Columbia, is a Satanic hotspot, which was/is utterly ridiculous. But you doubt everything. Of course, I've never believed any of that Satanic ritual abuse crap either.
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Post by beta on Aug 14, 2017 13:48:58 GMT -5
She also, for some inexplicable reason, announced at a hearing there was never a person known as “Brother Tim” and her reference to him at deposition was erroneous. If she was mistaken about "Brother Tim," didn't anyone think that she might have been mistaken about other things and that maybe her entire story was erroneous?
I've been reading on a few other sites where a few people are beginning to question these women and on one of them, someone using Disqus even posted a link to this site, but their post wasn't there very long.
And it's not just that. She also believed that she, herself, had murdered another unidentified Sister at the school. She claimed that her uncle had abused not only her, but all 10 of her siblings, though they all denied that. She originally accused Sister Russell of being part of the abuse, and later admitted that that memory seemed absurd and implausible. The Keepers page on Facebook seems to attract the most gullible die hards; people who read the appellate brief and continue to somehow come up with the most ridiculous theories, all in some attempt to keep believing Jean, but for most people, for reasonable people, I have to believe that eventually there will be a tipping point. At some point they'll have to understand that this is not simply confusion stemming from her "trauma" or a minor error in memory, but documented proof that her "testimony" is worthless.
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Post by jason on Aug 14, 2017 16:41:08 GMT -5
And it's not just that. She also believed that she, herself, had murdered another unidentified Sister at the school. She claimed that her uncle had abused not only her, but all 10 of her siblings, though they all denied that. She originally accused Sister Russell of being part of the abuse, and later admitted that that memory seemed absurd and implausible. The Keepers page on Facebook seems to attract the most gullible die hards; people who read the appellate brief and continue to somehow come up with the most ridiculous theories, all in some attempt to keep believing Jean, but for most people, for reasonable people, I have to believe that eventually there will be a tipping point. At some point they'll have to understand that this is not simply confusion stemming from her "trauma" or a minor error in memory, but documented proof that her "testimony" is worthless. I read somewhere that Jean Wehner was asked to omit some parts of her original allegations, such as killing the nun, because they were so unbelievable and would discredit her claim. I don't know what she said in the complaint filed against Maskell and the Church back in the 90s, but it was probably her lawyer who convinced her to revise her story. Have you seen the complaint that was filed with the court back then?
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Post by beta on Aug 21, 2017 13:51:54 GMT -5
I read somewhere that Jean Wehner was asked to omit some parts of her original allegations, such as killing the nun, because they were so unbelievable and would discredit her claim. I don't know what she said in the complaint filed against Maskell and the Church back in the 90s, but it was probably her lawyer who convinced her to revise her story. Have you seen the complaint that was filed with the court back then? Yes, I had read the appellate brief which is now posted on Mark Pendergrast's website, and also a few more items that I don't think have been shared publicly yet. And yes, I speculated the same thing after reading the brief - that either someone advised her to withhold the more dramatic elements of her story, or she withheld them on her own, perhaps because she didn't want to have to defend or explain those claims. In hindsight, although it's possible she withheld some, I don't think anyone advised her to leave anything out. Jean is a family friend of Ryan White (the director). He and Jessica Hargrave (the producer) were already believers from the beginning; they started with a firm belief and conclusion; namely, that Jean was 100% correct and her memories were completely reliable, and Maskell was a predator who orchestrated Cesnik's murder. And they crafted the rest of the show around that belief. Jean didn't have to tone down her claims with them; they were already true believers. All Ryan White and Jessica Hargrave had to do was to pick the best footage and leave out anything that might cast doubt on her claims.
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Post by Joanna on Aug 22, 2017 20:09:56 GMT -5
Yes, I had read the appellate brief which is now posted on Mark Pendergrast's website, and also a few more items that I don't think have been shared publicly yet. And yes, I speculated the same thing after reading the brief - that either someone advised her to withhold the more dramatic elements of her story, or she withheld them on her own, perhaps because she didn't want to have to defend or explain those claims. In hindsight, although it's possible she withheld some, I don't think anyone advised her to leave anything out. Jean is a family friend of Ryan White (the director). He and Jessica Hargrave (the producer) were already believers from the beginning; they started with a firm belief and conclusion; namely, that Jean was 100% correct and her memories were completely reliable, and Maskell was a predator who orchestrated Cesnik's murder. And they crafted the rest of the show around that belief. Jean didn't have to tone down her claims with them; they were already true believers. All Ryan White and Jessica Hargrave had to do was to pick the best footage and leave out anything that might cast doubt on her claims. The decision of the appellate court is online. What Jason was talking about, and what I'd also like to read, is the original complaint filed on behalf of Janes Doe and Roe in 1994. I'm surprised it isn't online and wonder if that's because something in is contrary to what the women are saying today, or maybe something that was said in "The Keepers."
