In the May/June 2019 issue of Faith Magazine (the magazine of the Diocese of Gaylord), Bishop Steven Raica wrote the following: “Some individuals and organizations have been critical of my office and the diocese using an array of plaftorms in social media. Oftentimes, they do not accurately reflect the reality of the situations or our policies/practices. I am open to constructive criticism.” He later went on to say that “I see hope. I see people coming together and having hard, honest conversations to purify and renew our church, our faith, and educational communities. It is my prayer that through our struggles, we can provide a meaningful contribution to a broader national and societal conversation about this issue (of sexual abuse).”
At Gaylord Diocesan Watch, we are eager to meet with Bishop Raica to have “hard, honest conversations to purify and renew our church”. We have tried to meet with the Bishop but he has refused to meet with us. If we are not accurately reflecting “the reality of the situations” of diocesan policies and practices, we would like the Bishop to explain those inaccuracies to us. In the meantime, we stand by our reporting of the Bishop’s words and diocesan policies. This includes the concerns we and many concerned Catholics have voiced regarding the Catholic Services Appeal, the continued suspension of Father Matthew Cowan, and the deafening silence regarding the years of allowing a known diocesan sex offender work in a diocesan parish with full knowledge diocesan staff, including the vicar general.