Sins of the Fathers
ChrisOLeary.com > Sins of the Fathers > TOC > Runaround Phil

Here's the moral of the story
from the guy who knows

I fell in love and my love still grows
Ask any fool that she ever knew, they'll say
Keep away from a Runaround Sue

I've previously expressed a great deal of anger at Deacon Phil Hengen, the head of the Office of Child and Youth Protection of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. While that anger remains, my interpretation of the cause of it has evolved over the years.

Runaround Phil

There's no question that Deacon Phil Hengen, rather than helping me, instead gave me the run-around.

Now I understand why.

The answer was provided to me during my March 26, 2019 meeting with Archbishop Robert Carlson, the head of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

In sum, it seems that Deacon Phil Hengen did NOTHING to help me — at best — because that was the policy of the Archdiocese of St. Louis at the time.

And remains the policy of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

At least, as of March 26, 2019.

And despite the Pope's new law VOS ESTIS.

I now that because I brught the topic up during my discussion of the job of the archdiocesan Assistance Coordinator.

CO: I was never offered the services or told of the existence of an Assistance Coordinator. And this kinds of gets into our (Price and my) stuff. I don’t know what Hengen has told people, but…
SP: What is your understanding of what an Assistance Coordinator does?
CO: Well, that they are supposed to, you know, help set up, arrange for treatment, and help pay for treatment.
SP: OK. So, typically, what Carol (Brescia) does… And you’ve talked to Carol… What Carol does is… Anybody in the diocese is free to call her. And what she does is link people to therapists if they do not have one. So that’s kind of her role for us. She’s not necessarily somebody who’s going to make the determination if the therapy would to be paid for. That all happens through the review board. So I can’t again comment on what happened up to this point but certainly you have…you can call Carol.

To be clear, FINDING a psychologist isn't the hardest part of getting help. Rather, the hardest part of getting help is PAYING FOR THERAPY.