March 25 Parent Meeting: Naomi Kelly
Good Evening Father Reyes and Bishop Justice.
My name is Naomi Kelly. I am Catholic, mother of a third grade boy and incoming kindergartner. I stand here tonight with my husband, Harlan, mother, Maria Little, and another third grade parent, [Sebastian Lee] [Fictional name upon request of parent], to discuss the feelings of segregation, labeling and questionable teaching practices by Father Illo and Father Driscoll.
I was completely taken aback within a one week period learning of Father Illo
1. banning the altar girls;
2. banning the blessing of non-Catholic children or those who have not received the Eucharist,
3. reading Father Illo's blog that he wants to "purge" the school;
4. and viewing the GoFundMe You Tube of Father Illo raising funds from churchmilllitant.tv, a far right wing group that has been disavowed by the church. This group has taken positions that are openly hostile to the liberal members of the Catholic church, bordering on hate speech.
All of this in its totality...the words chosen, the actions taken, the individuals he is funded by...quite frankly are extremely frightening, scare me and are disturbing.
As my mother stated in her letter to the Archdiocese and the Apostolic Nuncio, it has stirred emotions and feelings she has not felt since the civil rights movement in the 1960s because these are the exact same words, similar segregating actions, and similar mindset of people. Coming from a long line of African American Catholics who grew up South of the Mason Dixon line, if you were in a white only church, we were denied the Eucharist and a blessing. So I hope that this is not the traditional, pre-Vatican II Catholic teachings that you want to return to.
Both Father Illo and Father Driscoll have made statements and decisions that have negatively impacted the school; resulted n a climate of instability and fear; and have been destructive to a thriving, loving, diverse and inclusive, spiritual school community that was in place before their tenures at Star of the Sea.
What is particularly sad to me is this damage and lack of trust cannot be undone with an apology. Children are very impressionable and very literal, and they now believe that Frs. Illo and Driscoll do not like them unless they are Catholic and able to receive the Eucharist.
As such, I would like you to hear [Sebastian Lee’s] story. [fictional name upon request of parent]
My name is Naomi Kelly. I am Catholic, mother of a third grade boy and incoming kindergartner. I stand here tonight with my husband, Harlan, mother, Maria Little, and another third grade parent, [Sebastian Lee] [Fictional name upon request of parent], to discuss the feelings of segregation, labeling and questionable teaching practices by Father Illo and Father Driscoll.
I was completely taken aback within a one week period learning of Father Illo
1. banning the altar girls;
2. banning the blessing of non-Catholic children or those who have not received the Eucharist,
3. reading Father Illo's blog that he wants to "purge" the school;
4. and viewing the GoFundMe You Tube of Father Illo raising funds from churchmilllitant.tv, a far right wing group that has been disavowed by the church. This group has taken positions that are openly hostile to the liberal members of the Catholic church, bordering on hate speech.
All of this in its totality...the words chosen, the actions taken, the individuals he is funded by...quite frankly are extremely frightening, scare me and are disturbing.
As my mother stated in her letter to the Archdiocese and the Apostolic Nuncio, it has stirred emotions and feelings she has not felt since the civil rights movement in the 1960s because these are the exact same words, similar segregating actions, and similar mindset of people. Coming from a long line of African American Catholics who grew up South of the Mason Dixon line, if you were in a white only church, we were denied the Eucharist and a blessing. So I hope that this is not the traditional, pre-Vatican II Catholic teachings that you want to return to.
Both Father Illo and Father Driscoll have made statements and decisions that have negatively impacted the school; resulted n a climate of instability and fear; and have been destructive to a thriving, loving, diverse and inclusive, spiritual school community that was in place before their tenures at Star of the Sea.
What is particularly sad to me is this damage and lack of trust cannot be undone with an apology. Children are very impressionable and very literal, and they now believe that Frs. Illo and Driscoll do not like them unless they are Catholic and able to receive the Eucharist.
As such, I would like you to hear [Sebastian Lee’s] story. [fictional name upon request of parent]
Sebastian Lee
Hello, my name is Sebastian Lee, and I am a parent at Star of The Sea School.
Our youngest son is having sleepless nights and is wondering what he did wrong and questions if he is a bad person and not deserving of a blessing. He is worried and scared that the school will close and he will go to hell for not being baptized. He is questioning if he is a child of God.
In the past, he showed immense interest in Religion class. He spoke enthusiastically about lessons from Religion class and had discussions about how to incorporate the teaching of the gospel into our everyday lives. He expressed interest in being baptized and wanted to receive the sacrament of baptism.
He is now confused by the contradiction of Father Illo’s choice to exclude. He felt betrayed and expressed deep sadness, frustration, helplessness and guilt because he is unable to do anything about Father Illo’s decision. He is worried that the church will treat him differently since he is not baptized.
He no longer talks about Religion class and shows no sign of wanting to be baptized. He is frustrated and guilt ridden because he witnesses contradictions between the gospel teachings and Father Illo’s actions. He truly believes Father Illo’s decision to exclude is morally wrong and feels helpless in correcting this situation. He feels segregated and devalued. We had many discussions about the civil rights movement, protesting and segregation in the south. He equates the same feelings of segregation, unjustly treatment, and dehumanizing to Father Illo’s decision to separate the “Catholics vs. Non-Catholics.”
It is heartbreaking to witness a 9-year-old child losing his faith and spirit.
I wonder how many more children feel this way but cannot find the words to express their feelings or are too afraid to speak up.
Thank you.
Our youngest son is having sleepless nights and is wondering what he did wrong and questions if he is a bad person and not deserving of a blessing. He is worried and scared that the school will close and he will go to hell for not being baptized. He is questioning if he is a child of God.
In the past, he showed immense interest in Religion class. He spoke enthusiastically about lessons from Religion class and had discussions about how to incorporate the teaching of the gospel into our everyday lives. He expressed interest in being baptized and wanted to receive the sacrament of baptism.
He is now confused by the contradiction of Father Illo’s choice to exclude. He felt betrayed and expressed deep sadness, frustration, helplessness and guilt because he is unable to do anything about Father Illo’s decision. He is worried that the church will treat him differently since he is not baptized.
He no longer talks about Religion class and shows no sign of wanting to be baptized. He is frustrated and guilt ridden because he witnesses contradictions between the gospel teachings and Father Illo’s actions. He truly believes Father Illo’s decision to exclude is morally wrong and feels helpless in correcting this situation. He feels segregated and devalued. We had many discussions about the civil rights movement, protesting and segregation in the south. He equates the same feelings of segregation, unjustly treatment, and dehumanizing to Father Illo’s decision to separate the “Catholics vs. Non-Catholics.”
It is heartbreaking to witness a 9-year-old child losing his faith and spirit.
I wonder how many more children feel this way but cannot find the words to express their feelings or are too afraid to speak up.
Thank you.