Fairfield alum and 2002 commencement speaker Doug Perlitz ’92 was indicted by a Bridgeport grand jury on Thursday on 10 counts surrounding allegations that he sexually abused at least nine children while working as a missionary in Haiti.
While some members of the Fairfield University community have traveled to Haiti to work with Perlitz and even supported him financially, the University denies any involvement in the charges and say they had no knowledge of the events that occurred in Haiti until the indictment was released.
The University released the following statement today:
“Since the founding of the Haiti program in 1997, called Project Pierre Touissant, individual members of the University community – faculty, staff, and students – have supported the school with their time, talents, and financial resources, as have community members who participated in services at the University’s Chapel.”
Perlitz was so honored at Fairfield for his continued work in Haiti that he was asked to be the commencement speaker at the 2002 ceremony.
The indictment states that Perlitz brought children from the streets of Haiti into his established program, and used bribes of food, alcohol, and other gifts in exchange for sexual acts. The boys in the poverty-stricken country were as young as six years old and were living on the streets when Perlitz brought them into the program.
The University statement continues: “The charges involved in this case are shocking and very troubling and it is important that the judicial process move forward appropriately.”
Perlitz first went to Haiti in his junior year at Fairfield. He was supported by the nonprofit organization, Haiti Fund, Inc., which was run by former Fairfield director of campus ministry Rev. Paul Carrier, until Carrier was removed from the position in 2006. The indictment also shows that $2 million was moved from the Haiti Fund to an account in Haiti controlled by Perlitz and that some of that money was given to the boys in exchange for sexual acts.
Carrier was not charged in the indictment.
The Mirror, along with other publications, was notified in February that such allegations existed against Perlitz, yet no public statement had been made against Perlitz until Thursday. Because of such allegations, Project Pierre Touissant’s financial board forced Perlitz to leave the organization in 2008. The school was closed by early 2009.
The Mirror will have much more on the story as it develops this weekend.
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It is not true that The Mirror did not know about the sex abuse allegations against Perlitz until February of this year. In October 2008, I corresponded with Dr. Mark Reed, VP of Student Services, urging him to publish a copy of the Haiti Fund’s public letter to donors in which the firing of Perlitz was announced. Second, Fairfield University’s official statement says that Perlitz sexually abused “young men.” Let’s get it right. Perlitz abused “boys,” otherwise known as “children.”
Paul Kendrick
Freeport, Maine
Fairfield ‘72
Here’s one of several letters I sent last year to Dr. Reed.
November 20, 2008
Dr. Mark C. Reed
Vice President Administrative & Student Affairs
Fairfield University
Fairfield, Connecticut
Dear Dr. Reed,
The Jesuit author of a recent article in America Magazine describes most Christians as masters of self deception.
I suspect, Dr. Reed, that you know little to nothing about the gritty realities of child sex abuse, including the deceit and manipulation of Catholic Church officials.
Your mind appears to be closed to new ideas and thoughts. The experience of others, however, may be beneficial to your personal growth and knowledge.
You mentioned that you have witnessed the poverty and misery of the Haitian people. As you may already know, children are even more vulnerable in poor countries like Haiti where there is little or no law enforcement and an inadequate social service system. It is documented that the first line of defense against child molesters is “identification and notification.” In order to help protect children, we need to know who the molesters are and where they are living.
Which brings me to Douglas Perlitz.
If a person were to visit the Fairfield University web site and enter “Douglas Perlitz” in the search bar, one would immediately view 25 Fairfield University press releases about Perlitz.
After reading the press releases, one would think that Perlitz is a saint, a special individual who has devoted his life to helping others.
Think about this. If the owner of a day care center “googled” Perlitz’s name as part of the hiring process, he or she would think they hit the jackpot and would most likely hire Perlitz immediately. They would have no idea that the PPT Board of Directors is on record for having fired Perlitz for the sexual abuse of children.
In conclusion, Dr. Reed, here is a simple request. Please ensure that the information about why Douglas Perlitz was fired as Executive Director of Project Pierre Toussaint is published on the Fairfield University website.
Perhaps, university officials could issue a press release that includes a statement made to me by Rev. Thomas Regan, S.J. in an October 23, 2008 email message, “The (Jesuit) Society fully supports the decision of the Board, which had as its primary goal assuring the protection of children…While Fr.(Paul) Carrier, and some former Board members, have criticized the Board for its decision to remove Mr. Perlitz, he does not speak for the (Jesuit)Province in this matter.”
Protecting innocent children from cunning and manipulative child molesters is everyone’s job, Dr. Reed.
One would think that the tenets of our Jesuit education would have prepared us for this very moment in time.
I hope you will do your small part.
Sincerely,
Paul Kendrick
Fairfield University ‘72
kendrickpt@aol.com
P.S. If you decide not to issue an official statement about the firing of Perlitz on the university’s web site, would you let me know the reason(s) for your decision.
