As I posted in January, popular pastor Fr. Christopher Phillips was removed by Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller rather suddenly and to the great shock and dismay of the people of the Anglican use Atonement Parish in San Antonio. Many could not fathom why the Archdiocese would take this action. There has been some speculation that it could have been due to Atonement seeking to join the Ordinariate and therefore a turf war over ownership of the really fabulous physical plant of the parish began. Having said that, and having heard very impassioned (and detailed) complaints against a certain Deacon James Orr from current and former parishioners of Atonement going back some time, I have wondered, largely to myself, whether or not an abuse allegation was not somehow involved.A copy of the archdiocese's letter to the parish regarding the allegation is provided on the blog. Several sources tell me that a faction of the parish, apparently apprised of the letter's contents, walked out before it could be read. I've got to say I've received several e-mails in recent days on both sides of the issue. I would say that at best, Dcn Orr was Fr Phillips's SOB, and whatever the truth behind the recent allegation, he appears not to have been a universally popular figure in the parish. The blogger continues,Now, something has emerged regarding retired Deacon James Orr that could have been the instigation behind the San Antonio Archdiocese’s intervention at Atonement Parish. I have heard very troubling reports from family and others who have been a part of Atonement in the past regarding this deacon’s behavior around pre-teen and teenage boys. When I queried someone involved in the parish back in January, who seemed to have some first hand knowledge of the removal of Fr. Phillips, whether this matter of Deacon Orr could have played a part in the situation, this individual rather bluntly derided the idea.
I have strong indications from a confidential source who works in the Archdiocese that this may not be the only abuse complaint made against Deacon Orr. Others, of a more recent nature, may be forthcoming.Regarding the possible damage to families, I've had at least one equivalent report via e-mail.This puts a very different spin on the dismissal of Fr. Phillips. I feel more confident in coming forward with what I have heard for years, from people I know extremely well and explicitly trust, which is that Deacon Orr routinely had inappropriate relationships with young boys at the parish, involving, at the least, what some parents viewed as encouragement of alienation from their family and subsequent provision of financial support on the part of the Deacon when these boys had a final falling out with their parents and moved out of the family home. Some of these relationships were short, others have persisted for years. Some very pointed complaints regarding Deacon Orr’s activities have been made to Father Phillips , again, going back years. I was certainly not a party to any of those conversations, but I know at least some people associated with Atonement felt that Phillips failed to adequately address these concerns and may have even given the impression of dismissing them. Through it all, Phillips steadfastly defended this deacon.
This is the situation as I understand it, as has been related to me numerous times from multiple, independent sources.
The blogger speculates that the February letter from the archdiocese resulted from earlier intimations that the allegation would surface, and this may well have been the cause of Fr Phillips's January suspension. A question that's been at the back of my mind has been how much of this was known much earlier. I've heard the suggestion from e-mail that rumors concerning Dcn Orr may have been the cause of his 2016 retirement, independent of the allegation reported in February 2017 -- but in addition, Orr's 2016 retirement may have been a condition imposed by Bp Lopes for OLA's entry to the OCSP, since discussions with Lopes were apparently under way at the time.
But this in turn brings me to whether the reason for OLA's sudden reversal on joining the OCSP in 2012 may also have been related to concerns about Dcn Orr. The concern over what "some parents viewed as encouragement of alienation from their family and subsequent provision of financial support on the part of the Deacon when these boys had a final falling out with their parents and moved out of the family home" dates from at least the 1990s, for instance, and would potentially be serious indeed. I've heard via e-mail that at least one pre-teen boy alienated from his family moved into Orr's house, which was next door to the OLA rectory.
As I've said, and as some regular visitors here have also suggested, we may be seeing just the tip of the iceberg. How much of this had come to Msgr Steenson in 2012?
