I do live in Steubenville, although the story in the Post-Gazette was the first that I heard of this story. In my mind, that story had a strong slant against the priests. It relied heavily on an interview with the mother, but it also mentioned other details without the explanation and coherence that this article does.
I have personal experience with custody battles as my husband and I adopted a family member and it went through CPS. Why they weren't invovled is a question that needs to be addressed. It could be that to do their job adequately they would need to increase staff 100 fold, and this is a poverty-stricken zipcode.
I know that the law looks for reunification with parents first, family member where that is not possible, and permanent custody only as a last resort. I kind of wish a family and not a rectory had been the first line of defense for the child's care from the get-go, but I realize that no one can see the future and realize that one kind deed is going to turn into a serious on-going need. I also suppose I see the reason that both priests have requested custody, but I wonder about future assignments? If they had permanent custody, it could not be in the best interest of the child to "bounce" from one custodial parent to another. Maybe that's not even being sought. They aren't saying, so I don't know. Getting involved with children in crisis is not for the faint of heart. (The legal processes can crush you.) Then again, neither is Christianity.
I hope that this case will result in Catholics (and everyone of good will) in the area seeing the need there is for safehavens for children who are very much at risk. This is by no means the only case of a childhood like this in the area. Without exaggerating you could draw a one mile radius around that parish and find probably 100 children at least with substance abuse and/or untreated mental health problems in the home. We have a Women's Center for the unborn, Sycamore Center for school aged kids, and the Friendship Room for adults in dire life circumstances, but 0-5 is a very vulnerable group.
I thought you said you didn't know anything more, now you are messaging people with "more to your first comment"? Respectfully, this is sounding a bit questionable. If there are reasons you know why the priests should not care for the child you should maybe call the court or social service authorities.
I’d be really curious to know what people think a better solution would be for the child. I think we all see what happened as far from ideal, but it seems like the priests made the best out of a bad situation. What do you think?
I work in the family law area and aside from the priest angle this is a familiar sounding story. It would be best if mother can get to the position where she can provide proper care, so I am hoping that a guardian ad litem will investigate and if needed a plan for mother is put into place - at that point it is up to her to follow through. At least there is a plan B with grandmother instead of foster care.
This simultaneously breaks my heart and warms it. There is some legit precedent for priests stepping up in situations like this--Blessed Michael McGivney became legal guardian of a boy after the death of his father. God bless these good priests, living out the Gospel!
Thank you for only mentioning the current apostolic administrator by name and letting the former apostolic administrator enjoy his retirement without any more Eastern Ohio migraines 🙏 ❤️
The Tolkien boys were older but their mother chose Fr Francis because there were no Catholic relatives and she had reason to believe that the family, which took away support when she converted, would do their best to undermine the boys’ Catholic beliefs
> In Steubenville, there have been some critics who suggest that raising a child in a parish rectory is unbecoming to the clerical state.
Having been on the receiving end of "how many children have YOU adopted" any number of times (some people will ask any stranger who is openly pro-life, but especially the ones who "look like" they are childless such as a young student or a priest (how edifying this situation would be to these strangely inquisitive people!), and this was in circumstances where I was routinely mistaken for "a nun" simply by wearing a dress), I know better than to suggest that if they think the job is not being done right they could do it themselves; it's possible to have valid concerns without being able to provide a total solution oneself. I hope the mother is able to provide a good home to the child in future.
As another commenter said, this at the same time breaks and warms one's heart - although I fail to see, from the information given, how this could be construed as "unbecoming".
This is equal parts weird, sad, and touching. Choosing to focus on the touching part. I hope one day, at their judgement, these priests hear, “I was malnourished, and you fed me and gave me shelter”
Or the child grows up with real psychological issues due to early neglect or cultural issues, looks around for attention, and makes up accusations as a sure fire way to get it, by accusing the priests of any kind of abuse. Sorry for the pessimism, but these priests are taking great risks to help this child, which makes it even more admirable.
Touching story. It seems to me these priests are doing the right thing. And to my amazement they are also transparent and communicating what they are doing to the lay faithful.
So I hate to raise a tangential questions, but there it is. Doesn't either canon law or common practice allow for priests to laicized if they need to care for a child of a family member? I even thought I've read that priests from noble families may be laicized in order to continue the family line.
The current apostolic administrator of Steubenville and Bishop of Kalamazoo Mi, Most Rev. Edward Lohse, is a distinguished canon lawyer - even though he has only been assigned to his dual role in Steubenville since June 14, 2024.