This story deeply saddens me. For years I have witnessed dedicated students, faculty, and families support Mr. Perlitz’s efforts to live out Jesuit teachings, to take care of those effected by poverty in our world. Perlitz’s behavior is not only disgusting, but a complete betrayal of this community. Fairfield is a place of higher education, and higher ideals, and for an individual to have been so manipulative in his actions, so completly out of touch with any teaching of the God that I believe in, is something that I hope this school takes in as a hard lesson, and begins to build a future that is void of dark shadows protecting those who need real and true redemption.
There are often people whom are praised, that do not deserve the praise they recieve. It is a HUGE problem when people turn their eyes away from the evidence that points to malicious behavior. Father Paul Carrier, who left the community a few years ago, whom supported Mr. Perlitz, is one such individual. This Priest, who’s homilies were beloved by the Fairfield congregation, was honestly the least example of Christ at Fairfield University, in my experience. This Priest came on a service trip with a group of sophomores, including myself, in 2006. He did not engage with the children of Ecuador, but stayed in a fancy hotel. He was completely out of touch with any of the Fairfield students, acted selfishly and coldly the entire time. There was one instance where one of my classmates was violently ill while we were walking as group, and he blatantly ignored her condition and continued to walk swiftly. We were beside our self with frustration. His behavior appalled me, and it is no small wonder that he would have been in support of Paul. This Priest is also, according to several media sources, “the religious leader” who blocked investigation of Paul because of his influence of Haitian government.
I am absolutely, 100% grateful for all the gifts that Fairfield University has given me. There are wonderful people at this institution, like Jeanne DiMuzio, Jim Fitzpatrick, Dr. Jocelyn Boryczka, Dr. Martha LoManaco, Vice President David Frassinelli, just to name a few. There are beautiful students and community members, with pure and wonderful hearts. They do not deserve this treatment, they do not deserve to be lied too!
It is horrible that Mr. Perlitz and Father Paul Carrier could care so little about this institution, the people of Haiti, and hummanity as a whole.
It’s too bad so many blindly followed their good example for so long.
May God have Mercy on Them.
Best,
Laura Marie Marciano
Class of 2008
“Per Fidem ad Plenam Veritatem” was the motto chosen for Fairfield University at its founding. It means, “Through Faith, unto Total Truth,” and this community needs to live these words more than ever.
For too long, the Catholic Church moved its “problems” around from parish to parish, assignment to assignment. And perhaps those superiors had great faith that the “issues” would not resurface. As we know, faith without acts is really no faith at all. And thousands of young people were irreparably damaged by the predators in our midst.
Therefore, it is my most fervent hope that members of the Fairfield and Jesuit communities with knowledge or evidence in this case will have the faith to reveal the total truth. There are two levels of justice at work here. Human justice requires the commitment of men and women to do what is right under the law. God’s justice will be felt by those who stand in the way of human justice –they are guilty in the same way (though surely not to the same degree) as the perpetrator of evil deeds, or the one who attempts to hide the truth or shield the perpetrator.
We, as a community, have to “suck it up,” as my daughter would say. Without truth, there can be no justice. No matter how difficult or ugly, the facts need to come from this community, so that it can purge itself of the evil and sin of this situation. It is a flesh-eating disease on the body of a normaly thoughtful and just university family.
So, from superiors at the NE Province of the Society of Jesus through Fr. von Arx through anyone at Campus Ministry with knowledge of the situation, I implore you to be completely forthcoming. The short-term might be painful, but our Lord never thought of things in the short-term, did He?
Sincerely,
Dianne (Cummo) Longofono, ‘87
Something isn’t adding up – the University says they knew nothing of the charges until the indictment (which was yesterday, right?). If so, then who notified the Mirror in Feb 2008? And it seems that Mark Reed knew as early as Nov 2008 (if not earlier) based on the letter he rec’d from Paul Kendrick and Fr. Regan knew way back in October 2008. And it’s public knowledge that the program was disbanded and that Fr. Carrier was removed from his position overseeing the fund… so why would anyone at the University issue a statement that they, “had no knowledge of the events that occurred in Haiti until the indictment was released.”
While I’m confused about who knew what when, I think that we have to be careful not to simply classify this as, “just another Catholic sex abuse scandal,” meaning that we can’t start assigning blame and accusing the administration of wrong doing.
While I’m sure Mr. Kendrick has done wonderful work in helping victims of abuse, I urge you to not read his postings all over the web and jump to conclusions about administrators involved in this crisis. I know Mark Reed personally and I know that he would never be complicit in any situation in which harm is done to anyone, but at the end of the day his hands are tied and there is only so much he can do. While, Ms. Marciano tells a story portraying Fr. Carrier as an elitist, that has no bearing on his role in this. We always joked that Fr. Carrier missed the vow of poverty when he became a Jesuit, however his dedication to the poor and to helping students, like myself, understand what it means to be men and women for others, far outweigh his own proclivity for the finer things in life.
