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BALTIMORE (Map, News) - A former Calvert Hall chaplain has been dismissed officially from the priesthood, three years after pleading guilty to abusing a minor, the archdiocese said.
At the request of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Pope Benedict XVI dismissed Jerome “Jeff” Toohey from the clerical state, according to a statement released this past week by the church.
Toohey, 62, of Lutherville, was removed from ministry and had his faculties to function as a priest removed in 1993, when the archdiocese received a credible allegation that he had molested a young man in the mid-to-late 1980s, the statement said.
Toohey denied the allegation at that time, but has been restricted from any form of ministry since 1993.
In November 2005, Toohey pleaded guilty in Baltimore County Circuit Court to sexually abusing a minor in the late 1980s to early 1990s.
His work included serving as a chaplain at Calvert Hall College High School in Baltimore City from 1982 to 1993, according to the statement.
During the 1980s to early 1990s, Toohey also served on the board of directors for the John Carroll School in Bel Air and assisted at St. John the Evangelist Elementary School in Hydes.
A priest who has been dismissed from the clerical state, or “ defrocked,” is permanently removed from ministry and from ever again functioning as a priest, in public or private, the archdiocese said.
“The Archdiocese is committed to protecting children and helping to heal victims of abuse,” Archbishop Edwin O’Brien said in a statement. “ We are deeply sorry for the pain suffered by survivors of abuse due to the actions of clergy.”
Archdiocese officials urged anyone with knowledge of child sexual abuse to come forward and report it immediately to authorities.
lbroadwater@baltimoreexaminer.com
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5:57 AM MST on Fri., May. 23, 2008 re: "Priest officially dismissed after abuse of a minor"
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Examiner Reader said:
Ain't it wonderful that church members in Baltimore feel their money given in the Sunday church collection basket is well spent supporting this bum Toohey, 62, of Lutherville since he was removed from any ministry in 1993? Well, we ouldn't not to be as comfortable as he expects to be as a priest even if he isn't doing anything worth anything to the Peple of God. Must be nice.
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Examiner Reader said:
Hmmmm. "The Holy Spirit" is leaving comments. Too bad this false prophet defames the name of the Third Person of the Trinity and then lies. Perhaps if this person's own sins ("fruitless deeds of darkness") were revealed to the world, he would not be so quick to throw stones. But then in his point of view, St. Paul's admonition applies only to others not himself?
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The Holy Spirit said:
St. Paul reminds us all in Ephesians 5:11: "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." The simples solution after only reading a few days of verified and emipirical posts at www.bishop-accountability.org/abusetracker, of curia criminal ongoing conduct is simple, the laity must CEASE DONATING, and force evil pedophile enablers, aid and abetters, and obstructors of justice, from office, like Mahony, MacCormack, McCarrick, O'Malley, Law, Egan, George, Pell, Hummes, Sodano, Rigali, Hubbard, Brown, Brom, Burke, Rivera, Chaput, Maida, Leveda, and hundreds more, domestically, and globally. No Curia Accountability Costing The Laity BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, WITH NO CORRECTION, NO REFORM, CHILD ENDANGERMENT STILL PERVASIVE, & NO END IN SIGHT? No Laity Monies! Go With God Laity, But Keep Your Wallets Zipped Closed! The Holy Spirit
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Examiner Reader said:
"Frank Dingle, a spokesman for the Maryland chapter of SNAP, said it is ironic than the archdiocese had lobbied for shorter statutes of limitations for abuse allegations when the church took so long to defrock Toohey." Actually, Frank Dingle's comment in the Sun story is nothing short of prevarication--but since the reporters don't usually call SNAP on the carpet for some of its own questionable tactics and slanderous statements, it should be no surprise that it wasn't checked here. The Church does not oppose any limitation on the criminal statute--who would?--but it does on the civil statute. Why? Just ask SNAP and the wealthy lawyers they employ. They've made numerous credulous allegations against priests that cannot be proven criminally, so they focus on the civil courts where the standards of evidence are much lower. The typical tactis is: make an allegation and force the Church or individual to settle out of court--cheaper than a trial. Oldest trick in the book!
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Examiner Reader said:
Before the Frank Dingles and Kurt Gladskys start flinging mud, let us remember that liberal radio commentator from San Francisco Bernie Ward, who was just convicted on charges of child pornography, was a vociferous critic of the Catholic Church and a crusader against abusing priests and cover-ups. Pedophiles are out there--liberal and conservative--and they are just as likely to be found at a Catholic Church as they are at a meeting of atheists. They could be in your neighborhood; they could be members of SNAP or VOTF. Why? Because they are masters of hiding themselves among normal people.
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Examiner Reader said:
"Frank Dingle, a spokesman for the Maryland chapter of SNAP, said it is ironic than the archdiocese had lobbied for shorter statutes of limitations for abuse allegations when the church took so long to defrock Toohey." It is more important than ever that the civil statutes of limitations regarding the sexual abuse of minor children be fully removed and that there be "WINDOW LEGISLATION" to allow previously time barred cases of child abuse to come forward. In that way, the records of more sexual abusers from all walks of life will be made public and any public or private institutions which facilitated the sexual exploitation of minors will be open to investigation. And religious denominations be they Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, Seventh Day Adventists or even the Latter Day Saints should be leading the parade in protecting our children with better laws not arguing that "we are no worse than anybody else." What a horrific claim to fame. Christians should lead the parade in this.
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Cardinal Red said:
Jeff Toohey was the chaplain at Calvert Hall during all four of my years there. He was one of the first members of the school administration to contact me after I was admitted to the school. He asked me to be part of the first mass that was to be celebrated after my class entered their freshman year at the school. He was a big part of the community at Calvert Hall. Everyone knew him and he was very popular. I am surprised that more men have not come forward to report abuse. Jeff Toohey spent a lot of time with several of the boys, now men, that I went to school with. It is very sad. As boys, we looked up to Jeff Toohey. Some of us even considered entering the priesthood because we wanted to be like him. I know of at least one guy I went to school with did enter the priesthood because of Jerome Toohey's guidance. This is a dark day for the Calvert Hall community. Especially those of us that knew Jerome Toohey as our priest.
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Examiner Reader said:
Jerome “Jeff” Toohey has been removed from the clerical state. But the Archdiocese is still morally resposible to get tabs on this sexual abuser who has gotten a free ride from the church for so long. In fact, he has been supported in the style to which he has become so comfortablein since 1993 when he was removed from formal ministry but NOT FROM THE PRIESTHOOD. What a bum and we had to support him? Sad but all too true. And now we have to listen to Archbishop Edwin O'Brien sort of apologize in the third person. Forget it. Even Pope Benedict apologized in the first person. But the much bigger problem for Maryland voters is that a heavy-handed attack by the Roman Catholic Church of Maryland, the Maryland Catholic Conference and all their high priced lobbyists lied their way so well that Assemblyman Eric Bromwell withdrew his proposed child abuse legislation some months ago. When are the people of MD going to wake up to the fact that the church lied about everything?
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