My current bishop taught him canon law in Rome. He studied at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe with my high school classmate who is ordained for Pittsburgh, PA. And an academic priest/head of a large order knows him well as they were both ordained for Erie, PA. From a canon law standpoint, Steubenville OH has nothing to worry about.
I have heard of at least one other priest adopting a child (on top of the examples named in the article and comments). It felt odd and unfamiliar rather than unbecoming.
One reason for my faint unease was the old justification for priestly celibacy. A priest was supposed to be totally available for his flock, a father for a whole parish, rather than diverting his energy into his own family. The ordaining of married convert clergy with children has certainly weakened that presumption.
Yet, if this arrangement becomes long term, any future bishop will have to take careful account of the circumstances. How can he move one or both priests to another parish without disrupting the childcare arrangements and, perhaps, the child's education? And, for the two priests, I assume they have worked out who takes the midnight call when Mrs Smith is dying in hospital....
I would really hope no Catholic is scandalized by this. There’s a perfectly readable explanation about why they have the child. Sounds like they’ve been extraordinarily kind. Being a foster parent is not for the faint of heart.
It makes me a little uncomfortable that this is a news story. Sounds like everyone is doing the best they can in a difficult circumstance. Imagine this falling into your lap and random strangers dissecting it on the internet (possibly my worst nightmare).
“With the significant amount of time they’ve spent caring for him, their love for each other has grown.”
What does this final quote from the anonymous friend of these two priests mean or imply? I’m assuming that ‘they’ and ‘their’ in the quote refer back to the two priests?
This is a corporal work of mercy but it has not been handled prudently. Kudos to the priests for stepping in when they did. But their direct involvement should only have lasted a short time.
My question is, Where are the laity? Sure, Steubenville isn't a large city, but there are many faithful Catholics in the area, and certainly many others who would be well-equipped to take a child into their home. I find it very difficult to believe that, between these two priests, they could not have found one family, one couple who was willing to step in and do what they are doing now. If they did, this wouldn't be a story beyond the local neighborhood. Perhaps the mother and her husband would have an extended community of other lay people to rely on if the priests realized that this is best done by the laity.
This is surely the question everyone should be asking. If the parents are not fit (which is still up in the air), surely there is a better situation for this child than being raised by two celibate men, who have full time time ministries? Additionally, I am curious are these two priests now bound to each other if they both gain permanent custody? In other words, do they have to be assigned to the same rectory until the child is 18? If so, they aren't really available to serve the needs of the Diocese.
Yeah, I was confused about why the child wasn't placed with their grandmother - was it a legal quirk, like the judge /couldn't/ because she hadn't filed the initial motion; or did the priests file a legal objection to that plan, or what?
But anyway, it is plain that the local child welfare system isn't functioning well - it's a really big deal that they called several times and... no one came? the police were like, shrug, what can you do?
It seems that custody wasn’t given to the child’s grandmother so that the child would stay in Steubenville in close proximity to his parents, in hopes for a swift reunification if that’s possible and in the child’s best interests.
I'm not sure of the particulars of this case, but coordinating across multiple states takes the better part of a year. It's been longer than that here, but the foster care system is extremely stressed and often clunky and most often dysfunctional when it comes to communication
To those concern about it being unbecoming, it wouldn’t be unfounded as this seems akin to Canon 766 of the 1917 Code: Clerics weren’t to be sponsors of Baptism without permission from the Ordinary. Obviously, that no long binds, but interesting nonetheless.
Something that bothers me about the diocese's statement is that it doesn't address whether the Safe Environment policies were met /before/ the court hearing where the priest were appointed legal guardians. It feels like a petty thing to pursue when it sounds like these guys are clearly going the extra mile to help a kid who has been pretty roundly failed by all the other adults around - but the whole point of safe environment policies is that they work by the vast majority of people with good intentions holding themselves to stricter standards, so that there aren't situations a person with bad intentions could exploit - you protect kids by managing the environment, not by magically knowing ahead of time who's good and who's evil.
I do live in Steubenville, although the story in the Post-Gazette was the first that I heard of this story. In my mind, that story had a strong slant against the priests. It relied heavily on an interview with the mother, but it also mentioned other details without the explanation and coherence that this article does.
I have personal experience with custody battles as my husband and I adopted a family member and it went through CPS. Why they weren't invovled is a question that needs to be addressed. It could be that to do their job adequately they would need to increase staff 100 fold, and this is a poverty-stricken zipcode.