I met Doug on a volunteer trip with Fr. Carrier to Belize in 1994 and based on that one meeting, I find this story hard to believe, but I know that things are not always as they seem and I trust that our government would not indict someone without hard evidence. So if I can have doubts after meeting Doug once, I can see how Fr. Carrier and other supporters would have a difficult time believing these allegations. It’s hard to imagine such evil lurking in someone you have known, trusted, and supported for so many years, thus don’t rush to judgment and assume that people, like Fr. Carrier and Mark Reed, were covering things up – maybe they just couldn’t believe it at that point.
Ultimately, we need to remember all of the good things that Fairfield, its students, and staff do locally, nationally, and around the world and hope that the actions of one misguided man do not blemish this fact and prevent more good work from being done. My prayers are with all of those involved – there are many difficult days and sleepless nights to come.
Stacey P., 96′
I appreciate your varying perspective deeply, but this is not just abuot Father Carrier’s behavior in “enjoying the finer things in life.” This was about his behavior in the way he treated 10 students on a trip, in a selfish and cold manner. This example was used to showcase the fact that we often blindly idolize people. Some people help others for their egos. Some people like to hear themselves speak. I do not want to disown any good that Carrier has done, but I am just saying, there is NO DOUBT in my mind that he could have been working behind to cover up something like this.
Good people to TERRIBLE things all the time. Should these terrible things be allowed to slide?
And the point here is, Fairfield covered u this story out of fear, and wanting to save their reputation. This is a natural reaction, a human reaction. However, it is now up to this community to do the right thing, and to hold together in overcoming this unthinkable injustice that has, let’s face it, ruined the lives of children in poverty further, and betrayed the people of Fairfield University.
Defend them, be the devil’s advocate, look for the truth. Absolutely. I believe that. But do not deny that there are certain personality flaws, certain selfish convictions, that can not be ignored. Any man that would walk more swiftly and laugh at a 20 year old girl who was violently ill and could not keep up has some REAL problems.
To the Fairfield Community,
This story shocked and appalled me when I first heard about it from another 2008 graduate of Fairfield. We were both involved in community service and international outreach. To be at Fairfield and be interested in those issues, it is impossible to come away without thinking of Doug Perlitz as a saint and the perfect example of everything we wish we had the courage to do in our own lives.
Now that this story has surfaced after two long years of covering it up, it is clear that Doug Perlitz was someone who took the most vulnerable children in the world and did the most abominable thing to them. These children had no one and nowhere to go. They have no food, education, home, or family. They are raised in a world of violence and drugs, struggling just to stay alive. It is no wonder that we praised Doug for taking them off of the streets. Then to hear that instead of caring for them out of the goodness of his heart and his faith in Jesuit ideals, he offered them the things that these children crave the most – food and shelter – and then took advantage of them, is one of the saddest stories I have ever imagined.
We must be careful in the future to talk to the boys, the people who are being helped. As everyone has said, this is one of Fr. Carrier’s biggest flaws. On our service trip to Ecuador, he never interacted with the people we were trying to help. He stayed in his hotel and toured the city. We learned so much by conversing and experiencing life with the Ecuadorians. The situation in Haiti could have been alleviated sooner if we had all taken the time to not simply trust Doug Perlitz to give us an account of life there, but if we had also taken the time to go to Haiti ourselves and bond with these boys.
The poorest people in the world are the ones who have no one to which they can turn in times of trouble. We can help them not only by providing food and shelter, but also by providing a place they can come when they are in trouble. By building a bond of trust and treating every human with dignity, we can overcome the exploitation here and elsewhere in the world.
I encourage people to come out of this scandal better people, to reach out to those in need, and to set an example for the world that not everyone who wants to help has other motivations. We must be true men and women for others, and help not for our own gain, but to live out the Jesuit ideals.
Sincerely,
Tara Jackson
Class of 2008
Too bad Perlitz didn’t work for ACORN, in which case his behavior would have been federally funded.
I left the Catholic Church to become a non-denominational Christian, because after studying the Bible, I learned so many of the practices, including Maryology, and idol worship are not Biblically based.
The Catholic Church likes to claim that Peter was their first Pope, a bogus claim for sure; however, the ironic part is that Peter was married!
The Catholic Church, by its very design, forces men to spend lots of time with young boys, while at the same time mandating that their priests, et. not be married.
Overwhelmingly, unmarried men with no appropriate marriage relationship, are who abuse children sexually, look at the statistics. This is true in and out of the Catholic Church. The issue with the Catholic Church is the unnatural lifestyle they force on men who wish to serve the LORD by being priests.
