The Legacy of Thomas Cardinal Collins: Failure to change the "Deep Church" Apparatchik - Toronto's own version of James Martin.

As the great celebration of embracing gratitude for His Most Serene Eminence, Thomas "No Mass For You" Collins approaches, it behooves us to recycle some posts from the past.

Brian Clough was ordained to the priesthood in 1968. Interestingly enough, I was at his first Mass at his home parish. My father was a barber and was barber to Mr. Clough and soon to be Father Brian. St. Dominic's was all the rage back then, it was the place to be to rock in Vatican II with the Dominicans. It was a notorious parish. One extremely popular priest was Kelly Walker. He left the priesthood and became a lounge singer at La Castille Steak House's piano bar. Eventually, he, ahem, came out, as they say.  He now, at 83, lives with his "husband" in Stratford. The Pastor was the notorious Claude Poirier, O.P. who after leaving St. Domenic's upon the removal of the Dominicans from the parish, Poirier taught liturgy for 25 years at St. Augustine's Seminary. Poirier died in 2005, just before the appointment of Thomas Collins. There are stories of notorious homosexual debauchery associated with Poirier, none of which was ever made public. It was all hushed up.

The man who was in charge of all this was Brian Clough. When Collins arrived, there was great hope that he would clean house and expose the rot.

He did not.

The question now is, will his successor?

Saturday, 25 August 2018

Toronto Catholic Chancellor - "Understanding is urged for gays."

From "Canada's National Newspaper," The Globe and Mail, May 8, 1976, page 40. (click for larger).

The priest interviewed was Father Brian Clough of the Archdiocese of Toronto. Father Clough went on to become Rector at St. Augustine's Seminary and was removed by Emmett Carter and later returned to be appointed by Aloysius Ambrozic as Judicial Vicar for the Archdiocese of Toronto. 

Father Clough grew up and was ordained at St. Dominic's Church in Mississauga which was a Dominican house from its inception until 1985. The parish history includes the names of two prominent Dominicans - the late Claude Poirier, O.P., and the long-ago laicised, Kelly Walker, O.P.

Reading this old article is like reading James Martin, S.J.