Clare Farr, a Western Australia trademarks attorney, read about Pornchai Moontri at These Stone Walls and set in motion a Divine Mercy saga spanning five continents.
INTRODUCTION BY FATHER GORDON MACRAE
The following is a guest post by Clare Farr, a registered trademarks attorney in Western Australia. Clare is partner with her husband, Malcolm Farr, principal of the Farr Intellectual Property law firm near Perth. She is the mother of five young adults. In 2003, while reading These Stone Walls, Clare and Malcolm immersed themselves, entirely pro bono, in the cause of Pornchai Moontri.
Clare, especially, served as a bridge to find and cultivate essential contacts for Pornchai to secure a future in Thailand, and to seek justice for him in the United States. Without Clare Farr’s assistance, this story I told in “Pornchai Moontri: Bangkok to Bangor, Survivor of the Night” could not have come entirely to light.
Please share Clare’s amazing account of Divine Mercy that connects people on five continents for a story that Pornchai Moontri once summarized in a single sentence: “I awoke one day with a future when up to then all I ever had was a past.” It is an honor to present this guest post by Clare Farr.
WHEN JUSTICE CAME TO PORNCHAI MOONTRI, MERCY FOLLOWED
It was in about the year 2010 when I first read about the plight of Fr Gordon and his cellmate, Pornchai Moontri. The more I read about Fr Gordon, I became convinced of his innocence and outraged that this holy and devout Catholic priest could be sent to prison given the paucity and quality of the evidence against him.
Many people including highly regarded journalists and lawyers find this case very troubling yet the higher ups in the Diocese of Manchester, government lawyers, politicians and those in the judiciary must have very thick skins and are prepared to let this case rest and turn their gaze the other way. They must rest their laurels on the fact that the “legal system did its job.” Well, it didn’t – it was an abysmal failure. Quite frankly, the outcome is deeply unsettling and a blight on the justice system of the United States.
The Fr Gordon MacRae that I have come to know is a man of tremendous intellect and wisdom who counsels and shares his insight and understanding of the Catholic faith to the many among his global readership as well as his fellow prisoners in the New Hampshire Prison for Men. He is just about as fine a priest as I have ever known, and the way that he has been treated by the Diocese of Manchester and many other Catholic priests is quite disgraceful.
Before the commencement of MacRae’s trial, he was not given any chance to respond to the allegations against him, yet the Diocese issued a press release in which it stated:
“The Church has been a victim of the actions of Gordon MacRae just like these individuals…”
If the Church believed Fr Gordon was guilty – what was a jury to think? The trial was compromised before it even began – sabotaged by the Diocese of Manchester.
Three years ago Bishop Libasci wrote to me “…please be assured that both my predecessor and I have understood and fulfilled our obligations as bishops with respect to Father MacRae’s rights under civil and canon law”. At the time of the press release, Bishop Leo O’Neil was the head of the diocese and he was not Bishop Libasci’s predecessor but rather, one of his predecessors. However, the upshot of acts undertaken during Bishop O’Neil’s term as Bishop have had a never-ending adverse impact on Fr Gordon and this should be acknowledged and addressed by his successors.
I’m certainly no expert on canon law though I as far as I know canonical equity dictates that there must be a balance between the spirit of the Gospel and the salvation of souls. I fail to see how doing nothing to address past wrongs done to Fr Gordon, including but not limited to dealing with Fr Gordon’s incarceration as a live issue (which is partly the Diocese’s own fault) and the payment of a regular stipend, has met these requirements.
Whatever Fr Gordon’s fate is, there is one thing for sure: when he passes on to the next life he will be greatly rewarded for all the good he has done in his life. Similarly, those who have lied about him, who have persecuted him or who have added to his misery and his circumstances will also have to stand before the Creator and account for their actions – or inaction. Heaven help them.
A STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND
In late 2013 I chanced upon an article about Pornchai Moontri by Charlene Duline, “Pornchai Moontri is Worth Saving.” Charlene was pleading for anyone who could advocate on behalf of Pornchai, so I contacted her. I thought that even though I live in Western Australia, I might be able to help somehow. At that stage Pornchai had been in prison for more than 20 years. There was no question that he was involved in the death of Michael Scott McDowell and that a jury had found him guilty of murder. I knew that he was far from a model prisoner at the start of his sentence, but that he had a remarkable conversion to the Catholic faith and that he had achieved an abundance of qualifications in prison. Indeed, he seemed to be a model prisoner.
From everything I had read about Pornchai and the trial, and from all that I have come to know about this story, it seems that a 45-year sentence is grossly excessive. Pornchai had unsuccessfully appealed the sentence decision many years ago – so it seemed that the only recourse for him was to petition the Governor of Maine to exercise clemency for his release from prison. After a great deal of research into Pornchai’s life, in March 2015 we submitted a petition to the Governor of Maine seeking an order of executive clemency. In October 2015 it was rejected.
Pornchai has never had an opportunity to tell a court about his life and what led to his conviction. He has never really told the full story, some of which he did not even know about – but I know it. Father Gordon knows about it too and wrote much of it in these pages last week. What follows is the story that I want to emphasize, so here goes…
Pornchai was born to a family in Thailand and at age two he and his brother were abandoned by both parents and raised by their maternal grandparents for the next 9 years. With them, he had a wonderful family life and he and his brother were happy and well looked after. With their mother absent for so long, they came to believe that their aunt was their real mother. Pornchai was much loved by his mother’s family.
When he was 11, his mother, Wannee came to retrieve the boys. She told them that she was their mother and that she was going to take them with her to live in America, and that they would have a good life with her and her new American husband, Richard Alan Bailey. Within two weeks of arriving in Maine, Pornchai was violently sexually abused by Bailey. Wannee had unknowingly married a sexual predator and the two brothers became his victims. Pornchai ran away from home but was returned home by the police. He tried to tell them what had been happening but he couldn’t speak English and they couldn’t understand him, so he was returned to live in the home of his abuser. He had only just turned 12 years of age. It was December of 1985.
Pornchai was unable to tell his mother at that time because Bailey had threatened what would happen if he told anyone. About a week later he did tell her about the abuse and her reaction was to refuse to believe him and to punish him for telling lies. The abuse was ongoing, and Pornchai ran away again and again until eventually he had no home to return to. He became a homeless teenager on the streets of a foreign country. For several years he was in and out of juvenile detention centers, stayed when he could in the homes of friends, lived in a treehouse, under a bridge and found shelter wherever he could. He was often forced to steal food to survive. Eventually the court would punish him with detention and other penalties. He spent time in juvenile detention facilities and he had some counselling. At these facilities he formed good relationships with a lot of people but there was always some bullying and racial vilification by other students and with the emotional baggage that he was carrying, sometimes it was all too much to bear and he would become enraged. Eventually he was expelled from the school when he acted up against this abuse.
At two separate juvenile detention facilities he disclosed the abuse by his stepfather. His teachers and therapists believed him and reported the allegations to their superiors. Referring to the abuse allegation, one 1988 report to Child Protection stated:
“….Totally destroyed boy’s faith in family – mother made aware – did nothing. Boy began to habitually run away – Boy terrified father will take out some type of revenge on mother.”
When Pornchai was still living in Bailey’s home, his mother felt too threatened by Bailey to believe her son’s story of abuse. She then became especially hostile to him, called him names and lashed out at him in a number of ways. His home life had become highly dysfunctional and his mother was also physically and emotionally abusing him and telling him that she wished he hadn’t been born, most likely as a symptom of her own frustration and anger in living in a highly toxic environment with a violent and abusive man.
Eventually Wannee did accept that he told the truth but notwithstanding, she put much pressure on Pornchai not to discuss the abuse with anyone. She was living in fear herself.
After his expulsion from the Goodwill Hinckley School shortly before his 18th birthday, Pornchai tried to lead a normal life and get a job, finally finding work as a bus boy with a chain restaurant, but he was fired because he couldn’t provide a residential address which had been a condition of his employment.
