WHEN THE CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST

 (Posted by Frenchie)

A little over two years ago on June 6 2021, I wrote a piece on this Blog about Fr. Richards.

At the time Fr Richards was de Facto managing our Archdiocese, since Archbishop Byrnes had started having some health issues, and was off island for long periods of time. I had criticized on many occasions, the behavior, and way of handling business of this priest who was "on loan from the Archdiocese of Detroit, Michigan" Fr Richards had landed in Guam not long after Archbishop Byrnes in 2016. Originally he was supposed to council the Archbishop on matters of administration and Canon law. His official title was special assistant to the Archbishop.

Many of us were puzzled by this unusual position, and many were whispering about the reasons of such a position. Today many are still questioning the real motivation of Archbishop Byrnes. Knowing our recent history of abuse and deceit, it is easy to understand that people would be circonspect at least. Personally, as I wrote at the time and on prior occasions, I felt that Fr Richards had taken advantage of a personal friendly relation with Archbishop Byrnes, which hailed back to their university days, to try to advance his career. I had personally confronted the Archbishop on this subject, in a brotherly way and concluded that nothing existed on Archbishop Byrnes' mind, that was nefarious, immoral or interested, in that regards.  You can consult that article 

Find Here

Unfortunately, if there was no interested will on the behalf of the Archbishop, the opposite could not be said about Fr Richards, as it became painfully obvious that he saw his stint on Guam as a possible launch for his career. Psychologically, you could say that Fr Richards suffered from several strong challenges. The first one, that became blatant fairly fast, was his narcissist personality. Fr Richards checked all the warnings:

*Maintain fuzzy communication

*Tells lies

*Feels Jealousy

*Inability to admit wrongdoing or take responsibility for his actions

*Inability to recognize the needs or feelings of others

*Continual seeking of recognition or success

Unfortunately for Guam, there was another issue that Guam was sadly very experienced with: the growing signals, ( from whom he liked to hang with, to some of his unsolicited advances reported by a growing number of people, and flippant some said bitchy remarks) that Fr Richards was more likely than not a gay man on the down low. We had decades of experience with this kind of individuals who thought they could come and hide their proclivities and continue to not abide by their vow of chastity. Chastity, no matter what your sexual preference happens to be, is a constant struggle, that can only be lived through a life of prayer and service to others through humility, which takes precedent over any impulse one can have. I know it is a difficult concept in a society where the fulfillment of impulses is lauded on TV and on social media. Immediate self gratification is now the norm, and we can see its ravages all around us, in our civil society, and also in the ranks of our clergy...

What we had, was what is commonly called a perfect storm.

With the pandemic, and the fast degradation of the Archbishop health, there was no check and balances for Fr Ron. He had been charged to oversee the proceedings of the bankruptcy, and given a wide array of powers. For a pervert narcissists this is a green light for his worse instincts. The only thing that helped Guam at that point was three fold. Members of the Clergy were getting tired of the style of management these behaviors bring forward. The Bankruptcy proceedings were finally moving towards a solution. The Archbishop somehow, despite his mental and physical challenges became aware that the abscess had to be dealt with. (helped by Fr Ron realisation that his welcome had worn thin)

The Archdiocese of Detroit had a conundrum, Fr Ron was incardinated in Detroit, and while they had not  been displeased to loan him to Guam, his return to the fold was more problematic. The only parish they could find was a small parish in the northern area of the Archdiocese, which they "gave" Fr Ron.

This was a good solution for Detroit, the potential for problems would be low and remote. This was  not counting on the prima dona attitude we had witnessed here. How dare they give a former Chancellor, special council to an Archbishop, acting Vicar general and Apostolic Vicar, such a menial assignment!!??

So they rescinded his assignment to that small parish and instead gave him the post of Pastor of a nice Parish:

"Our Lady of Sorrow" in the small, but comfortable suburb of Orchard Lake, in the NW corner of the Metro Area, mostly known for its concentration of Country Clubs and nice homes on Lake shores.

