'It was like going to a wake'

Before the Saturday vigil Mass began on June 29, that family was heartbroken by the news that their pastor, Rev. Joseph Mancuso, had been removed permanently from ministry due to sexual abuse of a minor. Some parishioners gathered in the church entrance, quietly talking, embracing and wiping away tears.

The Mass was celebrated by Rev. Leo O'Brien, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Albany and the vicar general of the Diocese. Like many of the parishioners, he was moved to tears and had to pause several times during his homily to gather himself.

Despite the sadness, parishioners continued a Mount Carmel tradition by singing "Happy Birthday" at the end of Mass to a member celebrating who was turning 90.

Like a wake

She revealed that parishioners learned during the post-Mass meeting that Father Mancuso had been removed due to an incident that occurred with a teenage girl when he was a deacon.

Parishioners were told that there were no other known incidents.

Mrs. Capuano didn't think that her pastor should have been removed since the incident occurred so long ago and there had been no repeated misbehavior. However, she said she understood the need for zero tolerance.

"Zero tolerance should apply to priests who do wrong things to children," she said. "Our parish is going to work like crazy to bring him back. Our church is a big extended family. We are a bunch of strong Italians."

In shock

The removal of Father Mancuso is another blow to a parish that has dealt with several losses in recent years, she said, including the exit of the Religious Teachers Filippini from the parish in 1998 after almost 60 years of service and the announcement in 2000 that the parish school would merge with Immaculate Conception School in Schenectady with all students moving there for classes.

"We're a strong parish," Miss Ciervo said. "We've been through an awful lot. A lot of people still feel the scar of the school closing. These past losses, though, will help people pull through."

Anger at media

"I don't think it's anger towards the Diocese or the Bishop," Miss Ciervo said, but parishioners have strong feelings toward the media. "There is anger at the media. My mother and I were approached by a television reporter on our way into church. This wasn't a public meeting; it was our Mass. A lot of parishioners are also appalled by the way pictures were put on TV and in the newspaper. I know reporters have to do their job, but sometimes they overdo it."

A former teacher at the parish school and current vice principal at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady, Miss Ciervo said she understands the U.S. bishops' policy.

"As an educator, I understand why we have zero tolerance," she said. But as a Catholic, she has mixed feelings: "Our God is a God of second chances. Look what He did with St. Peter, who denied Him three times. He could have said, 'That's it.' Instead, He built his Church on him. It's a tough situation."

Mix of emotions

"We have mixed emotions," he said. "We're angry, sad and cheated. Father Joe is something special. He was a good spiritual leader, and he was my friend. He was a good listener and patient. I commented on his patience all of the time. He was the perfect guy for this parish, and he's still my friend.

"All of us are filled with questions that will never get answered. We feel that he was plucked from us. We're a family, and this is a great loss. I keep thinking that this is a dream."

Still, Mr. Masi supports the bishops' policy. "I believe in zero tolerance," he said. "Just think of all of the pain that could have been prevented if they had done this all along. The bishops are doing the right thing."

(07-04-02) [[In-content Ad]]