As he lived on the streets and had received threats, he began to carry a knife for protection. At 18 years of age and after becoming very drunk one night, he went with his friend Danny Williams to a supermarket. There he got into an altercation in the parking lot. When tackled by a much larger and heavier man, in a reflex reaction he pulled the knife and Michael Scott McDowell died. It was unintentional, but nevertheless it was a terrible action for which an innocent man died. For the last 26 years Pornchai has carried with him the life of the man who died and after his conversion prayed diligently for his soul.
Whilst there is no excuse for the death of Michael Scott McDowell – I ask the reader to consider that moment when Pornchai, a small and light framed 18-year-old was tackled by a much heavier built man. Given his history of sexual assault by an older man – isn’t it just possible that mixed up with the distress of the moment there was the revulsion and terror of having a large man pin him down and take control of him? I can definitely see the connection and understand why using a knife in these drunken circumstances would have occurred.
While he was in prison and awaiting trial, Wannee visited Pornchai and pleaded with him not to mention the sexual assaults in court, as she would suffer at the hands of Richard Bailey if he did so. Against legal advice, Pornchai, fearing for his mother’s safety, refused to present any defence at trial.
PORNCHAI’S DESCENT INTO HELL
In the sentencing phase of the trial, Bailey had written to the trial judge on behalf of himself and Wannee and essentially blamed Pornchai’s situation on him getting in with a bad crowd and his difficulty in adjusting to life in America. He wrote:
“As a father, who is prejudiced by love for his son, and also a former law enforcement officer that a lengthy sentence for such a young man would not serve the State of Maine, the McDowell family, or Pornchai Moontri.”
That’s about as kind as he had ever been to Pornchai. He has never once visited him in prison, has written only one letter to him and even then, he merely apologised to Pornchai for being so hard on him. He has never provided any material support for him since Pornchai was arrested.
Wannee divorced Bailey in 2000. By that time, she and Bailey had relocated to Guam where they owned property. They agreed on a division of assets and court orders were made including an order that their home be sold. In February 2000 Wannee returned to Guam in order to confront Bailey about delays in the sale of the home and the payment of monies which he was supposed to pay her. Not long afterwards, Bailey reported her missing from their isolated home in Guam and the following day he reported that he found her body. Her autopsy report and death certificate note that her death was the result of a homicide. No one has ever been charged for her death.
On the night she went missing she telephoned her niece and told her that Bailey was in a rage and that if she didn’t return from Guam, it meant she had been murdered. Prophetic words…
Under the court orders Bailey was to pay certain money to Wannee beyond April 2000. It appears that the administrator of Wannee’s estate was not aware that Bailey still owed money to the Estate so the debt was not pursued. At the time of her death Pornchai was in prison so there was no one around who would have known about the court orders other than Bailey.
Following a police investigation and grand jury indictments, in early 2017 Bailey was charged with 40 counts of Gross Sexual Misconduct. The victims were Pornchai and his brother Priwan.
Knowing that there has been a criminal case against Bailey has been difficult for Pornchai over the past few years because he has had to relive the past, give statements and go over things again and again. Thank God that his cellmate is Fr Gordon MacRae who provides spiritual advice and good counsel. Fr Gordon has had a huge positive impact on Pornchai’s life. Without his continuous efforts to pursue justice and for Pornchai’s story to be made known, the truth would never have come out.
In March 2017 the Bailey case went before the Superior Court of Maine, and following a number of arraignments, the matter was before the Court September 11, 2018. On that date, Bailey formally entered a plea of nolo contendere – his attorney indicated that Bailey denied any wrongdoing but that he would not contest the charges and agreed to be sentenced by the court. The Victims Impact Statements of both brothers were read to the court and the judge was quite shaken and deeply moved by the statements. The case was adjourned to the following day, September 12.