What I found interesting at the time, was that this Parish is close by to the St Cyril Methodius Seminary, which was Fr Ron's stomping grounds prior to coming to Guam.

Fast forward to 2023, Guam has made peace with the untimely departure of our Archbishop, but has not thought twice about the disappearance of Fr Ron. A case of out of sight, out of mind. As you know the "ways of the Lord are mysterious"

Here is a twist in our story, that is surprising in a way, but not so much in another.

It appears that when Fr Richards arrived in his new digs, he did not win many parishioners with his rough ways and condescending attitude. (Nothing new here) People started talking, and looking around for answers. Some confronted him, and were not very convinced with the inconsistencies of his answers. A few parishioners started reading the Junglewatch, and found out, that not all was well. The parish council was worried, so were many parishioners. A few people starting their own investigation, and lo and behold someone found out that Fr Richards had an active account on Grindr (for those of you that do not keep up with these sites: Grindr is dating website for adult  gay hookup). The rumor of the discovery took a life of its own, and he was given a choice to resign which he did.

What is interesting for us are the two informations that transpired after he was found out and confronted.

According to Fr Ron's declarations, he had started the account while he was on Guam.

He had considered resigning from the priesthood when he was on Guam

These two declarations, are worrisome for several reasons. The first of course would be: why would a priest who took a vow of celibacy, would find it all right to open such an account? Of course we know in Guam that some priests do not take their vow of celibacy seriously at all. (Siring children out of wedlock, or having mistresses, etc...) This to me is a symptom of a lack of moral bearing, which  put in question their own validity. Yet, this is also important when you add this knowledge to some issues that came front and center during the pandemic, and while the Archbishop was on and off island.

When, the laity and the clergy found out that after the Governor started seizing more extra ordinary powers, under the guise of the medical emergency, and the DPHSS imposed the closing of our places of worship, which the Archbishop agreed to, as a matter of caution, and at the urging of the pontiff on the global level, many were shocked, and voiced their concerns to the Chancery. Basically most of us ran into a defensive wall, erected by Fr Ron around the Archbishop. Byrnes had become more and more isolated without realizing it. Thanks to a handful of courageous priests, whom Richards could not keep away, the Archbishop agreed (only after the Protestant pastor of Victory Chapel led the way) to start negotiations with Adelup for the re opening of the Churches. In order to do so Byrnes tasked the Liturgical committee to lead the negotiations with the DPHSS, to establish a process.

This is when of course we were treated to this out of body experience, by the then Director of DPHSS (Linda de Norcey), who when questioned about when people would be able to resume receiving the sacraments, went into a tirade and explained that we were not authorized to receive said sacraments. Talk about separation of Church and State! But here we were. Finally when confronted by the head of the liturgical committee , and  her Parish priest, she relented. One victory for the good guys!!!

Except! Except that Ron Richards went behind the back of the Archbishop and the Liturgical committee, to make a side deal with the Lt Governor. It took the Homily of a courageous priest, on the internet that went viral , to tilt the momentum back to the Church.

Nobody at the time did understand why Ron Richards would effectively backstab the faithful. Some ventured that the Neos had pressured him, but no one could add two and two.

Today the Detroit based organisation the "Church Militant" ran a news story:

Find Here

Titled : "Detroit Priest hasty departure sparks questions" "Gay? Grindr? Guam? Whats going on?"

In it we find that Richards had claimed , that he had led the covid  safety compliance, and that he worked directly with the Governor. Obviously a stretch of his imagination, to cover his special relation with our Lt Governor, and the now infamous Adrian Cruz. Why were these people so friendly? This only leads to more questions: Had Ron Richards been compromised by Adelup thanks to his Grindr account? We probably will never know. This is exactly what the CIA calls "possible deniability", a game Adelup is very good at.

Meanwhile, as the Shadow likes to say, the plot thickens.

(more to come)