Monday, April 27, 2015

FATHER EDSON F. COSTA

The Neocatehumenal system of distributing seminarians and priests throughout the world permits KIKO and his cronies to bypass many of the systems in place for finding these kind of guys before there are problems. One of those systems is the knowledge about a man from the people he grew up with and around. By taking these guys out of their home dioceses and shipping them around the world, that knowledge is lost - maybe on purpose. We are certainly beginning to see that here. Plus, why is the Archdiocese of Agana stealing vocations from other dioceses? 


Father Edson's Biography
The Reverend Father Edson F. Costa was born in Bolivia of Bolivian and Italian descent. He knew early on that he wanted to become a priest, and in 1996, he came to the United States where he began his theological studies at Seton Hall University, in West Orange, NJ. He graduated with a Masters of Divinity in Theology, and was ordained a priest in 2005.

His first clergy assignment was at Saint Anne in Fairlawn. In 2010, he became Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of Lourdes, where he has been very active in  many ministries and instrumental in outreach to the Spanish speaking community, most recently running the Spanish Apostolate. 

Father Edson F. Costa is conversant in a number of languages. He is also very active in the Neocatechumenal Way, which is a religious formation tool within the Catholic church especially focusing on, but not limited to, those who have fallen away from the church, re-engaging and energizing believers through a deeper understanding and connection to the church. 

He is available for religious ministry for Catholics and those contemplating joining the Catholic church. He is available for religious ministry and sacraments in many areas of New Jersey. 




NEW JERSEY
Road to Recovery

MEDIA RELEASE – APRIL 25, 2015 

Fr. Edson Fernando Costa, a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, sexually assaulted a senior citizen woman in 2007 in St. Anne’s Church, Fair Lawn, New Jersey, admitted he did it, and the Archdiocese of Newark knowingly placed him in Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, West Orange, New Jersey without notifying parishioners of his past, thus placing other women at risk of sexual assault. 

In April, 2015, one week after sexual abuse advocates demonstrated at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in West Orange, New Jersey regarding previous alleged sexual abuse by the late Fr. Michael H. Hansen, the Archdiocese of Newark, in reaction to the demonstration, announced that Fr. Edson Fernando Costa would be removed from Our Lady of Lourdes Parish and possibly the priestly ministry, but not quietly - the Archdiocese of Newark is allowing the parish to throw him a good-bye party. 

What
A demonstration and leafleting alerting parishioners and the general public of the inappropriateness of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish throwing a party for an admitted sexually abusive priest who finally may be removed from ministry only after sexual abuse advocates demonstrated about another alleged sexually abusive priest and exposed the knowingly unsafe and inappropriate actions of the Archdiocese of Newark regarding Fr. Edson Fernando Costa.


When
Sunday, April 26, 2015 from 10:30 am until 1:00 pm.


Where
On the public sidewalks outside Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, 1 Eagle Rock Avenue, West Orange, New Jersey, 07052 (on the Mississippi Avenue side of the church).


Who
Approximately 6-7 members of Road to Recovery, Inc., a non-profit charity based in New Jersey that assists victims of sexual abuse and their families.


Why
From April 11 to 12, 2015, members of Road to Recovery, Inc. demonstrated and leafleted outside Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in West Orange, New Jersey in order to alert parishioners and the general public about previous allegations of sexual abuse against a deceased priest, Fr. Michael H. Hansen, who served for several years at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. Some parishioners spoke to the demonstrators about their concerns regarding another sexually abusive priest, Fr. Edson Fernando Costa, who is currently assigned to Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. According to media reports, Fr. Costa admitted that he sexually assaulted a 72 year-old woman in a church hallway at St. Anne’s Parish in Fair Lawn (Bergen County, New Jersey) on November 15, 2007. Fr. Costa was arrested on June 6, 2008, for criminal and sexual contact. Fr. Costa admitted the crime and entered the Pretrial Intervention Program in Bergen County, New Jersey. It is believed the Archdiocese of Newark knowingly moved Fr. Costa to Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in West Orange, New Jersey, and allowed him to continue to serve as a priest without telling or warning the parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish about Fr. Costa’s past. It is believed that the Archdiocese of Newark is now removing Fr. Edson Fernando Costa from Our Lady of Lourdes Parish NOT because it is the right thing to do but because they were “caught” once again covering up sexual abuse by priests and allowed a sexually abusive priest to continue to serve in ministry, and the Archdiocese of Newark seemingly has not announced where Fr. Edson Fernando Costa will be going.