Paul said, “For those who CAN receive it, singleness is the best way to serve the LORD, however for the man who lusts for an intimate relationship, GET MARRIED!
Hello!
When will the Catholic Church stop breeding child molesters with its very unbiblical precepts?
Marine Mom
The worst form of ignorance is ignorance of your own ignorance. Your post reveals that you haven’t a clue as to Catholic teaching or, for that matter, Christianity. Take some time to actually study Christianity and the teachings of the Catholic faith rather than regurgitating simplistic pablum.
marine mom, you’re nuts. the catholic church doesn’t breed molesters. the guy is sick. lots of these people know its wrong and do it anyway. they are sinful and weak.
We are disturbed by the response of Fairfield University authorities to accusations that a former school chaplain molested kids in Haiti. School officials should be begging anyone with information about the allegations to do their civic and moral duty and contact law enforcement. Instead, they seem more preoccupied with distancing themselves from the accused criminal.
(According to one news account “Fairfield University said that it had no role in the project’s oversight or management adding, ’several Fairfield University employees have independently supported Project Pierre Toussaint but no organization at Fairfield University is related to Project Pierre Toussaint.’” http://www.wfsb.com/news/20974078/detail.html
Because child sex crimes are so devastating and a criminal probe is happening, school and church officials should be aggressively trying to protect kids, not their own images and reputations.
We are also highly skeptical about the claim by a university vice president that “We had no prior knowledge” of the allegations. (http://www.connpost.com/breakingnews/ci_13358895)
(One news account says that Haitian media reported the allegations last year. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2009/07_08/2009_07_18_JosephJr_CharityAt.htm)
We say this, in part, because of the school’s reckless, callous, and secretive response to recent disclosures involving a credibly accused child molesting cleric who headed the university’s prep school from 1983-85.
Last year, we discovered and exposed Msgr. Eugene J. O’Brien, a Jesuit priest, as an accused molester. In 1997, church officials quietly paid $25,000 to a New York man who was sexually victimized as a child by O’Brien. The secret settlement included a ‘gag order’ forcing the victim to say nothing about O’Brien’s crimes. At the time, Jesuit, diocesan, and Fairfield prep and university authorities told no one about the credible allegation. O’Brien was moved to Fordham Univeristy in New York.
For more than a decade, church and university officials have let O’Brien live among Catholic college and high school students there, and present himself as a priest around the world, without warning parents, students, staff or the public about the accusations or the settlement. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news5/2008_10_21_Vitello_JesuitSchool.htm
Six months ago, we hand delivered a letter to Fairfield’s president, urging him to publicly admit that a child sex abuse allegation against O’Brien was made, and a settlement was paid. We begged him to use the school’s considerable resources to seek out and offer help to anyone else O’Brien may have hurt. We prodded him to urge anyone who saw or suspected O’Brien’s crimes to call police. Thus far, we’ve seen no evidence whatsoever that any such steps have been taken.
At least two other pedophile priests have worked at Fairfield College Prep: Fr. Edmund Power and Fr. James Pratt. (According to one newspaper account, “Power was a Prep chaplain and teacher from 1962 to 1965 and again from 1968 to 1976. Pratt was a Jesuit seminarian when he taught at the school from 1981 to 1983.”) http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news3/2003_03_21_Reilly_2ExPrep_Edmund_Power_1.htm
Much like Fairfield University is trying to distance itself from Perlitz, we suspect Bridgeport Bishop William Lori will try to distance himself from the school and Perlitz. But in most instances, ties between Catholic schools and the diocese’s in which they operate are very close. (In 2006, for example, we in SNAP discovered and exposed that another Catholic university president was quietly letting a defrocked, credibly accused Bridgeport Diocese predator priest live in his New York home. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news/2006_04_20_Tepfer_DefrockedPriest.htm)
Lori, it should be noted, personally visited Perlitz in Haiti. And one of Perlitz’ board members ins Philip Lacovara, a lawyer representing the Diocese of Bridgeport.
To help protect the vulnerable and heal the wounded, we call on the Bridgeport diocese, the Jesuits, Fairfield University, and Fairfield University Prep to call off their ’spin doctors’ and publicize any other settlements or credible allegations against O’Brien, Pratt, Power, Perlitz or others who work or work at these institutions. Church and school officials should disclose where these and any other proven, admitted and credibly accused predators are living, alert their neighbors, and work hard to find and help their victims.
Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell)
A single man who opens houses for street children needs to be watched like a hawk. This social bahavior pattern is too prevelant – and should always raise red flags. Helping the underpriveledged is essential – and it is also essentially used as a method of exploitation for those who intend to sexually abuse young children.
