Much has been written about priests and pedophilia, but not about particular priests and their particular victims. This is the story about Father Bernard Bissonnette, a priest from Grosvenordale, Connecticut and the fifty-year path of destruction and heartache he left in his wake. There were dozens of victims, first in his home state and then in New Mexico, where the Catholic Church sent him to be “cured,” only to recycle him in parishes throughout the state. It highlights the Deary family of Putnam, Connecticut, whose eldest son, Tommy – the second of their thirteen children – was one of Bissonnette’s earliest victims, and who, after struggling for many years with depression, marital problems, and his own sexual identity, eventually killed himself. And it follows the tireless efforts of his youngest brother to overcome the obstructionism and hostility of the Catholic Church and track down Father Bissonnette, confront him with his misdeeds, then bring him to justice – or at least get him thrown out of the Church.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Generalities, by definition, obscure specifics. So while the rampant scandal of pedophilic priests continues to make fodder for highly publicized legal settlements and late-night talk-show jokes, the individual stories of legions of victims and perpetrators often get lost in the noise. Author David Margolick seeks to remedy this in telling the tale of Father Bernard Bissonnette, a remorseless priest whose victims included one Tommy Deary. Deary's eventual suicide provoked his family to pursue Bissonnette through a wake of victims that crossed the United States and spanned decades, despite the Church's repeated efforts to deal with Bissonnette by simply transferring him to new parishes, where--time and again--he found new victims and in some cases, even collaborators. The story is as abstractly familiar as it is uniquely dismal, but girded by Margolick's in-depth research and interviews with most of those involved, it offers a singular look behind the screaming headlines. --Jason Kirk
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144 of 148 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
There are few things worse than being molested as a child. One of those few things is being molested by a member of the clergy as this article proves so clearly.
As a boy, Tommy Deary was molested by a Catholic priest who early in his priesthood had his "grooming" techniques down to an art. He knew (usually) which boys would be the most easily victimized--and who would be the least likely to tell. When the molestation happened to Tommy, it was a completely different era, in that the word pedophile wasn't even used and certainly wasn't heard daily. The Catholic Church clearly knew this priest had issues, as we say today, but their method of dealing with the problem priest was to send him from town to town, rather than stip him of his collar.
Tommy's suicide, though, changes everything. He never told anyone exactly what the priest did to him, though he told bits and pieces to several people over the years. Deeply troubled, Tommy committed suicide and the family believed Tommy's mental disturbances were directly due to the fact that he was molestated as a child.
One brother, in particular, took on the mission of finding the priest and was determined to get answers about what really happened between the priest and Tommy. Two of his brothers went with him. They found the priest, but not one willing to tell the truth. He, in fact, actually blamed it on the victim, as is far too often the case. Eventually, the family pursues the matter long enough and hard enough that the priest is eventually stripped of his priesthood--something he would not give up, even though he was too old and sick to perform any priestly duties.
No one can read this article without coming away feeling good that the family of the victim does have at least having some degree of satisfaction in knowing the priest was defrocked. I admire their courage and determination so much. It's just heartbreaking that Tommy himself was not still here when that happened, nor was he able to ever freely tell his story and heal.
This is a very well written article about one victim out of many--just by this one priest alone--of the Catholic Church scandals of recent years. It shows the Catholic Church's tendencies to ignore priests with sexual problems and its denial that such things happened in the Church at all.
What A Predator Priest does exceptionally well is to take all the priest scandal/molestation media hoopla and make it personal. This is one person and his family's story, yes, but it is representative of so many others, but in this one story I was able to connect with whole subject in a personal way that I hadn't been able to do before. The scandals have just been so huge, but this article boils it down to one person.
While the article does not cast outright negative aspersions on the Church, it does show its reluctance to face up to the long-standing problems among its priests. Surprisingly, I was not as outraged as I thought I would be after reading this article. The Catholic Church has suffered, but its members have suffered as well, and they need the Church to regain its inner strength and restore its reputation. Much of what happened during this man's story was in such a totally different world that I think that other denominations would've reacted the same way. It's easy to forget in this era of over-telling everything there is to talk about that it hasn't been that many years ago when there wasn't even an adequate language to describe what was actually happening back then and even less education on how to deal with it effectively.
