Campaign in pursuit of the truth about ORDER OF MALTA responsibility in Child sex abuse / Cap-Haitien, Haiti.

To My Fellow Advocates:    This is an ongoing campaign in pursuit of the truth. It is a step by step process. It will take time.    Paul _______________________ January 3, 2011   Dear Members and Friends of the Order of Malta, Earlier today, I was made aware of a letter sent to Order of Malta members by Jeannie and Thomas Tisdale, Connecticut Area Chairpersons (see below). In their letter, Mr. and Mrs. Tisdale urged you to block my emails. Before you do, though, I hope you'll give me a few moments to explain what is going on. First, a bit about me. I am 61 years old, married, do not have children and am employed as a financial consultant for a national brokerage firm (in Portland, Maine). My wife, Victoria, and I reside in Freeport, Maine. Vicki is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and has a private practice in nearby Yarmouth.   I am Jesuit educated (Cheverus High School '68, Portland, ME and Fairfield University '72, Fairfield CT).   During the past seven years, I have traveled to Haiti five times on various service missions. On one of these trips I visited with Doug Perlitz, Executive Director of the now defunct, Malta sponsored, Project Pierre Toussaint (PPT) in Cap Haitian, Haiti. Doug and I are both graduates of Fairfield University in Connecticut. I am also a long time advocate for those who were sexually abused by priests, religious and church workers. When, in September 2008, I learned that Perlitz had been fired as executive director of PPT because of credible and substantiated allegations of child sex abuse, my attention immediately turned to the care, support and well being of the abuse victims in Haiti. In January 2010, I traveled to Haiti to offer support to the boys who were abused.    By now, you're probably saying, so what? What's this all about? What this is about is that by their words and deeds, six members of the Order of Malta (Hope Carter, Jeannie and Thomas Tisdale, Madeline and Philip Lacovara and Rev. Paul Carrier, S.J.) destroyed the mission of Project Pierre Toussaint. In a nutshell, these prominent and influential members of the Order of Malta chose to protect a child molester at all costs and, in doing so, caused the school in Haiti to close and the kids to be abandoned and forced back onto the streets with no food and safe shelter. It's important to examine how and why Perlitz was able to sexually abuse children for so many years at PPT and to hold certain members of Malta responsible and accountable for their actions during the time when the majority of the Haiti Fund, Inc. (PPT) board voted to remove Perlitz as executive director. Instead of staying on the board to make sure the school stayed open and the boys were cared for, Carter, Carrier, the Tisdale's and the Lacovara's, among others, worked hard to destroy the mission. I hope you will decide not to turn your hearts and minds away from the gritty realities of this situation. I ask that you read these and upcoming messages with an open mind and not shut your eyes and ears to the terrible suffering of the Haitian boys who were raped and sodomized.   I am often reminded that "contempt before investigation is the greatest form of ignorance." It may be a painful process to go through, but the truth is the truth, like it or not. Pope Benedict XVI agrees. Here's what the pope wrote in his March 2010 letter to Catholics in Ireland: "Earlier in my pontificate, in my concern to address this matter (sexual abuse of children), I asked the bishops of Ireland, 'to establish the truth of what happened in the past, to take whatever steps are necessary to prevent it from occurring again, to ensure that the principles of justice are fully respected, and above all, to bring healing to the victims and to all those affected by these egregious crimes.'"  Perhaps I am being naive in hoping that Order of Malta members will rally to the cause of truth, justice, amends and reparations for the Haitian boys whose lives have been permanently altered by their abuse.   I am always available to speak with you privately.   Wishing you and your family a joyous and peace filled New Year.    Sincerely, Paul Kendrick 207-838-1319   See below: 1) The Tisdale's letter, 2) My Christmas Eve letter to President Joseph Miller, 3) My December 30th letter to President Miller.     Christmas Eve, 2010   Mr. Joseph H. Miller, KM President Order of Malta, American Association   Dear Joe,   This email comes at an extraordinary time of year ...... Christmas!  For most, this is the happiest of days -- a time to celebrate and enjoy the many blessings one has been afforded .... family, friends, food, and gifts - large and small.  Who knows, this very email may find you sitting by the fire in your living room reading it on a new iPAD given to you by your wife or children .... a real Norman Rockwell image.   Joe, six homeless boys from Cap Haitien, Haiti have just left New Haven for another Christmas on the streets in Haiti.  These boys represented the 30 known boys who were sexually abused by Doug Perlitz over the last 10 years.  These six, no doubt, will meet up on Christmas morning with many of their former schoolmates from Project Peirre Toussaint who are also now living on the streets.  The six will tell their stories of being in New Haven where they all spoke at the sentencing of Doug Perlitz.  They will have memories of sleeping on a mattress for the first time and how there was more food to eat than they have ever seen in their lives.  Most importantly, they will tell their friends how they stood in front of a judge in a beautiful, huge carpeted room and each told their personal story of how they were raped and sodomized by Doug Perltiz from the age of 11 or 12.  They may cry as they talk to their friends but they will know that justice has been served and that they were part of an unprecedented and extraordinary legal proceeding.   During the sentencing hearing on Tuesday, Cyrus Sibert, a good man from Cap Haitien, who is the radio broadcaster who first reported on the actions of Doug Perlitz, broke down in tears as he listened to the boys describe their abuse.  On two occasions, Robinson Gedeus, who worked at PPT for 10 years, was overcome with emotion as he spoke to the judge in open court about the abuse and the threats and intimidation inflicted on the boys by Perlitz.   Sadly Joe, if any child deserves something for Christmas, these children do!  But there's no stockings hung for them. There's no one to tuck them in at night or tell them how special they are and how much they are loved.   