As is common in the US legal system, the Office of the District Attorney had agreed on a plea deal with Bailey’s attorney which provided for a suspended sentence of 17 years with a probation period imposing strict conditions – but the length of such probation had not been agreed upon. However, the judge found Bailey guilty on all 40 charges and imposed a longer suspended sentence of 18 years, the whole of which would be subject to very strict probation conditions. It appears that the judge had to take Bailey’s claims of poor health into consideration (he is four years older than Fr Gordon), but also the impact of a trial on both brothers. At the hearing, Pornchai’s brother was quite visibly distraught. Despite there being no prison term for Bailey, I think that justice has been served in this case. The judge was obviously more than satisfied that Bailey is guilty and ordered a longer sentence on probation than in the plea agreement that was submitted to the court.
THE DIVINE MERCY REDEMPTION
Over the past few years, myself and others have been planning what happens with Pornchai when he is eventually deported at the end of his sentence. Then out of the blue, a wonderful lady from Bangkok named Yela Smit contacted Fr Gordon to find out how she could help. Yela was the co-director of the Divine Mercy Apostolate in Thailand. She has since gathered a lot of support for Pornchai and offered practical assistance. We have spoken a number of times on the phone and I distinctly remember her saying to me “He’s going to have a wonderful life in Thailand, he’ll wonder why he ever stayed so long in America”. Yela’s input was invaluable. Knowing about Pornchai’s conversion and his Marian consecration – to find Yela was a Godsend as are her friends, Khun Peter in Thailand and Viktor Weyand, an American travel agent. Viktor was a co-founder of a Divine Mercy orphanage and school in Thailand, and two years ago travelled to Thailand for the priesthood ordination of the first resident of the orphanage. Viktor has since become a very dear friend to Pornchai, and he and his wife have visited Pornchai at Christmas time.
In “A Stitch in Time: Threads of the Tapestry of God”, Fr Gordon wrote about this amazing tapestry where the lives of people from all over the world touch each other, and I am proud to have been part of it. Fr Gordon wrote:
“This story now connects people on five continents who have no obvious connection beyond their interest in Pornchai’s life and their immersion in the work of Divine Mercy.”
People from around the world have all used their skills and life experience to help Pornchai, all being driven and guided by Heaven. We all had an important part to play and we did what was expected of us.
Pornchai’s story is a great story on so many different levels. It is a story of faith and Divine Mercy. It’s a story of great tragedy followed by a dramatic conversion, a Marian consecration and a faith filled life. It’s the story of a young agnostic child in Bangkok who became a truly holy and devout man with hope for tomorrow and who survived the most brutal prison life. He is not just prisoner number 77948 – he is a truly remarkable and unique man who will give witness and glory to God.
It’s also a story of the power of prayer and of Divine Providence. None of us could have achieved anything without help from above. All of you who have prayed and fasted and given practical assistance to Pornchai and Fr Gordon are also a very important part of the tapestry. Without faith and prayer, nothing would have been achieved. So, consider it a collective effort guided by the Lord with a lot of help from Our Lady. All of the key players who have and are helping Pornchai have a connection with Divine Mercy and are Marian devotees and we all came together to help Pornchai.
Fr Gordon has spoken about Fr Seraphim Michalenko’s involvement in Pornchai’s life. Several years ago, a friend asked me if I wanted to go to a talk by a visiting priest to be held at the home of a friend in the Perth hill in Western Australia. I had never heard of the priest before but knew that he was going to give a talk on Divine Mercy. His name was Fr Seraphim Michalenko. At the talk I found out more about St Faustina’s revelations and of the two miracles that led to the canonisation of Faustina. I even had a private chat with Fr Seraphim.
In the 2014 post, Fr Seraphim Michalenko on a Mission of Divine Mercy, Fr Gordon told us that the Felix Carroll book, Love Lost Found – 17 Divine Mercy Conversions with its chapter about Pornchai was sent by Fr Seraphim to Yela Smit in Thailand. That’s how Yela became involved. Another Divine Mercy connection is that Fr Seraphim was the director of the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and he has been a visiting priest to the chapel of the New Hampshire Prison for Men and has also participated in a Divine Mercy Retreat at the prison. What are the odds that I would ever meet Fr Seraphim? – and the fact that he has a connection to Pornchai and Fr Gordon is amazing. The tapestry Fr Gordon wrote about gets more amazing by the day and I know that I will never know the full extent of it.
