By Tim Rohr
“…we ask everyone to please refrain from circulating rumors and unofficial, unfounded information.” - Archbishop Ryan Jimenez
Strange words from Archbishop Jimenez tacked on to the announcement regarding Fr. Mike Crisostomo's hospitalization a couple days ago.
And now, now that Fr. Mike is dead, those words are stranger still.
What "rumors and unofficial, unfounded information" could have been "circulating," and apparently in such a heightened way that the archbishop felt moved to warn everyone to stop it?
Fr. Mike had been ill for a very long time. He had been visibly wasting away before all of us. He was, according to what he told me personally two years ago, receiving dialysis treatment 3 days a week for 3.5 hours each day. I believe that as his disease got worse, he required even more frequent dialysis. He also was having trouble with his fistula - the access point on his arm for his dialysis.
Strokes are not uncommon for people who suffer with diabetes, and it came as no surprise when I heard that Fr. Mike had one. But the archbishop's words WERE a surprise: "...please refrain from circulating rumors and unofficial, unfounded information." It sounds like the archbishop is afraid of something. Damage control?
Now, compare Fr. Mike's death to the death of another priest which in fact did very much warrant the circulation of rumors and unofficial information: the death of Fr. Fr Antonino Caminiti almost exactly one year ago (Dec. 14, 2024).
The reason Fr. "Nino's" death warranted rumors isn't hard to guess at: he had been accused of sexual misconduct with a parishioner, he had been removed from the parish by Archbishop Jimenez, and he died while in the "custody" of the same archbishop.
YET! There was NOTHING from the archbishop about the sudden and mysterious death of Fr. Antonio Caminiti other than the usual announcements about services and burial - not even a mention about the cause of death.
Additionally, pursuant to the archbishop's letter of Nov. 12, 2024, Fr. Nino was under investigation: “...the preliminary investigation was conducted and the allegation is now under further investigation as recommended by the Independent Review Board."
Has anyone heard a peep about this investigation in what is now more than one year? Nothing, as far as I know. Just because the accused is dead doesn't mean the investigation should die too. But apparently it did.
If in fact, Fr. Nino engaged in sexual misconduct with a parishioner, this should be known. And if he didn't, then his name should be cleared.
In the exposition of the horrible scandal this diocese has had to suffer through for ten years now, there were several dead priests who were "on trial." Just because they were dead was no cause for sudden silence about the allegations against them - as it appears to be in the Caminiti case.
But NOTHING. (But then again, Caminiti was a Neo.)
Meanwhile, Fr. Mike, who, as already mentioned, was very visibly ill for the last several years, has a stroke and the archbishop jumps out to do what can only be characterized as DAMAGE CONTROL.
Why?
P.S. Note that the NEWS RELEASE is not signed by anyone and only says "sent by Tony Diaz." That's exceptionally bad form. This is what the goons who ran the asylum for Apuron did: just sent out all kinds of stuff on archdiocesan letterhead but from no one. We're not going to let that go. If it's on the letterhead then it's from the archbishop. Period.
Having received a number of forwarded messages — some from sources I had thought to be trustworthy — on Wednesday 12/31stating that “Pale’ Mike passed away about 20 minutes ago” and “His brother xxx just called xxxyyy that he passed away 10 minutes ago” my guess is that the “… rumors and unofficial unfounded information “ that the AB was trying to control was the premature reporting of +Fr. Mike’s death. This post has definitely given me more to think about.
ReplyDeleteLike many others, I was quite upset that +Fr. Mike was assigned to such a remote parish, given his serious health issues. I couldn’t understand what motivated such a horrible decision.
Réquiem ætérnam dona ei, Dómine.
Et lux perpétua lúceat ei.
Requiéscat in pace. Amen.
✝️🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼✝️
There are those claiming that he wanted the assignment. He did not. However, once his pleas to be assigned to a parish closer to medical care were ignored, Fr. Mike, obediently accepted the assignment and made the best of it. He didn't publicly complain. He was a good priest.
DeleteThe horrible decision by the archbishop and advocated by his right and dirty hand, the vicar general, to send Pale Mike to a remote parish was vicious and vengeful. Given Pale Mike's serious and deteriorating health condition, something that both knew very well, what else could it be?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous @ 11:54 PM, your comment piqued my curiosity so I did a little research … it turns out that in July 2024, as Antonio @ 1:26 AM mentioned, then-Fr. Romy kept +Fr. Mike in Tamuning near a dialysis center and Fr. Paul Gofigan was assigned to Inarajan/St. Joseph. Ironically in September 2025, +Fr. Mike was sent to Inarajan, a considerable distance from the closest dialysis center, while Fr. Paul Gofigan was transferred to +Fr. Mike’s former parish in Toto. Less than four months after that reassignment, we are mourning +Fr. Mike’s death. One has to wonder why the decision was made to assign +Fr. Mike down south in Inarajan, given his fragile health.