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Post by beta on Aug 24, 2017 11:45:51 GMT -5
Forty to fifty years ago, abortion wasn't as safe as it is today and there was a much greater risk of infection, which could lead to death. Following abortion, the girls would have experienced symptoms such as bloody discharge (sometimes for 2-3 weeks), cramps and nausea. Most mothers back then were attentive and some of them would have noticed if their daughters were having what appeared to be an unusually long period and taken them to a doctor. Those who believe the priest and gynecologist used "early abortion" as a method of birth control, know very little about the female reproductive system, abortion or birth control. The women's claims in this regard are ludicrous. The gynecologist could have easily prescribed Enovid, ostensibly to regulate the girl's menses, which was perfectly acceptable at the time. This would have been a lot safer for the girls, their "rapists" and the physician, than subjecting them to multiple abortions.
Julia and Graveyardbride, your comments are particularly relevant in light of a recent "Best Case, Worst Case" podcast featuring Joanne Suder, current lawyer for Keough victims. art19.com/shows/best-case-worst-case (Episode 14, "The Keepers Lawyer Tells All") This was posted in one of the public Facebook pages; the poster says Joanne "drops some bombs", such as: (from the post) *She reports that more than one girl was taken to see a a dead body.
*Multiple unsolved homicides are linked to Maskell
*Nurses reported girls being brought to them for abortions.
*Multiple LEO's were involved in the abuse and it was not just limited to Keough, public school girls reported as well.
*She made a specific request to men who had attended St Martin's camp in the 1950s. Maskell worked there and she feels abuse occurred and it wasn't reported.______ These "bombs" probably won't surprise most of us on this forum, since Nugent has already been posting all of this in his articles. But it made me think of your reasoned, sensible statements about the reality of abortion back then, how the risk of infection was greater, the recovery period more lengthy and more difficult with noticeable physical symptoms, etc. That more people have come out of the woodwork claiming to have been taken to see Cathy Cesnik's body is also bordering on ludicrous. That the "witnesses" have apparently described seeing her body in different locations hasn't swayed the True Believers at all; they now say "the body must have been moved several times!" But it amazes me that an attorney is repeating these things. I don't know anything about Joanne Suder. Maybe she really cares about victims rights and is just taken in by the very prevalent mindset that to question an accuser's claim is damaging to them. Maybe she also hates the Catholic church, which does deserve hatred for the very real abuses visited upon children and adolescents, and subsequent cover-ups. But her bias and credulity hinder her objectivity, and accepting false claims and false accusations (or refusal to do even cursory vetting of such claims) actually harms victims in the long term. It's nauseating.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Oct 1, 2017 15:03:22 GMT -5
Archdiocese Responds to Petition: Refuses to Release Records
BALTIMORE – The archdiocese of Baltimore will not release its records on a priest featured in the Netflix documentary The Keepers. There have been calls for the archdiocese to release files on Father Joseph Maskell, who served as a counselor at Archbishop Keough High School in the late 1960s. During that time, several women say they were sexually abused by Maskell, who was also moved by the archdiocese to several other roles at schools and parishes around this area.
After the release of The Keepers on Netflix earlier this year, more than 54,000 people signed an on-line petition on the website change.org, calling for the archdiocese of Baltimore to release its records.
The show documents abuse by Maskell, who died in 2001. Many also believe there are connections between the abuse and the murder of a nun, Sister Cathy Cesnik, who was a teacher at Keough while Maskell was assigned there.
In its response to the petition, archdiocese spokesman, Sean Caine, wrote: “While some feel the release of Maskell’s personnel records would provide clarity and possibly even closure, the reality is that it would provide neither. The release of files, especially redacted ones, would likely create frustration and/or even cause some to believe information they were expecting to find but didn’t was removed, or never included.”
Father Maskell denied allegations of abuse before his death in 2001.
Source: WMAR, September 18, 2017.
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Post by pat on Oct 2, 2017 14:04:55 GMT -5
Maskell has a sister that's still living. As his next of kin, wouldn't she be able to sign for the release of his medical records?
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Post by jason on Oct 7, 2017 8:12:26 GMT -5
Maskell has a sister that's still living. As his next of kin, wouldn't she be able to sign for the release of his medical records?
These records are the property of the Catholic Church, so his sister wouldn't have any say-so about releasing them. The Church probably wouldn't even allow her to see them.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Feb 27, 2018 9:36:54 GMT -5
Another ‘Victim’ Comes Forward
Six survivors described being systematically molested, drugged and raped at Archbishop Keough High School by Father A. Joseph Maskell and other members of the clergy in Netflix’s docu-series The Keepers, but additional victims have come forward since its release.
Until just a few months ago, Ann Mroz, 63, told Oxygen.com she had no idea she was one of those survivors. She left the Baltimore area long ago, was married at age 24 and had children before settling in Florida. After receiving a card from an old friend and a news article about the rampant abuse at her alma mater from a family member, the details that flooded back from her teenage years were shocking. “Things started coming back to me. It was chilling,” Mroz told Oxygen.com, recounting her allegations that she was one of the victims of school counselor and chaplain Father A. Joseph Maskell, but not to the extent of some of the other students. “I was sexually abused by Maskell,” she said.