Pornchai will probably be in prison until at least the first half of 2021 when he will be eligible for release and once released he will be held in detention by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. He will then be deported to his native Thailand because he is not an American citizen.
Pornchai has made the most of prison life and has received a good education and has many vocational skills. He is not bitter at all. As for his thoughts on Bailey – when asked by the Assistant District Attorney if he wanted Bailey to go to prison – Pornchai said to her, “No, I don’t want him to go to prison – I just want him to know that what he did was wrong.” Awesome! I don’t know if I could utter those words if I was in Pornchai’s position but whilst old memories will always be there, he has forgiven Bailey. He looks back on the past with great sadness, but doesn’t dwell on it and he has great hope for the future. It will be a culture shock to return to a country where he no longer speaks the language but he has new friends to meet and a career to begin.
Many people have prayed for Pornchai and continue to keep him in their prayers. Without a doubt this has helped him enormously and God’s providence has also rained down upon him.
Please keep him in your prayers and pray that he will transition smoothly into Thai life, that he will forge a good career that will make him financially independent and that he will truly find peace.
And continue to pray for Fr Gordon MacRae who in my eyes is a living saint. Without him, his tenacity and unwavering efforts to help Pornchai, this story would have never come to light.
- Father Seraphim Michalenko on a Mission of Divine Mercy
- Saint Maximilian Kolbe and the Gift of Noble Defiance
- If Loved Ones Fall from Faith, Let Them See You Believe
- Dreamers of Home: The Slow ICE Deportation of Kewei Chen
Clare Farr says
Thanks for your kind words, Maria Stella. Your reference to Dr Fitzgibbons is very interesting and rings true.
If for no other reason than (the former Monsignor) Edward Arsenault was found to have lead a double life and committed crimes should ring warning bells in the Diocese of Manchester given that Arsenault led the Diocese’s charge against Fr Gordon. No doubt Arsenault had an agenda – most likely he carried out his work as the Bishop’s delegate with such a vengeance because it was a smoke screen for his own misconduct.
Fr Gordon wrote about Arsenault’s conduct in his 2014 post:
http://thesestonewalls.com/gordon-macrae/the-prison-of-father-macrae-a-conspiracy-of-silence/
Given what we know now, surely Fr Gordon deserves to have his case reviewed and with him having an input this time. If I was a parishioner of the Diocese of Manchester – I would be demanding a review of Fr Macrae’s case and asking for an explanation. The Bishop should be accountable to his flock – demand answers of him!
I know that many lawyers, both paid and unpaid, have tried to help Fr Gordon but his situation is very complicated – more so than I had first thought. But I believe that there is someone who can help – I don’t know who he or she is or what they have to offer but they just have to come forward with expertise or knowledge and a willingness to help him. We must all pray that this will happen.
Ryan A. MacDonald says
Having once interviewed Pornchai for an article, “Pornchai Moontri at the Narrow Gate,” I read this with much appreciation for Clare Farr’s skill and tenacity. However, as I suppose many readers might, I have a hard time with the Guam story. It should not be left where it now stands. It seems to me that there is a lot about this story that is known today that was not known when Wanee Bailey’s life was taken from her. The phone call to her niece in Thailand, the history of domestic violence, the ugly secret about his behavior toward Pornchai and his brother that Mr. Bailey harbored, and that would have been in jeopardy if Wannee divorced him, the unmet financial agreements, etc. All of this adds much weight to the circumstantial evidence and casts suspicion upon the most logical suspect in this story. It also presents motive. If nothing else, I recommend sharing this post and this comment with authorities in Guam. Finally, this story as told by both Father MacRae and Clare Farr is shattering. It should, at a minimum, give pause to the justice system about whether, from a moral and justice perspective, the right man has been serving Pornchal’s sentence. Were Mr. Bailey a Catholic priest, the media would today be screaming about the true responsibility for Pornchai’s offense.
