How the Bishop happened to read his own letter

The letter, on the issue of clergy sex abuse, was read at all Masses in all parishes in the Diocese on the weekend of May 18-19. The complete text of the letter appears on this page.

"I didn't anticipate reading it aloud," Bishop Hubbard told The Evangelist. But he was at St. Mary's to celebrate the parish's 50th anniversary, an occasion that provided him with the option of reading the letter himself, rather than leaving the task to the pastor.

"It was a profoundly moving experience," the Bishop said of his experience reading the letter. "It made the words come to life. I had labored over it carefully in writing it, but it's another thing to stand in front of a congregation and read it. I felt much more the gravity of what was being addressed."

After the Mass, "people thanked me for the letter," he said. "I had five events over the weekend, and people approached me to say they were pleased with the letter and positive about it."

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