Allegations of Maskell’s sexual abuse began to surface in 1992. In 1994, two former students sued the Baltimore Archdiocese, but a court found they’d filed the lawsuit too late. The statute of limitations had expired, and the lawsuit was thrown out. Allegations against Maskell continued to mount from other alleged survivors and the church ultimately relieved Maskell of his priestly duties in 1995. He died in 2001 and in 2016, the Archdiocese included Maskell on a list of priests and others it deemed credibly accused of sexual assault.
Brought up in a devout Catholic family in Baltimore, Mroz attended Keough from 1968 to 1972. As a high school student, she approached Maskell for advice on the usual “teenage stuff.” Decades later, Mroz said she is only now beginning the process of healing from what transpired during those visits. “After years and years, it’s really hard to say, but some things you just need to bring out in order to heal,” she explained. “I had no clue that other girls in my class had been going through the suffering they did, too. I felt it was that time I needed to explore and get things out of my system.”
Mroz reported her allegations that Maskell abused her to the church and with legal representation, she hopes to work with church representatives through mediation and declined to provide additional details about her alleged assault because of ongoing discussions. In total, the church has paid out $472,000 in settlements to 16 of Maskell’s alleged victims, according to the Baltimore Sun. The church has also paid an additional $97,000 in counseling services.
Mroz’s story is eerily familiar to those featured in The Keepers. One survivor, Donna Von Den Bosh, spoke in the docu-series about her experience with Maskell. Von Den Bosh said Maskell would pull her out of class, call her into his office and assault her. She said Maskell wasn’t the only man present and described abuse by Maskell and another school official that included taking photos of her naked and calling her in for joint counseling sessions during which time the men would would masturbate in front of her.
Jean Wehner, one of the anonymous victims who initially sued the church, said in the series she too began to recover her memory from high school when she would go see Maskell, her school counselor. She claimed he showed her the dead body of Sister Cathy Cesnik, who had gone missing, and threatened her with the same fate if she ever told anyone about their sexual encounters. Since release of The Keepers, more than 40,000 people have signed a petition asking the Archdiocese to release documents regarding Maskell’s alleged abuse. According to a lawyer representing Mroz and according to The Keepers, the total number of Maskell’s victims could be in excess of 40.
“It wasn’t a relief that others were harmed, but I feel like it was comforting that I do have other people that I could talk to for support who could understand what I experienced too,” Mroz said.
The Keepers highlights components of the culture surrounding the church and practicing families that may have contributed to a continuation of the abuse. According to the film, the power held both inside and outside the church, as well as the local connections priests had with law enforcement, made the abuse less likely to be stopped – and could have made coverups easier. The church community is portrayed as insular, with its members and leaders interwoven into one another’s lives and families. Teachings from the church’s leaders, Mroz said, became manipulative. “[Church leaders] frequented in my household. [My parents] considered them our counselors and everything else. My mother worked for a Catholic school, not where I went, but another local Catholic school, and my mother was very active in mothers club. Priests and brothers were regular guests.” Mroz continued. “Catholicism is the true religion and you’re going to go to hell if you believe any other way. It’s brainwashing, in a way.”
The archdiocese released a statement prior to the docu-series’ release in May of last year stating the church did not become aware of abuse by Maskell until 1992 – 20 years after the abuse. “Their abuse was horribly tragic and the Archdiocese remains deeply saddened and regretful that someone representing the Church could have perpetrated such crimes against children,” the statement read. “Suggestions of a cover-up by the archdiocese are speculative and false.”
Sean Caine, Vice Chancellor at the Archdiocese of Baltimore, confirmed the church has been in communication with Mroz’s lawyers regarding her alleged assault, but also said their has been no mediation. “The Archdiocese reported this matter immediately to civil authorities. The Archdiocese has not engaged in any mediation or entered into any settlement agreement with Ms. Mroz and/or her attorney, Ms. Suder, regarding this allegation,” Caine told Oxygen.com.
Like Mroz, Sister Cathy Cesnik also had members of the church, including priests, frequent her home. Cesnik, however, met a different fate and was murdered in 1969. The Keepers theorized that Cesnik may have discovered Maskell’s assaults and been killed to prevent that information from getting out.
Now, more than 40 years later, victims are coming forward. Like many of Maskell’s victims, Mroz’s memory wasn’t fully in tact and she had other reasons for not speaking up sooner – one of which was her family. Also preventing her from coming forward with her experience were issues of embarrassment and family dynamics during a time when she said growing up, parents and children did not discuss personal subjects such as sex. “I was brought up in a very strict Catholic household. I couldn’t even talk about menstruation, much less anything else pertaining to sexual activity with my mother in particular. I found out more things on a sexual basis from my sibling than I could have from my parents.”
To this day, Mroz has not returned to Baltimore. She is now taking steps toward reaching a resolution with the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and, she hopes, peace as to the questions that remain. “Why did they allow us harm when they are supposed to be following a loving god, a protecting god, and yet we were victimized?” Mroz asked.
Source: Emma Kerr, Oxygen.com, February 8, 2018.
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