I know that the law looks for reunification with parents first, family member where that is not possible, and permanent custody only as a last resort. I kind of wish a family and not a rectory had been the first line of defense for the child's care from the get-go, but I realize that no one can see the future and realize that one kind deed is going to turn into a serious on-going need. I also suppose I see the reason that both priests have requested custody, but I wonder about future assignments? If they had permanent custody, it could not be in the best interest of the child to "bounce" from one custodial parent to another. Maybe that's not even being sought. They aren't saying, so I don't know. Getting involved with children in crisis is not for the faint of heart. (The legal processes can crush you.) Then again, neither is Christianity.
I hope that this case will result in Catholics (and everyone of good will) in the area seeing the need there is for safehavens for children who are very much at risk. This is by no means the only case of a childhood like this in the area. Without exaggerating you could draw a one mile radius around that parish and find probably 100 children at least with substance abuse and/or untreated mental health problems in the home. We have a Women's Center for the unborn, Sycamore Center for school aged kids, and the Friendship Room for adults in dire life circumstances, but 0-5 is a very vulnerable group.
I thought you said you didn't know anything more, now you are messaging people with "more to your first comment"? Respectfully, this is sounding a bit questionable. If there are reasons you know why the priests should not care for the child you should maybe call the court or social service authorities.
Are you saying that a lot of the criticism is rooted in the priests apparently having prickly personalities?
For whom? I don’t think I know what you mean.
Did you used to attend the parish?
I’d be really curious to know what people think a better solution would be for the child. I think we all see what happened as far from ideal, but it seems like the priests made the best out of a bad situation. What do you think?
Sounds like a corporal work of mercy that has been handled with prudence and mature reflection.
I work in the family law area and aside from the priest angle this is a familiar sounding story. It would be best if mother can get to the position where she can provide proper care, so I am hoping that a guardian ad litem will investigate and if needed a plan for mother is put into place - at that point it is up to her to follow through. At least there is a plan B with grandmother instead of foster care.
This simultaneously breaks my heart and warms it. There is some legit precedent for priests stepping up in situations like this--Blessed Michael McGivney became legal guardian of a boy after the death of his father. God bless these good priests, living out the Gospel!
Thank you. That's so interesting we added it.
Thank you for only mentioning the current apostolic administrator by name and letting the former apostolic administrator enjoy his retirement without any more Eastern Ohio migraines 🙏 ❤️
And famously, J.R.R. Tolkien and his brother were cared for by a priest, Fr. Francis, after their convert mother died.
The Tolkien boys were older but their mother chose Fr Francis because there were no Catholic relatives and she had reason to believe that the family, which took away support when she converted, would do their best to undermine the boys’ Catholic beliefs
> In Steubenville, there have been some critics who suggest that raising a child in a parish rectory is unbecoming to the clerical state.
Having been on the receiving end of "how many children have YOU adopted" any number of times (some people will ask any stranger who is openly pro-life, but especially the ones who "look like" they are childless such as a young student or a priest (how edifying this situation would be to these strangely inquisitive people!), and this was in circumstances where I was routinely mistaken for "a nun" simply by wearing a dress), I know better than to suggest that if they think the job is not being done right they could do it themselves; it's possible to have valid concerns without being able to provide a total solution oneself. I hope the mother is able to provide a good home to the child in future.
Thank you for letting us know about this.
As another commenter said, this at the same time breaks and warms one's heart - although I fail to see, from the information given, how this could be construed as "unbecoming".
I hope you will keep us updated!
This is equal parts weird, sad, and touching. Choosing to focus on the touching part. I hope one day, at their judgement, these priests hear, “I was malnourished, and you fed me and gave me shelter”
Or the child grows up with real psychological issues due to early neglect or cultural issues, looks around for attention, and makes up accusations as a sure fire way to get it, by accusing the priests of any kind of abuse. Sorry for the pessimism, but these priests are taking great risks to help this child, which makes it even more admirable.
you express the the contradiction and chaos of the Cross!
Touching story. It seems to me these priests are doing the right thing. And to my amazement they are also transparent and communicating what they are doing to the lay faithful.
So I hate to raise a tangential questions, but there it is. Doesn't either canon law or common practice allow for priests to laicized if they need to care for a child of a family member? I even thought I've read that priests from noble families may be laicized in order to continue the family line.
The current apostolic administrator of Steubenville and Bishop of Kalamazoo Mi, Most Rev. Edward Lohse, is a distinguished canon lawyer - even though he has only been assigned to his dual role in Steubenville since June 14, 2024.
