When parishioners of St. Pius V Roman Catholic Church learned Sunday that their longtime pastor, the Rev. Brendan Curran, had broken his vows of chastity, prompting him to be removed from ministry, some priests in his religious order asked themselves if they had failed their brother.
After all, Dominican Friars are encouraged to confide in their best friends — their brothers, in a sense — and lean on the community in which they live.
“How did we let him down? Where were we when this was going on?” said the Rev. Andy McAlpin, vocation director for the Dominicans’ local province. “That’s the question we ask ourselves. Did I see something in the moment that I didn’t call to question?”
Experts say situations such as Curran’s are rare. There are often measures in place to help keep priests faithful, starting with preparation in seminary and systems of support that endure long after their ordination. When a priest does go astray, it can be a slow and arduous climb back to ministry. First there must be penance and careful self-examination to make sure returning to ministry is the right path.
“The bar is being raised with priests today,” said Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, president emeritus of St. Luke Institute, a nationally renowned psychological treatment facility for priests. “We’re expected to live our lives with integrity. When we don’t, it’s possible we can lose the privilege of being in a ministry. Ministry is a privilege, not a right.”
Curran, a prominent Catholic priest in Pilsen and well-known immigration activist, was removed from his ministry last week after the Archdiocese of Chicago received an allegation from an adult woman that he had had an inappropriate relationship with her. In a statement posted online by the Dominican Friars, Curran said the relationship was an “isolated instance.”
“I failed to remember my ministry and my commitment as a priest, and for that I cannot apologize enough,” said Curran, who remains a priest. The order said he will seek evaluation, treatment and spiritual healing with other members of his religious order.
McAlpin said his removal should not be viewed as a punishment but an opportunity for renewal. He has faith that Curran will return to ministry if and when he’s ready.
“If someone fails in this way we have to pull him back and say we’ve missed something along the line,” McAlpin said. “If it’s moral failing, confession will take care of it. But is there something else we’re missing? Is this the beginning of something big? Is it a pattern?”
Rossetti, who is also a clinical associate professor at Catholic University of America, said priests who sexually abuse minors should never return to ministry. Those such as Curran, who commit sexual transgressions with adults, can fight their way back. Even if the relationship took place between two consenting adults, it could be an abuse of power by someone in a position of authority, he said.
Church leaders have learned that they must err on the side of protecting the people they serve. Psychological evaluations are often conducted to determine if the priest has difficulty setting boundaries or is prone to narcissism.
“What we recommend as psychologists is help the church try to understand the root of this transgression,” Rossetti said. “Is it only a moral failure or are there other psychological defects involved?”
Jeremy Langford, a spokesman for the Chicago-based Jesuits’ Midwest province, said spiritual discernment after any sexual transgression is important. The man must figure out if he wants to remain a priest.
“Fitness for ministry, first and foremost, has to be living those vows and proper boundaries with those you minister to,” Langford said. “There would be a huge concern over whether that person can have the right relationship with people going forward. If you don’t live vows a certain way, you might be harming your ability to interface with people the way you’re supposed to be.”
Ideally, it doesn’t come to that. The Rev. Ron Hicks, vicar general for the Chicago Archdiocese, said from the time they are seminarians, priests are urged to avoid isolation and stay in regular contact with other priests, friends and family. They also are encouraged to maintain a life filled with prayer, described as a constant connection to the Lord, and confide in a spiritual director.
“We’re constantly encouraged … if anything is going on in our life, to talk honestly and openly so that someone can be directing us in terms of what’s healthy and holy and keep us on track,” Hicks said. “When we’re left to our own devices, that’s when unhealthy behavior can come in.”
“We have to be held accountable to our community, ourselves and to God.”
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