Dear Parishioners,
Within this city, I had found an oasis of love and understanding upon which I could depend in all
life's crises. Here God reached out and touched one's soul and made one more giving in return.
That oasis was St. Martin's Parish. It was the kind of community that Christ must have envisaged
for His followers - a family that gave support and encouragement to follow His way, His truth, and His
life.
When our present pastor came to St. Martin's, we gradually heard of his difficult, unkind, abusive
behaviour. At first it surprised and shocked us; then we tolerated it: in time we suffered it, even
began expecting it, preparing for it, forced to accept it. But in accepting unchristian behaviour, we
implicitly condone it; and in condoning, we become complicit in it; eventually even imitating it. Thus
abuse begets abuse - unless we resist.
We have been taught that Christ came to "give sight to the blind" and to "let the oppressed go
free". Let us, therefore, see and act accordingly. As Christ did not hesitate (even to the cross) to
do God's work, He now asks us to seize the opportunity to also bravely do God's work here and
now. If each person took responsibility for others' welfare, as Christ commanded, the whole world
would be a heavenly place. We had it. We have lost it. Our fellow parishioners are now scattered
among the surrounding parishes. Help them return.
So I say to Fr. Beltran: "You have driven our neighbours away from what has become Your, not
their church. You have gradually dismembered their (our) church after poisoning its life's blood. I
do not believe in the infallibility of priests, only in the infallibility of the pope - and then only when he
speaks "ex cathedra". Therefore, I cannot in good conscience support a priest described by one
who worked with him, as “unfair", "cruel", "disrespectful to staff and parishioners", (which I, too, have
witnessed and suffered.) I cannot support you in continual abusiveness, and thus must not support
what has become exclusively your church. Love must return - for where love is, there is God.
"Love is patient. Love is kind. . . Love is never rude." When love returns, I will give you all my
monetary support that has been withheld, and all my emotional support as well.
Meantime, God's work today is to do what is necessary to return caring to all in this parish. So it is
my work. Will you work with me to rebuild this oasis of love and understanding for all the people of
St. Martin's?
Anna Jushkevich
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Many of you are looking for alternate charities to support-
1. Catholic Missions of Canada, 201-1155 Yonge St., Toronto, Ont. M4T 1W2
2. St. Vincent de Paul Society, 240 Church St., Toronto, Ont. M5B 1Z2
3. Birthright Mississauga, 307-2600 Edenhurst, Mississauga, Ont. L5A 3Z8
4. Canadian Food for Children, 40 King George Rd. Toronto, Ont. M8X 1L3
5. Ian Anderson House, 430 Winston Churchill Blvd. Oakville, Ont. L6J 7X2
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very fairly treated?
The Parish Bulletin of September 5, 2004, has a message from the Pastor which states:-
Our former choir director was very fairly treated.
The former choir director decided he did not wish to be bound by the rules
and procedures and policies and left his position.
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Dear Fellow Parishioners,
It is almost three months since I last addressed you. Since January 1977 I have spoken to you
weekly. You have come to know my voice and my face - you have come to know me. Together we
laboured in love - love for God, and love for God through our love for each other.
In the past few months, since Lent 2004, a lot has been said about me and a lot has been attributed
to me. I am astounded by the sheer magnitude of it, since very little of it is actually true. Nothing was
found wanting in my work, yet I was subjected to attacks on my character. Fr. Beltran and the
Finance Council.(2004) attempted to make my position unbearable. Nevertheless I was resolved to
fulfill my commitment to serve the parish.
On May 13, Fr. Beltran declared the position of “Music Director” redundant. The following day it was
removed from the parish notice board. (I had held this position since September 1980, and it was
acknowledged by Fr. Beltran in September 1999 upon his appointment to the Parish). Later, on 21
June, Fr. Beltran terminated me as ”Choir Director”, notwithstanding my express desire to continue
serving the parish.
I did not leave my position - I was dismissed, and dismissed publicly from the ambo.
Is this being “very fairly treated”?
After 28 years has it come to this? Do we, the parishioners, have a voice? Are we not all “invited
to participate in a spirit of unity and cooperation in the spiritual, social pastoral life of the
Parish”?
Fergus Egan
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Email:bishop.boissonneau@rogers.com Fax: 416 207-4984
His Eminence, Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic, Fax: 416 934-3452
For more information, contact:
Anna Jushkevich 905 279-7822 Aisling Egan 416 671-4710
Pat DeAngelis 416 809-1819 Duncan Walker 905 277-9825
Lucy Pires 905 273-6093 Dunstan Bazely 905 275-3946
Judy Byrnes 905 275-1536
www.saveourparish.com