DeleteI was informed by a reliable source (a confidant of Fr. Mike) that after having being informed of his new assignment down south, Fr. Mike asked the archbishop that because of his serious and deteriorating condition, if he would send him to a parish closer north. Fr. Mike's dialysis proscribed by his doctor had him having dialysis several times a week at 5 AM. The distance from the new parish had him getting up at 3 AM to get ready to meet the 5 AM schedule, a schedule that his doctor told him to strictly follow. The archbishop without much thought and regard cavalierly brushed off Fr. Mike's request. That is just plain mean, cruel, and malevolent.
ReplyDeleteNow that I think about it, this was probably why then-Fr. Romy kept Msgr. James and Pale' Mike in their respective parishes. Msgr. James, as mentioned here before, has proven to be the only person who is able to manage the Cathedral-Basilica in its entirety. With Pale' Mike, however, it was to monitor his fragile health as a dialysis center was just a short drive away from the Tamuning parish. May eternal rest be given to this well-loved and dedicated priest.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, I truly wonder if there's something fishy behind Jimenez's political grin.
You mean his malevolent grin!
DeleteWhat does the Vicar General and the Archbishop have against Pale Mike? Sending him to a parish that is far from his dialysis clinic sounds like they wanted to punish or get rid of a good priest. What a shame.
ReplyDeleteHe asked Archbshop TWICE to be relocated closer to where he was getting his dialysis, but was refused. One of the Eucharistic Ministers would pick up Fr. from Inarajan to take him to his dialysis 3x a week.
ReplyDeletePale' Mike was still living at the St. Anthony rectory.
ReplyDeleteThis was only the case for the first few weeks after the reshuffling of priests, as his soon-to-be living space in Inarajan was still being prepared. Later on, yes, he would occasionally stop by St. Anthony Church and even stay for brief periods there whenever he was asked to either cover masses or undergo grueling dialysis treatment.
DeleteStill, it is not very pastoral for Jimenez to assign Pale' Mike to a remote parish in the south without any consideration of the latter's deteriorating health or ongoing treatment. The sad reality is that we only worry now because something tragic has already happened. Yet nothing was ever done when Pale' Mike was still alive. :(
Not after his transfer to St.Joseph became effective, last September.
DeleteSt. Joseph has a scheduled Mass, Monday through Saturday at 6am. If Fr. Mike was living at St. Anthony rectory, that means he had to be on the road to Inarajan 6 days a week by at least 5am. That's ridiculous.
DeleteHe lived at St Anthony rectory, which can house 8 priests. He was stricken in his bedroom there. Fact.
DeleteSo who said Mass 6 days a week at 6am?
DeleteWere Frs. Paul and Mike on the best of terms? Or was some animosity involved
ReplyDeleteI don't know. But one thing for certain: Fr. Paul would have been long gone had it not been for this blog and the very few people who went to bat for him in 2013 after Apuron threatened him with "an arduous and painful closure to his assignment." Fr. Mike was a quiet supporter of what we did here, and after things blew up for me personally, he was the only priest who cared enough to check in on how I was doing.
DeleteTim @ 01/04 8:06 AM, the questions regarding the relationship between +Fr. Mike and Fr. Paul posed by Anonymous 01/03 @ 8:27AM reminded me of how in 2014 +Fr. Mike demonstrated incredible courage by posting his support for Fr. Paul and later was forbidden from posting anymore. You are 100% correct that without this blog it’s unlikely that Fr. Paul would be in his current position … my guess is that, although +Fr. Mike was obedient to the Gag Order, he continued to quietly support this blog with his ongoing prayers.
DeleteCan you just all stop this nonsense. Just let AB R.J. do his job. I am sure AB R.J. has his legal advisors, and he is following protocols on making announcements.
ReplyDeletePlease people, STOP all this hearsay ...
It has not been a week that Pale Mike has passed away...his funeral plans are still being worked out by his immediate family and the diocese, if you are not in that planning committee, KEEP QUIET. Give respect to the dead. Just pray for Pale Mike's family & friends.
Reminds me of the constant messages we got when we started exposing Apuron's crap: SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP. Well, Fr. Mike didn't do that. And we're not going to do that. Something was very wrong about that assignment. And it's not hearsay. I have the messages in writing from Fr. Mike himself.
DeleteEternal rest grant unto Påle' Mike, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. Amen. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. The passing of Påle' Mike, a beloved priest and native son of Guam, known for his dedication and leadership, is a great loss for the people and Catholic Church on Guam. May we continue to pray for the repose of his soul; for all our priests on Guam, those who are living and those who have passed; and for more vocations to the priesthood for our island. May Påle' Mike's legacy and example be an inspiration to boys and young men on Guam, especially her native sons, to discern a call to the priesthood.
ReplyDelete