The only thing that bothered me at all about this article is that I cannot help but wonder if this is what Tommy, who never completely told his story, would've wanted. He seemed to be a very private person in general, but that might have been because of the shame he felt. I can never know the answer, but I will continue to ask myself if this public telling of his story is what he would've wanted. I have to hope that it is.
Overall, I was riveted by this article and am glad I read it. It's very well written and flows nicely. The length is perfect for a lunch break. I hope that this family now has peace and can move forward, knowing they did they best they could do for their brother and son.
As a boy, Tommy Deary was molested by a Catholic priest who early in his priesthood had his "grooming" techniques down to an art. He knew (usually) which boys would be the most easily victimized--and who would be the least likely to tell. When the molestation happened to Tommy, it was a completely different era, in that the word pedophile wasn't even used and certainly wasn't heard daily. The Catholic Church clearly knew this priest had issues, as we say today, but their method of dealing with the problem priest was to send him from town to town, rather than stip him of his collar.
Tommy's suicide, though, changes everything. He never told anyone exactly what the priest did to him, though he told bits and pieces to several people over the years. Deeply troubled, Tommy committed suicide and the family believed Tommy's mental disturbances were directly due to the fact that he was molestated as a child.
One brother, in particular, took on the mission of finding the priest and was determined to get answers about what really happened between the priest and Tommy. Two of his brothers went with him. They found the priest, but not one willing to tell the truth. He, in fact, actually blamed it on the victim, as is far too often the case. Eventually, the family pursues the matter long enough and hard enough that the priest is eventually stripped of his priesthood--something he would not give up, even though he was too old and sick to perform any priestly duties.
No one can read this article without coming away feeling good that the family of the victim does have at least having some degree of satisfaction in knowing the priest was defrocked. I admire their courage and determination so much. It's just heartbreaking that Tommy himself was not still here when that happened, nor was he able to ever freely tell his story and heal.
This is a very well written article about one victim out of many--just by this one priest alone--of the Catholic Church scandals of recent years. It shows the Catholic Church's tendencies to ignore priests with sexual problems and its denial that such things happened in the Church at all.
What A Predator Priest does exceptionally well is to take all the priest scandal/molestation media hoopla and make it personal. This is one person and his family's story, yes, but it is representative of so many others, but in this one story I was able to connect with whole subject in a personal way that I hadn't been able to do before. The scandals have just been so huge, but this article boils it down to one person.
While the article does not cast outright negative aspersions on the Church, it does show its reluctance to face up to the long-standing problems among its priests. Surprisingly, I was not as outraged as I thought I would be after reading this article. The Catholic Church has suffered, but its members have suffered as well, and they need the Church to regain its inner strength and restore its reputation. Much of what happened during this man's story was in such a totally different world that I think that other denominations would've reacted the same way. It's easy to forget in this era of over-telling everything there is to talk about that it hasn't been that many years ago when there wasn't even an adequate language to describe what was actually happening back then and even less education on how to deal with it effectively.
The only thing that bothered me at all about this article is that I cannot help but wonder if this is what Tommy, who never completely told his story, would've wanted. He seemed to be a very private person in general, but that might have been because of the shame he felt. I can never know the answer, but I will continue to ask myself if this public telling of his story is what he would've wanted. I have to hope that it is.
Overall, I was riveted by this article and am glad I read it. It's very well written and flows nicely. The length is perfect for a lunch break. I hope that this family now has peace and can move forward, knowing they did they best they could do for their brother and son.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Not being a Catholic, the controversy and anger over the issue of pedophile priests and the church officials who either shelter them or keeping moving them from one church to another has always seemed somewhat removed from me. Yes, molesting children is vile - espcially when done by an authority figure in the child's life - and it is morally reprehensible to protect pedophile under the mantle of the priesthood. But beyond that, I was content not to tell the Vatican how to run it's church as long as the church didn't try to tell me how to live my life.
In David Margolick's Kindle Single A Predator Priest, the issue is brought front and center and presented not as something that takes a toll on the victims, the priesthood and the church. Margolick's work shows the very human toll priestly pedophilia exacts. On one side of the story is Tommy Deary, one of 13 children in a Catholic family. On the other is Fr. Bernard Bissonnette, who is inordinately fond of fishing trips with the teenage sons of his church members. On these trips (and at every opportunity) Bissonnette is fondling the boys and often moving beyound mere touching to oral and anal sex.