Contacts
Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., Road to Recovery, Inc. – 862-368-2800
Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, Boston, MA – 617-523-6250

Woman files suit against priest and church

DECEMBER 10, 2009
BY SAMANTHA TYRKA
STAFF WRITER | 
COMMUNITY NEWS (FAIR LAWN EDITION)
Costa

Fair Lawn — A 73-year-old Fair Lawn woman has filed a lawsuit against St. Anne’s Roman Catholic Church and the Archdiocese of Newark citing damages as a result of an alleged sexual assault that occurred at St. Anne’s on Nov. 15, 2007.

The woman asserts in her lawsuit that she has suffered spiritual, physical and emotional damages as well as embarrassment and humiliation as a result of coming forward and claiming that 39-year-old Rev. Edson Fernando Costa, the assistant pastor at St. Anne’s at the time, sexually assaulted her. Rev. John C. Doyle, the Pastor of St. Anne’s, and Archbishop John J. Myers were named in the complaint. Costa, who is also named in the complaint, forced the woman, who was 72 at the time of the incident, to touch him inappropriately in a secluded hallway in the upper level of the church according to the suit.

Four days after the assault, the woman informed Doyle of the misconduct, according to the lawsuit. Doyle did not notify the Archdiocese or any law enforcement personnel of the incident, according to the complaint. The plaintiff also claims that Doyle did not offer her any type of counseling, according to the suit. On Nov. 22, 2007, Costa, Doyle and the plaintiff met to discuss the incident.

"Rev. Edson F. Costa admitted the sexual assault of the plaintiff and requested forgiveness. At no time did Rev. Joseph. C. Doyle contact the Archdiocese of Newark, nor any law enforcement agencies, or any other person or entity, to provide therapeutic care for the plaintiff," according to the suit.

In the middle of December 2007, the plaintiff contacted the Archdiocese to notify them of the misconduct. The Archdiocese immediately contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and informed them of the allegations, according to the suit.

On June 6, 2008, Costa was arrested for criminal sexual contact. On Sept. 17, 2008, Costa waived his right to have a trial and admitted to the crime in court before Judge Lois Lipton. After admitting to the crime, Costa, who was ordained in May 2005, asked to be entered into the Pretrial Intervention Program (PTI). If he completes the program successfully, he will not have a criminal record. 

PTI is a program that "provides defendants, generally first-time offenders, with opportunities for alternatives to the traditional criminal justice process of ordinary prosecution. PTI seeks to render early rehabilitative services, when such services can reasonably be expected to deter future criminal behavior," according to the New Jersey Judiciary Web site.

In addition to entering the PTI program, Costa was placed on administrative leave from the church and is still not allowed to celebrate mass, present himself as a priest or dress in a Roman collar, according to Jim Goodness, the Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Newark.

The plaintiff is suing all of the named defendants for compensatory, consequential and punitive damages, as well as attorney’s fees and the costs of suit. She claims that all of the defendants had an inherent duty to protect and respect her spiritual, physical and mental wellbeing, according to the suit. The suit also claims that the Archdiocese, church and bishop failed to properly supervise and instruct Costa on proper behavior, therefore, they are also responsible for his misdeeds. The suit also states that as a result of the incident, the plaintiff has been ostracized from the church community, one in which she was once very involved with and was even named "Parishioner of the Year," according to the suit. 

