Our cover story on sex abuse scandals and cover ups within the Catholic Church, written by executive editor Elisabeth O’Donnell, offers a glimpse into how some of the Edmundite priests who work at St. Michael’s College cope during a time in which the church is being heavily criticized and scrutinized for the cover ups.

The Edmundites are much more than preachers. They are integral members of the St. Michael’s community.

It’s a shame that Rev. Michael Carter S.S.E feels “eyes on me–people making a judgement call, not based on me, the individual, but based on the institution,” (see In The Shadow of the Church, page 1).

However, the Edmundites, like many
priests, have accepted the responsibility of the church’s inexcusable actions and live with the sullied reputation daily.

“I hope that everybody who has a leadership role will come to an understanding that this chastisement, this humiliation is for us first,” Rev. Marcel Rainville S.S.E told O’Donnell. ”We have to inform ourselves in order to uphold who we pretend to be and the message we pretend to bring to the world.”

As community members, we need to support them as they help to navigate a new transparency for the church.

Although student masses on Sundays at 7 pm are lightly attended, there are more ways we can show the Edmundites that they are valued community members than by just filling the pews. We can visit St. Anne’s Shrine in Isle La Motte, where retreats take place. We can
join the international MOVE service trip to Guatemala to participate in service to other communities, we can take courses taught by Edmundites to fulfill our religious studies LSC.

Or, we can simply wave and say, “Hi, how are you doing, father?” whenever we see an Edmundite walking around campus or eating lunch in Alliot. It’s lonely walking around with the weight of such wrongdoing on your shoulders.

As a community we need to talk openly about an institutional problem that was hidden for too long. By supporting the Edmundites and helping them to establish a new transparency we help enrich that conversation and move it toward healthy solutions.