Schola Fri says
Very well written, Mr. MacDonald & majority of the commenters…
Awesome!
I believe we are fighting a winning battle!!! AMEN.
God of Justice will help those faithful to unearth the Truth carelessly/however buried.
May we continue to do our part with whatever Charism God bestowed on each soul for the Common Good of His Church to build up His Kingdom while destroying every particle of evil (= absence of God).
AMDG,
Schola Fri
https://story.kakao.com/marilla/FIanDUN2yj0
Clare Farr says
Thanks for your kind words, Helen. Fr Gordon’s situation is truly baffling. As part of the laity, I had always assumed that priests would be fully supported by the Church. Fr Gordon was provided very limited support and certainly not the level of support his situation demanded. Priests offer their whole lives to the Church, go where they’re told and do as they are asked. It’s a life of supreme sacrifice.
I’m sure that the bishops are not unfeeling and probably feel uncomfortable with many of the decisions they believe they have to make, and situations they have inherited; but where there is ongoing suffering borne out of injustice – they must do what they can to remedy the situation. I think that Bishop Libasci should visit Fr Gordon in prison and not just send someone else to do the talking. The buck stops with him. He should have a long one on one talk with Fr Gordon and discuss the situation, his needs and ways to help him. This level of contact would surely be encouraging to Fr Gordon and a source of some comfort. To ignore him is shameful and comes across as gutless.
Joan Ripley says
Amen!!! Very well said. I pray that such a visit can happen. It is inhuman what is happening to Fr. Gordon. May God bless him and care for him tenderly and powerfully!!!
Siobhan says
Fr. G, I just wanted to write to tell you how moved I was by both TSW posts from this week and last, telling Pornchai’s terribly sad but uplifting story. Both you and Clare Farr have written clear and honest accounts that surely cannot leave anyone with the ability to read in any doubt of the power of Divine Mercy. Wow! Please tell Pornchai Max that he is in my daily prayers and I hope and pray that the light at the end of his tunnel continues to get brighter and brighter.
There are so many layers of sadness and injustice in this story, it’s impossible to comprehend how anyone can come out the other side sane! But you have made clear that with the power of the Holy Spirit, anything, absolutely anything, is possible. I’ve loved reading all the wonderful and supportive comments on both these posts. It really makes for a great read. Fond regards to you both, and to everyone at TSW.
Kathleen Riney says
Thank you Clare! (How pitifully Small that seems as a response to the Grace & Mercy of God, & Your Heroic efforts as His “Boots On the Ground”!) Fr. G. is of course, “a saint in progress”… but please don’t tell him that! ???????? He’s going to be lost for awhile without ‘Max’, his Timothy… They sort of “grew up together in Prison”… A Paradox confirming it was God’s Plan at work, & HE was in control from the start. We hardly ever get to see the evidence so clearly, & this time it’s even recorded by the Pagans who set things in motion! ???? (If I were the Bishop who RR’d Fr. G., I’d be on my Face in a Monastery in the middle of nowhere, permanently!)
Pax Christi to Men of Goodwill-
& To the rest,
You may still have a few minutes left to get through the Narrow Gate, if you don’t stop to look back… ????⏳????
Clare Farr says
Thanks Kathleen – despite what he would say – Fr Gordon is a living saint. His efforts to help Pornchai and many others in prison have been tireless. His ministry has yielded wonderful fruits and he is a great spiritual advisor to us all.
Fr Gordon J MacRae says
I thank Kathleen Riney for this lovely comment, and I want to point out that Kathleen created the rosary that Pornchai is wearing in his photo on this post. It’s a magnificent rosary in honor of St. Maxillian Kolbe handmade for him by Kathleen. She made one for me as well in honor of St. Michael. It is by far the nicest thing I have. With thanks and blessings to you all and please share this post. Fr. Gordon
PS: And as for my sainthood, the only way I would ever be canonized is if it means being shot from a cannon!