The suit also alleges that Doyle should have known "of the sexual depravity of the defendant, Father Edson F. Costa and should have taken precautions with respect to his duties to parishioners, in particularly, this plaintiff, from the sexual depravity of Father Edson F. Costa," according to the suit. 

Goodness could not comment on the litigation, but said that allegations of misconduct are taken very seriously. When a supervisor is told of alleged misconduct they are required to report it to Goodness and/or local authorities immediately. He also stated that procedure was followed in the aforementioned case. 

"When the matter was reported to the diocese we immediately notified the prosecutor’s office and cooperated with the prosecutor. He was placed on administrative leave during that period, while the investigation with the prosecutor’s office was underway. He remains on leave and is not permitted to be in the ministry," Goodness said. "The church has to make a decision about what if any ministry he would be eligible for (in the future). That’s down the road."

The church and the various prosecutor’s offices have excellent relationships and work hand-in-hand to ensure that all allegations are investigated thoroughly, according to Goodness. If the alleged incident is part of an ongoing legal investigation, the church defers to the prosecutor’s office so that it can conduct its investigation. If the incident involves a child then the Archdiocesan Review Board investigates the allegation. If it involves an adult, then the Archbishop and Vicar-General are charged with dealing with the issue, according to Goodness.

In addition to being suspended from practicing as a priest, any clergy member who is found guilty of misconduct may be subject to a canonical trial, according to Goodness. The Vicar-General and Archbishop of the diocese also decide what further action may be taken if any, according to Goodness.

"If we are dealing with a case that is a criminal manner, the prosecutor of course takes precedent. If it is an older matter (something beyond the legal statute of limitations) then church law comes into play. It’s decided if further steps under Canon law need to be taken," Goodness said. 

Anyone who is going to be working for the church, be it a lay person or a clergy member, is subject to extensive screening and background checks, as mandated by the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People that was instituted in 2002, according to Goodness. Additionally, anyone who will be working with children must undergo a three-hour course in sexual abuse training. 

"The course involves video and discussion and it’s facilitated by trained facilitators to make people aware of boundaries and acceptable code of conduct and how to recognize patterns that could be warning signs of someone who may not be appropriate to work with children," Goodness said. "I think the training class is not a general for children’s protection only class. Although it specifically does address minors, the rules are the same. There are appropriate ways of dealing with individuals when you are in a ministerial situation, and that’s what we stress. There are boundaries and those are the standards to which people need to work."
In addition to requiring training and an investigation of any alleged misconduct, the diocese also offers counseling to anyone who may have been a victim of abuse, according to Goodness. Some people choose to participate in the counseling and others do not, Goodness said. 

Doyle declined comment on the litigation as he "has not seen the complaint. I have not received the complaint; therefore I’m not able to comment. This for me, is merely a report in the newspaper."

Gerald Tyne, the plaintiff’s attorney, did not return repeated requests for comment. The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office did not return calls for comment.

16 comments:

  1. Maybe Luis is at PTI. With all this known perversion, still no action from Vatican officials? We are doomed for sure! Lord, have mercy on us. WE're on our own Guam--time to take back what's ours! BIBA KATOLIKU

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tim. Very interesting articles that parallel our situation in so many ways.

    It has now been more than 40 days since Fr Camacho was caught allegedly having sex with a child. There has been no moves from the AGs office to prosecute this case which means the Archdiocese is clear to wrap up its own required investigation into this matter.

    Maybe Deacon Claros can give us an update on the status of the mandatory investigation? Or will they simply try to sweep this under that foul smelling carpet called the neo-rug?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Besides the lack of preliminary screening and discernment and the constant priest-shuffling, there are at least two more ingredients in the lethal Neo soup that contribute to this terrible dynamic:

    1) The quashing of questions and criticism in the communities and the labeling of those questions as "judging". If only someone in Merizo had asked, "Why does Fr. Luis flirt so aggressively?" Or "Why does Fr. Luis seem to prefer the company of our teens?" But no, that would be "judging" Fr. Luis.