Alum – Class of 1994 – Former mission volunteer
I always knew there was something wrong with Father Carrier. Never liked him….not surprised at all. People who act as elitists…they usually have something to hide……
This story should break the hearts of all Christians, regardless of denomination. But even the comments written in this blog are somewhat disturbing. “…unmarried men with no appropriate marriage relationship, are who abuse children sexually…” !!!! Stunning to hear someone who still believes that, let alone ever did.
I believe we as the body of Christ need to surround the victims of our mislead and injurious brothers (and sisters) and rush in with the grace of our loving Father to try to replace the evil with good. And we can leave the vengeance and the vengefull prejudices at the altar. To a grieving Lord. Ours is not to judge, but to love as He did.
wrong? Definitly wrong! Now take a break from stoning Perlitz and acknowledge the additional wrongs.. Nine boys sexually abused and the artical leads you to blieve their ages to be 6 years old when they could have been 17 years old. That still does not make this abuse exceptable but the articals deliberate attempt to sensationalize this crime with slight of hand selectively chooseing the information you are told for maximum discust is also wrong. How many boys were saved from the horrors and even death that they faced living on the streets. What will or has happened to them now that the school and homes have been closed? It is wrong to send them back to the street, it is wrong to overlook their fate by not mentioning it in the artical. It is wrong to send the message to victims that by comming forward they will be abandonded. It is wrong to act shocked at what may have happened when we are well aware of sexual slavery, abuse, girl and boy child prostitution and even murder of orphaned children forced to live on the streets. It is wrong to cry out in rage only after an artical leads you to do so. There is so much wrong with this incident and even more wrongs from our actions to it. The more you think about this artical the more difficult it is to find a simple solution. There are no easy answers and finding fault to pass judgement becomes harder and harder. I for one am greatful that judgement belongs to Gods. I am unworthy and uncapable of such an enormous responsibility.
One would have thought you good university-educated people (those of you who can spell at least) would be aware of the principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty’.
scum bags
sometimes when you are very upset, spelling takes a backseat to passion.
i commend all those who have posted for their honesty and passion about this
situation.
So much for the self-destructive anti-White guilt propaganda Jesuit colleges indoctrinate their students with. Wake up and realize that the only true “community service” is to your own ethic community. If you are of European descent, you need to realize that your people are rapidly declining in numbers and influence. European-Americans are becoming a minority in America and Europe itself is being inundated with non-Europeans. Read the Occidental Observer at http://www.theoccidentalobserver.net and get the education that Fairfield and other colleges are hiding from their students.
This is what happens when religious people focus all their time, energy and money trying to bully around gay people: their own deviants gets out of control.
“Pay no attention while that good christian is raping a kid – it’s the homosexuals you all need to worry about!”
Just ask kids who attend Jesuit universities about the wide spread gay population. This is hereasay, as I know a student at a Jesuit college, that gays go there to study “theology”…..?????Is this another ACORN???
As an Alum, I’m saddened and disgusted by the charges against someone the University has held up for years as an example to all of Christ’s work in today’s world. I suppose we’ll learn more about the abuse – unfortunately – as time goes on.
I’m also surprised to read about the behavior of Fr. Carrier. Where is the NE Province on this issue?!?!? I had come to expect more from the Jesuits.
The whole thing is a shame – not just for the university, but for the abused children in Haiti.
If Perlitz did this crime, he SHOULD get a death sentence! Our society does not protect children the way they deserve.
Here is the great irony….Father Carrier is once quoted as saying ”All of these things we do are to help students understand the roots of injustice. We do it here because it’s not only good in the context of faith, it opens it up to what it is to be human.”
HA! He is the root of injustice…So is the university for not coming forward sooner when they first learned about the sexual abuse and removing Doug Perlitz name and accomplishments from the school…
I believe there amazing Catholic believers but it is very disturbing how the Catholic priests who run the show honestly support sexual abuse…The Catholic church supports the sexual abuse of children and only spends it’s energy protecting the abusers…Satan is running the show in the Catholic world..really! There is no way that the priests, bishops etc. who simply relocate priests who abuse are followers of Christ..there is no way!!! These men are not Christians…The Catholic church is not run by true believers…
sometimes when you are very upset, justice takes a backseat to passion.
Which is why there is a legal system. Let it take its course.
Yes, Mr. Perlitz has a serious problem. It sounds like Father Carrier does too. The Catholic Church has a problem because they do not set up close accountability for anyone who works with children under their auspices, ANYWHERE. Many books have been written (such as WHEN CHILD ABUSE COMES TO CHURCH) about how to prevent child sexual abuse so there is NO excuse for this continually happening.
I would suppose that in the incessant bowels (no pun intended) of Haiti, getting burgered at a tender young age is not such a horrid experience as most other life experiences growing up there. ie. hunger, slavery, violence, dispair, poverty, etc. etc.
If you haven’t been, shut up.