Father Jim says
Clare: How wonderful it is that you have used your legal skills to assist and bring hope to Pornchai. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if other skilled and talented lawyers especially in this country stood up for their Faith and united to confront the injustice our Church is suffering brought about by our Bishops..
It is time for the laity to take control. Since the Bishops as a group only understand and react to legal actions … is it to far-fetched to consider a class-action suit against NCCB on behalf of thousands of priests who have been denied not only their canonical but civil rights by financially-compensated and unproven (beyond a reasonable doubt) allegations? What other group has been. treated so callously? The way our priests have been treated cries to heaven for justice . It seems pretty clear it cannot from Bishops but from devout and and committed laity . I humbly pray for this intention placing it in the hands of the Mother of all priests who will never abandon us.
Clare Farr says
I agree with you Fr Jim. Unless there is some change soon, maybe some civil proceedings are in order and will be the catalyst for change. The thought of priests embarking on litigation against the Bishops is terrible, but if they won’t support them, something drastic has to happen and just maybe litigation would be a good thing.
Bishops are high level administrators and make many business decisions and from what we have seen over the past few decades, they tend to make decisions based on potential harm minimization rather than being guided by the spirit of the Gospel. Canon law is in place for a very good reason and where priests are denied their canonical rights, something is terribly amiss.
At a local level, the Church is in dire need of oversight by the laity. The Church should be fully engaged in spreading the Gospel through its priests – priests who have given up their lives in the world to pursue a lifetime of serving the Church. It’s a tough job and not for the faint hearted.
As a lay person who regards priests as treasures of the Church – I expect and require the bishops to do everything to support them. Priests assume an enormous amount of risk – in Mexico and Africa they are killed, and in first world countries they are defamed and accused. I know that in the early days of his incarceration, a number of inmates asked Fr Gordon to name the priests who were assigned to his parish at a particular time – that is, they wanted to get their facts right so they could accuse a priest of molestation and get a settlement from the Diocese.
The Church has to follow canon law and the spirit of the Gospel but it lives in a world governed by civil law. If someone owed the Diocese of Manchester money, the bishop would instruct lawyers to recover it using the civil law system. If a priest is defamed he has the right to use the civil law system to find justice. I see no reason why in particular cases priests should not seek justice against the bishops under civil law. If in the Church psyche it is a justification for not doing the right thing by saying its “for the good of the Church”, then its open slather for the wrong thing becoming the norm. The Bishops have to buckle up and be brave and know that come what may, the Church will survive.
The bottom line is that the Bishops should be acting in a way the is truly supportive of priests even if it means providing them with material support against accusers. The Church has civil law rights too and has the right to challenge accusations of abuse to weed out the liars from the real victims of abuse. The Church has paid out billions in settlements. By paying on accusation, the Church has shown its Achilles heel and it has made the problem worse.
In the case of Fr MacRae, the Church paid a settlement of $200,000 to Thomas Grover. The Bishop would not have decided this on his own – the Diocese risk retention advisors would have discussed and approved this settlement and this has created an enormous problem for the Diocese. Where is the justice for priests if the rule is to settle at all costs and not to worry about the truth or collateral damage? The problem is that once a precedent is made, the outcome becomes the norm. Because the Bishops have decided to settle so many accusations based on cutting their losses -the pattern of accuse and get paid is now entrenched. They should defend the priest and not just cut them loose and pay the accuser.
There are many hateful organisations that want to bring down the Church and there may well be a national strategy for there to be false allegations. How difficult is it to prove an allegation of a 50 year assault? The standard of proof of allegations shouldn’t be lowered in cases of abuse allegations – the same rules should apply in all civil cases.
So Fr Jim, it probably is time to shake the foundations and for the priests to challenge the bishops but with the full support of the laity. It’s a lot to think about…..
Annie Karto says
Thank you Clare for this outstanding post about Pornchai’s life. Thank you Vicktor for your help and the whole team working to make this transition possible. Fr. Gordon, without you, none of this would have been possible! Divine Mercy is certainly at work here and Fr Gordon was the vessel God used to do Hos magnificent work! I am so grateful for these heart wrenching posts and continue to pray for justice for Fr Gordon and for Pornchai’s release. To God be the glory!
