LEWISTON – Lauretta Duprez knelt in the front row of the empty church.
The noonday sun illuminated the stained glass and cast long blue and red shadows across the pews of the Holy Family Church. Duprez prayed for the troops abroad, her family’s health and for the strength and faith of her church leaders.
Among them was Bishop Sean Patrick O’Malley, named Tuesday to lead Boston’s scandal-laden Archdiocese.
O’Malley will replace Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned in December amid accusations that Boston-area priests sexually molested children. Law drew particular criticism when it was learned that he knew of the accusations and chose to move those priests to other parishes.
‘Very dedicated’
The Boston Archdiocese does not oversee Maine’s Catholic churches, but the effects have been felt here.
Maine’s Catholic leader, Bishop Joseph Gerry, released a written statement Tuesday supporting O’Malley as “a true son of St. Francis, a missionary at heart and very dedicated to the Church and the proclamation of the Word.”
Local priests were reluctant to give their opinions about the appointment.
The Rev. Robert Lariviere, pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Church in Lewiston, had heard little news, he said.
The Rev. Andrew Dubois, Duprez’ pastor, was also cautious about his comments.
“I hope that Archbishop O’Malley can help bring healing and recovery to the church and the victims,” he said.
Every Catholic has felt the scandal, said Duprez.
Betty McWhinnie of Lewiston believes all of New England needs to heal. “The whole church is paying for what happened,” she said.
The controversy has made good priests uncomfortable in a public overwhelmed with these scandals, she said. Some people have lost their faith in the church. Some people have been waiting for someone new to lead.
“People are hurt,” she said. “It’s like a divorce.”
The healing will happen, though. It will emerge stronger than before, she said.
“The church always rallies back,” McWhinnie said. “It always comes back to do what is right.”
Duprez believes O’Malley was the right choice. Pope John Paul II picked him.
“I believe he was chosen for this,” Duprez said.
O’Malley also believes the scandal has spread farther than the boundaries of his new diocese. On Tuesday, he asked for help.
“The entire Church feels the pain of this scandal and longs for some relief for the families and communities that have been so shaken by these sad events and by the mishandling of these situations on the part of the Church’s officials,” O’Malley said in a written statement.
“I appeal to all Catholics to help the Church to be a wounded healer by healing the divisions in our own ranks so that we can be a leaven for good in the society in which we live.”
Duprez said she would help.
Her prayers are a beginning, she said.
dhartill@sunjournal.com
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