Although, my taste does not run to children, and I believe that those that molest in the western would should be hanged, adding western horrors to the list of lifes worst of the hells, is in itself, self indulgence.
If you rape a person, then feed and clothe them, then you may have bought horror, but you then bettered them. Without you, there is no betterment of life. In Haiti there is only horror with or without you.
Perhaps a visit by those who scream loudest, to the shores of this lost land, would be in order. Erstwhile, the complaining and judging is nothing more than masterbation. One pleasures ones self but helps no one else.
Haiti is a hole, a window into hell. Maybe his visit there invited the evil into his soul. Maybe you should visit prior to playing God.
Playing Pope is fun, but do YOU have the bravery to go there?
If so, you will know Haiti by the dead brown ocean that surrounds that half of the Isle. Good luck, Ye lovers of the dark.
Catholic workers are particularly vulnerable to false charges- ironic additional victims of priests and church leaders involved in these crimes.
In this case, look for additional evidence to come to light, and for various reasons accusations such as these might come from a small subset of the large at-risk population that Doug worked with in Haiti. Commencement speakers are not chosen without care, and Fairfield Universlty may, in the end, reaffirm that it made a wise choice, if not an easy one.
In April 2008. Rev. Thomas Regan, S.J , Provincial of the New England Jesuits, ordered Rev. Paul Carrier, S.J, to resign his position as a teacher at the Sacred Heart Convent School in Greenwich, CT. Carrier began teaching at Sacred Heart sometime after Regan suddenly ordered Carrier to leave his position as Fairfield University’s Director of Campus Ministry in 2006. Regan also ordered Carrier to resign his position
as Chairman of the Haiti Fund in April 2008. Four months later, Perlitz was fired as the director of the Haiti project. For well over a year, Rev. Regan has refused to say where Carrieris located.
It should be noted that the three major benefactors of the Haiti Project were the Order of Malta, Fairfield University and the New England Society of Jesus.
It has been painful for me to know that since he was fired, Perlitz has been threatening and intimidating by phone and other means the same boys he accused of sexually abusing.
Instead of running and hiding from this issue, it would make sense for the New England Society of Jesus, the Fairfield University community and the Order of Malta to initiate a fund raising effort with the objective of endowing the Haiti Project with $1 million so that the school in Haiti can reopen and get back on it’s feet. Once the Haiti Fund board was rid of Carrier and several others whose public defense of Perlitz became more important than the safety and well being of the children in Haiti, the remaining board members struggled to keep the money coming in. Carrier and his followers poisoned all fundraising efforts to the detriment of the street children in Haiti.
At that very moment, the New England Jesuits and the President of Fairfield University could have and should have publicly supported the project and its fundraising efforts, but they were too busy trying to run and hide from any perception
of scandal on their part.
“The service of our faith must include the promotion of justice,” say
the Jesuits – that is, until it’s not to their advantage.
Paul Kendrick
Freeport, Maine
Fairfield University ‘72
kendrickpt@aol.com
Fr Carrier is an honest, decent man and dedicated priest. Let’s wait until all of the facts play out. As fellow sinners, we should restrain from throwing stones and work to find solutions in support of the kids.
I recall Fr. Carrier pleading to the parishoners of St. Luke in Westport for donations to this “wonderful” cause in Haiti. Sad to think that some of this money may have fed Perlitz’s horrific actions. Disgusting
Don’t be so quick to judge. I have seen various reports on news sites saying that investigations found that many of the kids who accused Perlitz were in fact bribed by locals who wanted him out.
Thank God in America we are innocent until proven guilty……I know Doug and he is a wonderful, kind loving man. I will be shocked if this turns out to be anything more than a horrible scandle. So much for dedicating your life to helping others, one huge scandle can ruin your life….sadly wether he is guilty or not…..his life is over.
Gosh after reading all the posts it seems everyone is ready to hang Doug without a trial. So much for years of dedication and hard work….lock him up and throw away the key seems to be the major opinion. It’s funny really (mostly sad though) that you can give your entire life to helping others and then something like this comes up and the same people who once praised you will be willing to convict you without a proper trial.
Dear Rae: all of his work is nullified. “good work” doesn’t mean trading walkmen and food for sex with little boys. Try him, convict him, throw him in general population and throw away the key.
I’m thankful for Paul Kendrick and his voice of reason, to which I’d like to add my own. I’m an alumna of FU and knew Doug and Paul, and a whopping FIVE of the priests in the Diocese of Bridgeport convicted for pederasty. Like you, I’m weary of placing my trust in an institution that continually fails miserably when it purports to be doing Good Work, but there is wisdom and courage in pulling back the curtain and realizing that the Wizards are humans, just slobs like us, as flawed as we all are.
Looking at these comments on this page, I am saddened by the level of comment.
