Keeping the faith

Standing before a small but anxious crowd of Holy Spirit parishioners at the start of Sunday’s 11 a.m. Mass, visiting vicar Monsignor James T. McDonough wasted no time in delivering his message.

"Sadly, I report to you today that your pastor, Father Sicoli, has taken a voluntary leave of absence," McDonough intoned solemnly as he read from a statement. "Father Sicoli’s leave comes as a result of recent allegations of sexual abuse made against him. Father has denied these allegations."

Three Bucks County men brought their claims against the Rev. David C. Sicoli to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia sometime last month. The men said the priest abused them as children in the 1980s while he was assistant pastor at Immaculate Conception BVM Church in Bristol Township.

Sicoli’s leave of absence was made effective July 1, and news of the accusations surfaced last week.

The three men had recently approached attorney Jay N. Abramowitch, who is suing the archdiocese on behalf of several other alleged sexual-abuse victims. The attorney now represents the three men as well.

"From what I’ve heard, these men suffered horrific abuse," Abramowitch said. "With all of the cases we’ve had, it’s impossible to grade [how bad the abuse was], but I would say it was pretty extensive."

While the lawyer said he couldn’t identify the men or give their current ages, all three were believed to have been in grade school at the time they knew Sicoli, he said.

Abramowitch noted that he is still in the early stages of investigating the men’s cases, including how long the alleged abuse continued.

So far, however, the attorney said, information leads him to believe the archdiocese was aware of Sicoli’s alleged actions and transferred him several times to other parishes without alerting anyone.

A source in the archdiocese said no accusations against the priest had come to light at the time of the transfers.

Abramowitch added he wants to take action as soon as possible, citing the graphic nature of the allegations.

"If you remember, two or three years ago, the cardinal said there were no active pedophiles in the church. As our investigation continues, we’re finding that to be a complete fabrication," he said.

The archdiocesan source contended that then-Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua made the comments at a time when no allegations had been made against Sicoli or any other active priests.

Now that claims have been made against Sicoli, he will face a process outlined by the archdiocese, according to a statement. After an investigation, the allegations will go to the Archdiocesan Review Board. The board will make its recommendations to the archbishop (Cardinal Justin Rigali) regarding the credibility of the allegations and Sicoli’s future ministry, the statement said.

The archdiocese also reported the allegations to law-enforcement authorities.

The reaction of Holy Spirit parishioners trickling out of Sunday Mass was decidedly mixed, but most emphasized caution over outrage.

"We’re praying for him," said one elderly woman, whose husband urged her to continue walking. "He seemed to be a good man … but who knows for sure?"

Dolores Righi, who lives in nearby Brinton Estates, said she has adopted a wait-and-see approach.

"The Lord didn’t take off a day for me to judge others. In my mind, he’s innocent until proven guilty," she said.

One mother, who declined to be identified, nodded toward her three young children when asked to evaluate her level of concern.

"It’s very upsetting and, naturally, we’re very worried," she said.

Sicoli did have the staunch support of one woman who had followed him from Grays Ferry to Packer Park.

Dolores Andrews, who lives on the 2600 block of Bainbridge Street, said she first met Sicoli when he began serving at St. Anthony of Padua, Grays Ferry Avenue and Fitzwater Street, in 1994.

When that church closed in 1999, Sicoli became pastor of Holy Spirit Parish, 1845 Hartranft St., and Andrews came to services each week for the priest’s celebration of Mass.

"Shocked. Totally shocked," Andrews said of hearing about the allegations. "I don’t believe it for a second. [Pedophilia] is a sickness. You don’t just do it once and then stop. If he was really that type of person, you would have heard about it happening at St. Anthony’s and at Holy Spirit."

No other public allegations have been made against Sicoli.

Andrews praised the pastor for his efforts to improve the lives of people living in both South Philadelphia parishes.

While working at St. Anthony, Sicoli held dinners at the rectory for families living in the parish, and also established a Big Brothers Big Sisters program with students from Villanova University, Andrews said.

Sicoli continued working with young people when he arrived at Holy Spirit, creating junior and teen youth groups.

The junior groups included sixth- and seventh-graders, while the teen groups encompassed eighth- through 12th-graders, according to Mark Gonzalez, who serves as one of the parish’s youth directors.

The youths participated in a current-affairs club, spiritual sharing nights and an ice cream parlor that taught teens about responsibility, he said.

"We had the kids in the current-affairs club write letters to families who lost loved ones in the war," Gonzalez said. "They’re all excellent programs, and the kids enjoy them."

The youth director said he had a hard time digesting the news about the pastor.

"He’s always been very professional in his relationship with the kids," Gonzalez said. "He never went out of line with them or crossed any boundaries. He was good to all of them."

Andrews said the pastor had an outspoken nature that some people disliked, but maintained that he was a good and honest man.

"I’m so sad for him because no matter what happens, his reputation is ruined," she said, sighing.

Although Sicoli is currently retaining his status as Holy Spirit’s pastor, the archdiocese has appointed the Rev. John E. Calabro as interim administrator to handle the church’s day-to-day affairs.

For the past 16 years, Calabro has served as the parochial vicar at Epiphany of Our Lord Parish, 11th and Jackson streets.

Judge to rule on sex-abuse cases

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia is attempting to enforce its two-year statute of limitations. Alleged victims argue it is an unreasonable limit.

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Attorneys Stewart J. Eisenberg and Jay N. Abramowitch argued against the Archdiocese of Philadelphia during a hearing in Common Pleas Court last Thursday, and now must wait 30 to 60 days to find out how Judge Arnold L. New will rule.

The archdiocese requested the judge dismiss the sexual-abuse claims of 23 alleged victims — including local natives Rocco Parisi and Nick Servano — because of a two-year statute of limitations for acting on allegations of abuse.

The attorneys contend that the archdiocese has spent decades moving and hiding abusive priests, who, they say, misled their victims on the seriousness of their abuse.

"[Victims] were told that what happened wasn’t wrong, and that it was a secret they had to keep," Eisenberg said.

His clients also are frustrated by the two-year statue, which Eisenberg deemed "ridiculous."

The lawyer cited decisions by lower courts in Lehigh and Westmoreland counties that allowed similar suits against the Church to continue.

"It could make a difference. Hopefully, it will make him rethink the situation," Eisenberg said of New.

Should the judge rule against the archdiocese, the attorneys’ next step will be to try and access the archdiocese’s sealed documents, which Eisenberg believes include secret files on abusive priests who were hidden over the years.

"Either way, the judge is going to send a message," he said. "Other victims will know if [coming forward] means they’ll have little chance for success, or if it’s something worth considering."

–by David Gambacorta