Joan Ripley says
God bless you and Pornchoi, Fr. Gordon! You’ve done something beautiful for this badly abused soul. What an eye-opener about Lady Justice in the United States.
May God abundantly.
Viktor Weyand says
Good evening Clare
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about Pornchai’s return to Thailand , I could not see that Max would ever return to his past, he has grown so much in his faith as well as a human being , with all his education and skills he could excel in many ways , yes initially he could be frustrated until he is fluent in Thai again, but I am also sure he would before long find his way.
When I was in Thailand the last time Yela took me to a great place outside Bangkok a home and school for children with all kind of difficulties, it is staffed with many volunteers from around the world , away from all the pressures of a large city such as Bangkok, this would be a great place for Max to initially get his feet on the ground and be with young people, who knows eventually he may even study to become a Priest
If his release happens while I am still around I would go to Thailand to be there to help in any way I can, I am also sure even that Yela now is in Japan she can put together a support team for Max upon his arrival to BKK
Yes we need to make sure that an other appeal will be filed and somehow we need to make sure that the people on the panel read the material
Hugs
Viktor
Sister Elisabeth Coulombe says
Father Gordon MacRae, Please thank Clare for this meaningful and powerful story of Pornchai and his journey with and without a family…….Incredible!
I worked 7 years as Chaplain in two Penitenciary in Alberta, Canada and yes, there are stories that are true but incredible for people who cannot imagine that there men suffering innocently because others are “evil” around them. I pray for people to believe in God if they don’t before reading these stories. There is ONLY GOD who can take care of us, his children like this……………….What a beautiful testimony of God’s grace in the heart of a child……then an adult. A book should be written about Ponchai’s journey!
May God bless you Father Gordon and belonging to the Marian Movement for Priest I’m adding your name to pray for all priests…..you included in a very special way so you will be sustained by faith in prayer that you are doing God’s will to help other prisoners to see the hand of God in their own lives in spite of the injustices.
Sister Elisabeth Coulombe Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Clare Farr says
Sr Elisabeth, I appreciate how much good is to be done in a prison ministry and I really admire you for being part of it. Pornchai’s lucky day was the day he met Fr Gordon and it secured a wonderful future for him – both in the short term and in terms of eternity. I feel so sad for those in prison who have no one to care and who suffer injustice.
Father Gordon J. MacRae says
I am indebted to Clare Farr for this second part of the story of Pornchai Moontri. And it is the most important part because Clare highlighted the mercy that followed Pornchai’s great suffering. As Clare wrote, this story connects people on five continents who became links in a chain for the Divine Mercy restoration of this great young man. Among them is Viktor Weyand who appears with Pornchai towards the end of this post. Viktor is from Austria, but manages a large travel agency in Traverse City, Michigan. He is a founder of Divine Mercy Home in Thailand where he first learned of Pornchai and since then they have become great friends. Clare Farr has done a wonderful job sorting out this complex post. Please share it. With blessings, Father Gordon MacRae.
Viktor Weyand says
An amazing story and to think the two of you met under these circumstances. How you have turned his life around is even more amazing, plus all the people you have helped in that place. Now we all need to pray that there may be an end to both of your suffering.
Viktor Weyand
Samantha McLaughlin says
Clare – Thank you so much for this well written article which will help to shed some light on the whole story. You have been instrumental in helping Pornchai forge a promising future as well as helping him and Priwan heal some of the wounds of a haunting past. Without your help and guidance, Richard Bailey would be continuing to lead a life above the law. As a childhood friend of the Moontri brothers, I can confirm that the abusive turmoil at home wreaked havoc on them both. Thoughts of love and peace go out to both of them and to you as well.
Samantha McLaughlin
Clare Farr says
Thanks for your kind words Samantha. I’m a big fan of yours. You have been a wonderful friend to Pornchai and Priwan and this should be acknowledged. You continue to help Pornchai in so many ways and have shown yourself to be selfless and a true friend. I wish you every happiness in life!