We have the nihilist-materialist, “beenthere,” who says, ah, well, these kids were sodomized, but they got money and food and gifts,so they’re better off. Would you say the same about a blonde 8 year old girl sodomized in Fairfield, CT? I think not. I *have* lived in the developing world and can tell you definitively that most mothers would rather their children not have food than be raped and have food. Dignity and preservation of one’s dignity *do* count for quite a bit. Humans do not live on bread alone (Dt. 8:2-3)
Then we have Jim R., advocating the staunchly anti-Semitic and pro-white Occidentalobserver.net. Would you have Fairfield U’s largely Irish Catholic student population go exclusively to Irish Catholic physicians, then, since we should only minister to our own? What of the Samaritan who ministered to the Jew in Luke’s Gospel 10:25-37?
Further, where’s the respect for life? So many of these comments say, “Hang ‘em if they’re guilty!” Wow! Pope JP II’s encyclical “Evangelium Vitae” (“The Gospel of Life”) informed the new Catechism, which states “Assuming that the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty. If, however,non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.“Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm –without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself — the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity are very rare, if not practically non-existent.”
The entire situation is tragic, for Doug and his family, for Paul, for the children, for all of us who feel duped, deluded, and shocked by yet another ecclesial disaster. What are the lessons? Perhaps we should learn not to put people on pedestals. Perhaps we should attend to the work in our own backyards, like Bridgeport (take the log out of our own eye) rather than in “exotic” places (before we remove the speck in the other’s eye) that are more exciting and carry greater social cache. Perhaps we should demand oversight and impose social sector best practices and checks and balances in all ecclesial organizations, so that no one person wields too much power. And, above all, may we please all agree that “Adults should avoid being alone with a minor so as to remove the opportunity for, or perception of impropriety,” repeat *avoid the appearance of any impropriety*?
Dear Carolyn: Religion is bullshit and God is dead. Ask the kids in Haiti about the Pope’s encyclical, I’m sure they really care about it.
He is not the only one I am an haitian american living in the US I can tell you based on my observations. First of all they have a slogan Haiti is the poorest country in the hemisphere but all of those pervert want to rush to my country to abuse young boys and young girls, build an biais ONG and satisfy their sexual desire with the youths. State department must open an investigation on all foreigners living in Haiti, now we have MINUTSAH several of them use their power and money to take over young girls eventhough they have their family back home, some of them they even marry the young girls and when their contract expires they return home and the left the girls without any explanation
Take away his honorary degree. now.
You are, one and all, an absolute and total moral disgrace. Do us all a favor and turn the school over to the Diocese of Bridgeport, then pack your bags and get out of our sight, , forever.
I proudly graduated from Fairfield many years ago and always looked upon the Jesuits as heroes. Not now, not for while anyway. I always thought that , if no one else, at least I could rely on you and trust you and I know that the majority are upstanding priests. But I never expected this.
I am shocked. Yet, I think justice needs to take it’s course and find the truth without the pressure from public opinion. If these facts are true, it is a shame that such a wonderful project has been the facade for darker deeds. As a graduate from Fairfield University, I am proud of the values our small community shares. I know most of us at F.U. love to serve the community and use our talents to improve the lives of others. I hope we can all look at this as an isolated incident and move on with our lives and our dreams. Fairfield has contributed too much and this will not erase a brilliant past. Those who feel the call to do good, should pursue their call with even more passion to make shine our spirits. God bless our community, but most of all, God bless the children in Haiti who are still in need of our help and love.
I posted a comment last night that I did not see above–maybe I missed it because the volume was too great to read everyone. I said in effect “Mr. Perlitz has been charged with a crime, which does not mean he has been convicted.” I am involved in the legal system as a lawyer and I know that people are sometimes charged with crimes who are not guilty. We tend to assume that if the government charges someone with a crime, they must be guilty. The annals of law contain many cases of people who are exonerated even after conviction by a jury. I was reacting to quotes from people in the Fairfield community who seemed to assume he is guilty because he was charged. (By the way, I have nothing to do with Fairfield or with Mr. Perlitz.) Many of the posts above are completely off the question and betray posters’ prejudices and hostilities. I will note one above by Diana in which she suggest that conceivably Mr. Perlitz has been railroaded by people in Haiti who want to get rid of someone who is ministering to the poor. Politically-speaking, this makes sense since Haiti has one of the most unjust socio-economic structures in the world, and I am sure that anyone who makes a big splash by ministering to the poor is seen as a threat by the powers in Haiti. That is possible. On the other hand, it is possible that Mr. Perlitz is as guilty as sin. I have no personal knowledge and no evidence. So, I must take an agnostic position, and hope and pray that he will get a fair trial. But I wonder why some are so ready to regard him as guilty before he’s had a trial, and others are ready to blame the Catholic Church if he should be proven guilty in the end. I thought the days of blaming a race, church, ethnic group, national group, religion, political party for something (collective guilt) for the sins of one member of any such group were over. But back to Mr. Perlitz. Have the decency to give him the benefit of the constitutional presumption of innocence until the government proves him guilty, as I am sure ever poster on this thread would want for himself or herself if charged with a crime, whether he or she were guilty or not guilty.