My current bishop taught him canon law in Rome. He studied at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe with my high school classmate who is ordained for Pittsburgh, PA. And an academic priest/head of a large order knows him well as they were both ordained for Erie, PA. From a canon law standpoint, Steubenville OH has nothing to worry about.
https://diosteub.org/bishop-edward-m-lohse
I have heard of at least one other priest adopting a child (on top of the examples named in the article and comments). It felt odd and unfamiliar rather than unbecoming.
One reason for my faint unease was the old justification for priestly celibacy. A priest was supposed to be totally available for his flock, a father for a whole parish, rather than diverting his energy into his own family. The ordaining of married convert clergy with children has certainly weakened that presumption.
Yet, if this arrangement becomes long term, any future bishop will have to take careful account of the circumstances. How can he move one or both priests to another parish without disrupting the childcare arrangements and, perhaps, the child's education? And, for the two priests, I assume they have worked out who takes the midnight call when Mrs Smith is dying in hospital....
I would really hope no Catholic is scandalized by this. There’s a perfectly readable explanation about why they have the child. Sounds like they’ve been extraordinarily kind. Being a foster parent is not for the faint of heart.
I commend the priests for their concern and care for a child who needed someone to intervene on his behalf.
It makes me a little uncomfortable that this is a news story. Sounds like everyone is doing the best they can in a difficult circumstance. Imagine this falling into your lap and random strangers dissecting it on the internet (possibly my worst nightmare).
“With the significant amount of time they’ve spent caring for him, their love for each other has grown.”
What does this final quote from the anonymous friend of these two priests mean or imply? I’m assuming that ‘they’ and ‘their’ in the quote refer back to the two priests?
Sorry, I can see how you might have read it. No, the quote refers to reciprocity between the child and each of the priests.
We've edited with a bracket modifier to convey what the speaker was actually saying and conveying.
Thanks for the clarification
This is a corporal work of mercy but it has not been handled prudently. Kudos to the priests for stepping in when they did. But their direct involvement should only have lasted a short time.
My question is, Where are the laity? Sure, Steubenville isn't a large city, but there are many faithful Catholics in the area, and certainly many others who would be well-equipped to take a child into their home. I find it very difficult to believe that, between these two priests, they could not have found one family, one couple who was willing to step in and do what they are doing now. If they did, this wouldn't be a story beyond the local neighborhood. Perhaps the mother and her husband would have an extended community of other lay people to rely on if the priests realized that this is best done by the laity.
This is surely the question everyone should be asking. If the parents are not fit (which is still up in the air), surely there is a better situation for this child than being raised by two celibate men, who have full time time ministries? Additionally, I am curious are these two priests now bound to each other if they both gain permanent custody? In other words, do they have to be assigned to the same rectory until the child is 18? If so, they aren't really available to serve the needs of the Diocese.
Yeah, I was confused about why the child wasn't placed with their grandmother - was it a legal quirk, like the judge /couldn't/ because she hadn't filed the initial motion; or did the priests file a legal objection to that plan, or what?
But anyway, it is plain that the local child welfare system isn't functioning well - it's a really big deal that they called several times and... no one came? the police were like, shrug, what can you do?
It seems that custody wasn’t given to the child’s grandmother so that the child would stay in Steubenville in close proximity to his parents, in hopes for a swift reunification if that’s possible and in the child’s best interests.
I'm not sure of the particulars of this case, but coordinating across multiple states takes the better part of a year. It's been longer than that here, but the foster care system is extremely stressed and often clunky and most often dysfunctional when it comes to communication
Thank you for your common sense post, RDB. There seems to be precious little of it in the handling of this matter, which should've been referred to the relevant state authorities (see https://jfs.ohio.gov/child-and-adult-protection-foster-and-adoption/services-for-families-and-children/child-protection) as soon as it became apparent that the police and local authorities were either unwilling or unable (or both) to step up and act in the best interests of the child.
To those concern about it being unbecoming, it wouldn’t be unfounded as this seems akin to Canon 766 of the 1917 Code: Clerics weren’t to be sponsors of Baptism without permission from the Ordinary. Obviously, that no long binds, but interesting nonetheless.
Something that bothers me about the diocese's statement is that it doesn't address whether the Safe Environment policies were met /before/ the court hearing where the priest were appointed legal guardians. It feels like a petty thing to pursue when it sounds like these guys are clearly going the extra mile to help a kid who has been pretty roundly failed by all the other adults around - but the whole point of safe environment policies is that they work by the vast majority of people with good intentions holding themselves to stricter standards, so that there aren't situations a person with bad intentions could exploit - you protect kids by managing the environment, not by magically knowing ahead of time who's good and who's evil.