    2) The real threat that if a member of a Neocatechumenal community poses uncomfortable questions, they will be left behind and will not be allowed to progress to the next stage of "the Way" with their community.

    ReplyDelete
  4. If you look closely at some of the men at RMS and you know a little bit of their background and consider their current behavior, it is suspect at best that there was any real vocation to begin with. One can surmise that in their home countries, they were hard sold and recruited with promises of seeing the world and having lifetime financial support. The NCW preys on young men who otherwise are not genuinely called to priestly life. And their program is accelerated so they don't have time realize that they don't want this life. So let's all agree to stop calling them box vocations when it comes to the RMS. They are recruits.

    ReplyDelete
  5. One thing I find scary, is both Fr. Costa and Fr. Camacho were recently ordained (2 years or less) before showing signs that they may not be suited for the priestly life. This should have been noticed within the seminary. The second thing that is the men will more than likely just be shipped around in the NCW underground to cause havoc elsewhere. The NCW is the perfect haven for unaccountable money and priests.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Seems like alot of things going on in New Jersey, must be the "Head Quarters" of the Neo. Fr. Pius & etc has open reservation at a Hotel/Convent. I wonder who pays for all of this.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Fun fact: Our Lady of Lourdes Parish is only 22 miles from Gennarini's place...

    ReplyDelete
  8. So sad that many of these young men are not allowed to properly discern vocation. Genuine vocation is eschewed in favor of numbers. Unfortunately once the number is entered, they have not much use of the presbyter so they get washed out and hidden. Calling to the priesthood has been cheapened and squandered by neo leadership in its desire to undermine true Catholic leadership. Arguelles is in a time warp of various "pseudos" such as Freudian kaka prevalent in the '60s, and has knowingly entrapped others to his world. Spineless apuron has succumbed unwittingly, and now Guam Catholics suffer and will need to heal for decades to come.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Here is an idea and some of you people would probably not second guess me, but here goes: What if this was a plot by the NeoCatechumenal Way to squash all of you into judging the behavior of priests. What if this plot was pre planned, meaning to say, that the woman was working with the priest to bankrupt the parish Church only if the woman were to give it back to her priest lover? Have you thought about this? While it might sound dubious, I think this is what they are planning and this sounds too fishy to me. The same goes with Fr. Luis Camacho. I want you all to recognize that while the laws of government do not discriminate, these communities willfully and knowingly foil the system only to shut the concerns of the laity. And, I'll go so far to say that if this is all planned by the Catholic Church and its leadership, then I will say how even sicker we are that these things go unchecked if they are pre-meditated only to "teach" and to "shut-up." And so, I need to caution everyone here because the devil is like a roaring lion waiting to devour. Resist Him, Solid in your faith!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think there's any plot by the "Catholic Church". Giuseppe Gennarini is another matter.

      Delete
    2. What I was referring too was The powers that be in the "Catholic Church" - leadership. And whoever is behind this kind of behavior is an abomination to the Church we belong too. And I ain't buying it either!

      Delete
  10. Thankyou Jonathan. I don't believe this is a plot by the catholic church. However, I do believe a small group of people including Pius formed a plot to takeover Anthony Apuron and the See of Agana Guam to implement and further their own agenda. This was evident from their arrival. The plot nearly was completed. Thank God they did not anticipate Tim Rohr and his supporters who discovered a plot to take over Guam and the Mariana islands. This was the plot seen by many as far back as 19997. Thankyou for sharing your insights. Every possibility now has to be checked out concerning the bad guys. Remember bad guys only win when good guys stand by and do nothing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you as well. We just need to be vigilant with things of this sort because whoever is behind it are trying to manipulate the laity and I ain't buying it. Better to put this out there just in case.

      Delete
  11. Another thing this case brings home once again is that one cannot depend upon the church at any level to do the right thing. People are on their own, except for the intervention of law enforcement in some cases. Clericalism and the old boys network reigns supreme.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He has spoken out against clericalism as well.

      Delete