No Haitian should be commenting here. No people who destroy God’s land, as they have should any say about anything. Nothing clean comes from this place.
And self-haters like Carolyn, should stop trying to quiet the voices and pain, by projecting onto others. It happened in Haiti, a place you’ve never been. Its not happening to you anymore, and what’s happening in Haiti has nothing to do with you, or anyother blond haired, white girl.
Haiti is beyond any corruption that most can comprehend. You don’t have bribe anyone to do anything, you can buy them. Own them. Children, you can buy from their parents, and it’s not expensive I hear.
So maybe, a few of you pious souls, given to rush, can set your perfections and halos aside, and not judge so hastily or so harsely.
Mr. Perlitz may have fallen victim to the darkness that is Haiti, or he could be innocent. Or he could, like all of us, fall somewhere in the middle.
Visit the place if you want to understand. It is Hell. And you’ll know it by the brown ring of dead sea around the Haitian half of the Island.
Weither Mr Perlitz burgered a boy or two, I don’t know. But to stand accused in Haiti. He made some one very mad.
And that’s money, not innocence or guilt.
Help Haiti’s children – Demand that accused US pedophile, Doug Perlitz, not be set free on bond
Help Haiti’s children – Demand that accused pedophile, Doug Perlitz, not be set free on bond
For more information, go to – http://www.margueritelaurent.com/law/abuse.html#stoprelease
ask that “accused pedophile, Douglas Perlitz, not be granted bond because of
the gravity of the charges – sexually abusing nine of the children he was helping in Haiti for close to ten years. Accused pedophile, Douglas Perlitz, is a danger to children everywhere and there is no guarantee this compulsion that he is accused of is
limited to just Haitian children in Haiti. If Douglas Perlitz is released on bond, despite the gravity of these charges, all children in the US communities he is released into may be in imminent danger, including Haitian children living in these US communities.
Court papers disclose that during a conversation with a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, Douglas Perlitz denied sexually abusing any of the children. But he allegedly admitted “molestation would be tough” and that the Haitian children who were molested “should just get over it … He said he got over his father’s death and even though it was tough he moved on …”
It would be a dereliction of duty to release Douglas Perlitz on bond based on this depraved indifference alone. What is tough right now for the community is that Douglas Perlitz’s release is even being contemplated. The Court ought to clearly tell Perlitz to “get over it” and detain him pending trial because he is a danger to the community, a flight risk, and based on the indictment, he has virtually admitted to molestation. [For more info, go to – http://www.margueritelaurent.com/law/abuse.html#stoprelease
Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network (HLLN)
Haitians are also following this investigation very closely. There are too many pedophiles in robe pretending to be helping the poor while abusing them. From the time of racial slavery to this day, the Church has failed to follow the teachings of Jesus. Rather than stand by the the sides of the enslaved Africans in Haiti, they participated actively in the crimes of slavery on the side of the barbaric enslavers. Father Labbat, Fauque are two such monsters who murdered hundreds of men, women and children in Haiti, before liberation of that island by Jean-Jacques Dessalines in 1803. The Church has clearly failed the children by its cover up of Perlitz’s crimes. And by what i am reading, it appears Carrier is also being protected by the same cabal.
The people’s eyes are God’s eyes – They are watching you!!!
To “beentheregottheshirt”…you are an idiot. There is so much more “heaven” in the courage and determination of the poor in Haiti than there will ever be in your baseless and dangerously frightening opinions. The color of the surrounding sea does not make Haiti hell…your misguided belief about what is true and and important in life is. Your views are reflective of how so many people falsely see this country…as a desolute place of grime and trash without an ounce of dignity or humanity. You have encouraged others to go there…have you been there? If you have, than you have unfortunately missed out on the inner beauty of a people surviving in a society affected by the greed of other countries and their own years of political oppression and abandonment. To suggest that by being clothed and fed the violation of their physical bodies and the raping of their souls is justified is frightening. No one, no matter who they are, where they live, or how fortunate they are in this world, should EVER have to experience the shame and turmoil of abuse. There is no justification for these crimes. Haiti can not cause evil to enter your soul…that evil is already there.
Used to see Fr. Carrier at a Fairfield restaurant where I worked. Always with young men. He was arrogant and creepy. Always felt unnerved by him. My friend went to BC and had experience with him. When I mentioned him, she bristled and said, “There’s a reason he’s not there. He’s bad news.” What aren’t you telling us Fairfield Univ.? We are waiting for your response.