St. Luke's vs. House of Affirmation

Dom Bettinelli has a piece today about seminarians at St. John's in Boston having to endure a workshop put on by a priest from the St. Luke's Institute for Wayward Priests (ahem) in Silver Spring, MD, in which he asks the rhetorical question, "Aren't things getting any better at SJS under O'Malley?"

Well, yes and no, I guess.

When I was there I can tell you it was a whole lot worse. Instead of having a few talks from a priest therapist at St. Luke's, we had to endure a winter three-day workshop put on by a psychologist named Vincent M. Bilotta, formerly in the employ of the disgraced and disgraceful House of Affirmation in Whitinsville, MA.

I remember being shocked to find out what the House of Affirmation was, since one of the most flamboyantly gay priests on the faculty at that time was using that word (affirmation) as his mantra. The corridor on which he had a residence was regularly called "The Corridor of Affirmation," and it was very, very gay. Students had an opportunity to choose their rooms in a lottery at the end of each year, and the gay students seemed to gravitate to rooms on his corridor, oddly enough!

So when Vin Bilotta was introduced to us as the leader of our workshop, I was surprised, to say the least. When I found out what was in store for us, I was shocked. He (along with certain faculty members) had pre-selected about 10 seminarians to lead "small group discussions" after each of the main talks, during which we were to be encouraged to share among each other sexual fantasies and sexual relationships we might have had in the past -- or, as Bilotta said pointedly, might be involved in now!

Well, I wasn't sure what to be more disgusted with: his suggestion that it was somehow acceptable to be involved in sexual relationships not only outside the bonds of matrimony, but even whilst pursuing ordination to the priesthood, OR that we share confessional material with other seminarians (especially since the pre-selected group leaders were all cronies (bedmates?) of the aforementioned leader of the Corridor of Affirmation).

I refused to take part in this nonsense, and I spoke directly to Bilotta about the inappropriate nature of his request. He then turned around and said to the whole seminary, "Well, if you're afraid to share this information.....", which was hardly the point.

Much later, in view of the seeming insurmountable evidence that some priests (and bishops) have failed to act in the face of damning facts about their brother priests, I wondered if it might not have been a ploy to get future priests to tell tales on themselves that later might have been held over their heads (as blackmail?) if they ever felt the need to report someone for misconduct.

So, I guess to answer Dom's rhetorical question -- it can't get any worse than it was when I was there, so it MUST be getting better, if only incrementally!