Despite rumors of his behavior (this was the early '60s when priests were trusted unconditionally) Bissonnette's superiors moved him from one church to another, finally moving him from Connecticutt to Arizona. Throughout it all, Bissonnette continued to molest young boys ... homing in on the most vulnerable with an almost sixth sense. One of his victims before he left Connecticutt was Tommy Deary who suffered for years as the result of molestation at the hands of Bissonnette. It took Deary years to finally admit what had happened to him. By this time the molestation has already taken a toll on Tommy's relationships, family and even at times his sanity. It ended up taking his life, too, as he connected a hose to his car's exhaust and died in his garage clutching a Bible.
To find peace and make sense of their brother's suicide, three of Tommy's brothers set out to find Bissonnette in Arizona. If they hoped to find remorse and repentence in the old priest, they were disappointed. Bissonnette remained defiant, claiming that Tommy (and presumably hundreds of others) seduced him. The victimizer attempted to play victim.
This is not an easy work to read. Neither is it a work that allows the reader to sit passively on the sidelines. But it is a work that challenges authority and holds that authority responsible for what can only be called a great evil.
In David Margolick's Kindle Single A Predator Priest, the issue is brought front and center and presented not as something that takes a toll on the victims, the priesthood and the church. Margolick's work shows the very human toll priestly pedophilia exacts. On one side of the story is Tommy Deary, one of 13 children in a Catholic family. On the other is Fr. Bernard Bissonnette, who is inordinately fond of fishing trips with the teenage sons of his church members. On these trips (and at every opportunity) Bissonnette is fondling the boys and often moving beyound mere touching to oral and anal sex.
Despite rumors of his behavior (this was the early '60s when priests were trusted unconditionally) Bissonnette's superiors moved him from one church to another, finally moving him from Connecticutt to Arizona. Throughout it all, Bissonnette continued to molest young boys ... homing in on the most vulnerable with an almost sixth sense. One of his victims before he left Connecticutt was Tommy Deary who suffered for years as the result of molestation at the hands of Bissonnette. It took Deary years to finally admit what had happened to him. By this time the molestation has already taken a toll on Tommy's relationships, family and even at times his sanity. It ended up taking his life, too, as he connected a hose to his car's exhaust and died in his garage clutching a Bible.
To find peace and make sense of their brother's suicide, three of Tommy's brothers set out to find Bissonnette in Arizona. If they hoped to find remorse and repentence in the old priest, they were disappointed. Bissonnette remained defiant, claiming that Tommy (and presumably hundreds of others) seduced him. The victimizer attempted to play victim.
This is not an easy work to read. Neither is it a work that allows the reader to sit passively on the sidelines. But it is a work that challenges authority and holds that authority responsible for what can only be called a great evil.
48 of 58 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Growing up Catholic for many boys meant becoming an altar boy, fish on Friday, confession on Saturday and mass on Sunday. Unfortunately for many of those boys it also meant falling victim to a predatory priest.
If we've been desensitized by all the attention given to the issue of sexual abuse by priests, David Margolick, succeeds in helping plant the topic back on the public agenda. "A Predator Priest" has force and impact because Margolick, a journalist who has written for "Vanity Fair" and was a reporter for the "New York Times" tells a compelling story that focuses on one priest and one family. The issue of predatory priests is abstract. Margolick tells a story that's squalid and all too real.
For a half century until he simply became worn out and in ill health, the Rev. Bernard Bissonnette, "Father Barney" molested dozens of boys in the many parishes in Connecticut and New Mexico to which the Catholic Church assigned him in order to stay ahead of the repeated allegations of sexual abuse.
One of those boys was Tommy Deary, one of 13 children of the deeply faithful Deary family of the sleepy mill town of Putnam, Conn. Described by his brothers and sisters as a trusting, vulnerable kid, Tommy at 13 was an altar boy at St. Mary's and was being repeatedly molested by Bissonnette.
A victim, Deary was tormented with guilt and shame for 30 years, his brother Teddy said, "His suffering didn't show. It's not like he had a limp. It was a pain that you couldn't see." In September 1993 at age 43, he went into his garage, hooked up a hose to his car and asphyxiated himself.
