WE LOVE STAR OF THE SEA SCHOOL
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Killing our school
The National Catholic Reporter ran a feature yesterday on Star of the Sea. It is a lengthy piece that details the ugly incident involving Fr. Illo at the March 7 Parent Club meeting and the ensuing Archdiocesan investigation:
Parents, citing pastor's hostility, plan to pull their kids from school
https://www.ncronline.org/news/parish/parents-citing-pastors-hostility-plan-pull-their-kids-school
The article contains a couple of important points. First, it includes the full text of a formal complaint submitted to the Archdiocese. Filed by a group of parents at the meeting, it details a climate of physical and emotional intimidation, incompetence and fear fomented by Fr. Illo. They describe the confrontation as “nearly coming to blows” and urged the Archdiocese to intervene. “The hostile conduct displayed is most definitely not an isolated incident.” A link to the full text of the complaint is available here:
https://www.scribd.com/document/403636731/Request-for-Investigation
Parents, citing pastor's hostility, plan to pull their kids from school
https://www.ncronline.org/news/parish/parents-citing-pastors-hostility-plan-pull-their-kids-school
The article contains a couple of important points. First, it includes the full text of a formal complaint submitted to the Archdiocese. Filed by a group of parents at the meeting, it details a climate of physical and emotional intimidation, incompetence and fear fomented by Fr. Illo. They describe the confrontation as “nearly coming to blows” and urged the Archdiocese to intervene. “The hostile conduct displayed is most definitely not an isolated incident.” A link to the full text of the complaint is available here:
https://www.scribd.com/document/403636731/Request-for-Investigation
A hostile man and a community in need of help
There was another Parent meeting at Star of the Sea on Thursday, March 7. The aim was to articulate a plan to the parents for next year. As Fr. Illo admits himself, the meeting did not accomplish the goal parents were expecting. Despite an explosive meeting, the Archbishop leaves Fr. Illo in place.
Never mind...
That Fr. Illo lost all control of his temper at the parent meeting on March 7, 2019 at Star of the Sea, where he nearly got into a physical confrontation with a parent, and the PARENT stood down.
Never mind...
That Fr. Illo, face red and eyes bulging, threateningly approached a parent yelling: "Tell your wife to apologize to me!!"
Never mind...
That families and faculty were so shaken and disturbed by the turn of events at the meeting that many got up and walked out.
Never mind...
That Fr. Illo lost all control of his temper at the parent meeting on March 7, 2019 at Star of the Sea, where he nearly got into a physical confrontation with a parent, and the PARENT stood down.
Never mind...
That Fr. Illo, face red and eyes bulging, threateningly approached a parent yelling: "Tell your wife to apologize to me!!"
Never mind...
That families and faculty were so shaken and disturbed by the turn of events at the meeting that many got up and walked out.
A Closing ...
Last week, we learned of a closing, of sorts, of Star of the Sea School. The school’s pastor, Fr. Jospeh Illo, announced that there will be 60 students in the school next year and he will be implementing the Integrated Classical Program. It is, effectively, a new school with a new curriculum, a new focus and a new faculty. It represents the closing of what Star once was.
This is where the story ends for many of us. But the story began nearly five years ago when Fr. Illo was brought to our school by the Archbishop. At the time, Star of the Sea School was a vibrant and flourishing Catholic community with 250 students and their families. It was a place where students learned and grew under the caring guidance of our faculty and beloved Principal Terry Hanley in a loving, Catholic environment. It was a place where all families felt welcomed; a place where parents and kids gathered as friends in the schoolyard, raised money for school programs, cheered on the sidelines at sports games, celebrated sacraments together and pitched in wherever they could. It was, in short, a healthy and thriving Catholic school
This is where the story ends for many of us. But the story began nearly five years ago when Fr. Illo was brought to our school by the Archbishop. At the time, Star of the Sea School was a vibrant and flourishing Catholic community with 250 students and their families. It was a place where students learned and grew under the caring guidance of our faculty and beloved Principal Terry Hanley in a loving, Catholic environment. It was a place where all families felt welcomed; a place where parents and kids gathered as friends in the schoolyard, raised money for school programs, cheered on the sidelines at sports games, celebrated sacraments together and pitched in wherever they could. It was, in short, a healthy and thriving Catholic school
Cover-ups, Concealment, and a call for change
On Tuesday, October 23, 2018, a California attorney released a report listing the names of 263 local priests accused of sexual misconduct. In this report, Archbishop Cordileone is cited for his role in an “institutional cover-up of an enormous magnitude.”
https://www.andersonadvocates.com/Posts/News-or-Event/2312/Bay-Area-Report-Released-Naming-263-Catholic-Clergy-Accused-of-Sexual-Misconduct.aspx
We, the parents at Star of the Sea School, are sadly too familiar with this pattern of Archdiocesan officials deliberately ignoring our pleas to protect our children. We’ve spent years asking Archbishop Cordelione to remove Fr. Joseph Illo from our school based on the simple fact (which we’ve stated time and time again) that a jury of his peers found him liable for “intentional affliction of emotional distress” of a minor child who brought an accusation of sexual abuse to him as the pastor. It is not lost on us that Fr. Illo’s behavior of berating this young child is in keeping with the long-held clerical strategy of shaming and silencing sexual abuse victims.
https://www.andersonadvocates.com/Posts/News-or-Event/2312/Bay-Area-Report-Released-Naming-263-Catholic-Clergy-Accused-of-Sexual-Misconduct.aspx
We, the parents at Star of the Sea School, are sadly too familiar with this pattern of Archdiocesan officials deliberately ignoring our pleas to protect our children. We’ve spent years asking Archbishop Cordelione to remove Fr. Joseph Illo from our school based on the simple fact (which we’ve stated time and time again) that a jury of his peers found him liable for “intentional affliction of emotional distress” of a minor child who brought an accusation of sexual abuse to him as the pastor. It is not lost on us that Fr. Illo’s behavior of berating this young child is in keeping with the long-held clerical strategy of shaming and silencing sexual abuse victims.
FR. ILLO: UNFIT TO WORK WITH SCHOOLS THEN, AND NOW
The parents of Star of the Sea have been told that they must ‘reconcile’ with Fr. Illo, accepting him back into the school or there will be no retrofit of the building and the school will close.
In the interest of bringing all available information to light as we consider what is meant by ‘reconciliation’, today all 2,600+ available pages from a court case in Modesto surrounding Fr. Illo’s handling of a child reporting sexual abuse have been posted. These materials are public record and will allow parents and community members to review and make up their own minds.
Putting the documents from that case side by side with statements and actions from the past 18 months, there is a clear pattern of behavior that raises significant and serious questions about Fr. Illo’s fitness to look after a school.
In the interest of bringing all available information to light as we consider what is meant by ‘reconciliation’, today all 2,600+ available pages from a court case in Modesto surrounding Fr. Illo’s handling of a child reporting sexual abuse have been posted. These materials are public record and will allow parents and community members to review and make up their own minds.
Putting the documents from that case side by side with statements and actions from the past 18 months, there is a clear pattern of behavior that raises significant and serious questions about Fr. Illo’s fitness to look after a school.
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