Excerpt from Cherin Marie’s May 1, 2021 email to Bp. Stewart Ruch:

”I know Joanna’s email to you in January recounted Fr. Rand’s, Chris Lapeyre’s, and other mandated reporters at COLA’s failure to report [redacted]’s abuse; I would like to speak to this more. I tried telling Deacon Val, you, and Fr. William, respectively, how absolutely devastating and traumatizing this was for my family. Instead of actually listening to me, each one of you immediately made excuses, explaining that Charlie Philbrick gave that advice to the best of his understanding, that he wasn’t an expert on these matters, and that he never would have given that advice if he had known better. Why did you all seek advice from someone with no experience or expertise in this area? Charlie clearly gave advice outside of his scope of competency; why has he never apologized for that, or been held responsible? What is perhaps the most hurtful and upsetting to me is that Charlie (and presumably all of you) were looking for a way for Fr. Rand to be able to avoid reporting Mark’s abuse of [redacted]. Why was Charlie’s advice even sought out in the first place, instead of a report being immediately made by Fr. Rand, as the law requires, immediately after we came to him for help? None of you have taken any responsibility for what happened surrounding this, or made even the most basic attempt at repentance and reconciliation.”

Read more at https://www.acnatoo.org/diocese-of-the-upper-midwest/part-3-victims-mother-speaks