Three of his brothers set out to find a measure of justice. They succeeded in 2005 when the Vatican defrocked the old, infirm priest. The church described his offense in Latin, "Delictum contra sextum eodem sexu: sexual misconduct with someone of the same sex."
That's only the shell of this painful yet remarkable story. Margolick has researched and documented a forceful account of abuse that strains credulity and serves as an indictment of the Catholic Church, which by turning a blind eye becomes complicit in decades of abuse involving an uncounted number of victims.
[4.5 stars]
If we've been desensitized by all the attention given to the issue of sexual abuse by priests, David Margolick, succeeds in helping plant the topic back on the public agenda. "A Predator Priest" has force and impact because Margolick, a journalist who has written for "Vanity Fair" and was a reporter for the "New York Times" tells a compelling story that focuses on one priest and one family. The issue of predatory priests is abstract. Margolick tells a story that's squalid and all too real.
For a half century until he simply became worn out and in ill health, the Rev. Bernard Bissonnette, "Father Barney" molested dozens of boys in the many parishes in Connecticut and New Mexico to which the Catholic Church assigned him in order to stay ahead of the repeated allegations of sexual abuse.
One of those boys was Tommy Deary, one of 13 children of the deeply faithful Deary family of the sleepy mill town of Putnam, Conn. Described by his brothers and sisters as a trusting, vulnerable kid, Tommy at 13 was an altar boy at St. Mary's and was being repeatedly molested by Bissonnette.
A victim, Deary was tormented with guilt and shame for 30 years, his brother Teddy said, "His suffering didn't show. It's not like he had a limp. It was a pain that you couldn't see." In September 1993 at age 43, he went into his garage, hooked up a hose to his car and asphyxiated himself.
Three of his brothers set out to find a measure of justice. They succeeded in 2005 when the Vatican defrocked the old, infirm priest. The church described his offense in Latin, "Delictum contra sextum eodem sexu: sexual misconduct with someone of the same sex."
That's only the shell of this painful yet remarkable story. Margolick has researched and documented a forceful account of abuse that strains credulity and serves as an indictment of the Catholic Church, which by turning a blind eye becomes complicit in decades of abuse involving an uncounted number of victims.
[4.5 stars]
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Something I lived thru with a close friend
I think that David Margolick hit a home run, He did his home work and left a telling story that should be read by many
Published 8 days ago by paul J Levesque,Jr.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good value
Not a bad purchase. A bit predictable, but if I recollect correctly it was good value and I have no regrets about buying it.
Published 14 days ago by Richard S Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Predator Priest
A "raw" story about one of the most difficult and damaging issues of the Catholic Church. I would recommend this book as a means to show how a very difficult situation was... Read more
Published 1 month ago by larry carda
4.0 out of 5 stars
nancy
I enjoyed this book but at times I wanted to read ahead. This is a cross between a novel and a documentary.
Published 1 month ago by Unknown
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Predator Priest
This was a thought provoking book. Loved it. Easy read. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning how people in authority could take advantage of the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Nancy Conrad
3.0 out of 5 stars
Unfortunate
Having been in a seminary in my early years it's hard to believe that someone like this survived within the system - plain evil really - would castration make any real difference ? Read more
Published 1 month ago by David Fitzgerald
2.0 out of 5 stars
A Predator Priest
The topic of this story was well worth reading. The style of writing was a bit boring and perhaps a little more details would have made it better.
Published 1 month ago by Aggie
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ghastly story
Appalling. Told from a relatively neutral point of view, gives a good background and eye opener to one situation and how the Catholic church handled it. Read more
Published 2 months ago by garden girl
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very telling.
Any man who mollests children whether boys or girls should be shot. This also applies to Men Of The Cloth. Read more
Published 3 months ago by W. P. (Bill) Hastings
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gross
Unbelievable report on a wayward priest who should have been thrown out years ago. Too many coverups and too many gullible parents.
Published 3 months ago by Charles R. Gaush
More About the Author
David Margolick is a long-time contributing editor at Vanity Fair. He has held similar posts at Newsweek and Portfolio. For fifteen years he was a legal affairs correspondent for the New York Times. In October, Yale University Press will publish "Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock," a study of the iconic photograph taken outside Little Rock Central High School during the desegregation crisis of 1957. His prior books include "Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, and a World on the Brink" (Knopf) and "Strange Fruit: The Biography of a Song." (Harper Collins).
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