But, Joe, for as long as you've been President of the American Association of the Order of Malta, it appears that you have done everything in your power to ignore the practical and emotional needs of an entire group of homeless and vulnerable boys who were sexually abused at Project Pierre Toussaint.    Please know that this is the first of many letters and press releases intended to expose you and at least six of your fellow Malta members as the cause of the downfall of Project Pierre Toussaint.    Joe, lets make one thing perfectly clear here: it wasn't Doug Perlitz who brought down Project Pierre Toussaint, it was six members of your Order.  And you, President Miller, have done everything in your power to protect these people... these good friends of yours!   The six members are:   Thomas Tisdale,  Jeannie Tisdale Rev. Paul Carrier, S.J.,  Madeline Lacovara Philip Lacovara  Hope Carter   Here are some facts:   1) Connecticut Malta Area Chair, Thomas Tisdale was at the courthouse on Tuesday. Tidsdale didn't apologize to the boys of PPT for writing a letter that shut down PPT.  He didn't apologize to the boys whom he has called liars.  Tisdale didn't bother to thank Cyrus for having the courage to report the boys' abuse on his radio station. Neither did he thank Michael McCooey or the other Haiti Fund Board Members for reporting Perlitz's crimes to the United States government.    Tom Tisdale didn't apologize to Robinson for obstructing the operating of PPT. [Background facts:  While visiting the U.S. about 5 years ago, Robinson stayed for an extended period with Jeannie and Tom Tisdale.  The Tisdales arranged for Robinson to intern at the Tomlinson School in Fairfield, CT.  A close friend of the Tisdales, Barbara O'Brien (a teacher at the Tomlinson School in Fairfield), was told by Robinson that Perlitz was sexually abusing kids at Project Pierre Toussaint. O'Brien did not report the abuse to law enforcement authorities. It would be naive and irresponsible for anyone to think that O'Brien didn't tell the Tisdale's about the abuse.]   3) In February 2006, Robinson confronted Perlitz in Haiti and told him to stop abusing the students. In response, Order of Malta member, Malta Chaplain and Connecticut Area Spirituality Director, Rev. Paul Carrier, S.J., didn't talk to Robinson for the next two years. (Carrier and Robinson were very close friends prior to this)   4) In May 2008, when the then chairman of the Haiti Fund instructed Perlitz not to return to PPT because credible allegations of child sex abuse had been brought against him, Dame of Malta, Board of Councillors member and director of Malta's Youth Pilgrimage, Hope Carter, secretly flew to Haiti for the sole purpose of stealing Perlitz's computers.  Carter was protecting an accused child molester by removing evidence that could have been used against Perlitz in a criminal trial. It was not until weeks later that Carter, when confronted by the Board of The Haiti Fund about her actions, resigned her position as a Haiti Fund board member.  Incredibly, Carter still serves on the Board of Councillors of Malta, the boards of other local Catholic charities in Fairfield County and on the Board of Directors of the Malta sponsored, Sacre Coeur Hospital, in Milot , Haiti, not far from Cap Haitien and the PPT Village.   This September 8th letter consisted of 11 bullet points of total fabrication.  The mailing of this letter signed by six members of Malta could only be interpreted as a way to completely destroy the goodwill and good name of PPT.  After the mailing of this letter, donations to PPT completely dried up and the program was forced to close.  [This September 8th letter was sent on the heals of a letter mailed to PPT donors by the Haiti Fund (attached).]   6] Several weeks later in September 2008, yet another Order of Malta member, Attorney Philip Lacovara, told Haiti Fund board members that he "knew for sure" that Perlitz didn't abuse children because he, Lacovara, was the chairman of the Priest Sexual Misconduct Committee for the Diocese of Bridgeport and "he would know."  We are now asking the Diocese of Bridgeport to review all sex abuse cases in which Lacovara participated as a board member.   Joe, you have known these facts and many others about this case since February 2010 when you became the President of the Order of Malta.  In addition to the facts above you have also been aware for almost a year of the financial improprieties conducted by these members (including redirecting donations away from PPT as well as the opening of unauthorized Malta charities).  You have also been aware that these six people paraded Doug Perlitz, at the time a publicly accused child abuser, to many Malta events including your white-tie investiture dinner.     Most unbelievable, however, Joe, is the fact that after learning of all these facts and probably many more, your first act as President relating to PPT and Haiti was in April 2010 to award Hope Carter a public commendation in Lourdes, France for her "extraordinary work in Haiti."    Joe, I have heard stories of the "'old' Order of Malta" and I am aware of the great strides that the Order has made under the leadership of Dan Kelly and others.  It is a disgrace (and I'd like to think of great embarrassment to you) that you have allowed the Order to revert back into an exclusive club where members protect each other at the expense of the Order.   You can resist my efforts to get to the root of the problem, or you can face the facts and participate in the healing.  Of course an examination of what went so wrong at PPT and how Perlitz was able to rape and sodomize so many children for such a long time would be included in the healing.    Let me finish Joe, by telling you that I traveled to Haiti in January 2010 to offer support to Cyrus and the boys who were abused. My last visit to PPT was in late 2003 so it was shocking and disturbing for me to return to what is now a ghost town of a school. Yet, I couldn't help but notice the many changes and additions. Thanks to Malta and the generosity of many other donors, the school had 8 new classrooms and was poised for a great future.  There was nothing but hard work standing in the way of a successful life for so many street boys in Cap Haitien.   The reckless and self serving acts by the Tisdale's, Carrier, Carter and the Lacovara's, among others, destroyed it all.    Please do not mistake my pursuit of the truth as some sort of vendetta or revenge. We need to do everything we can to protect children in the future. We can't fix the problem, Joe, until we fully understand what happened at PPT that allowed the sexual abuse of children to go on for so many years.    However, there is already one thing I know for sure. Certain members of the Order of Malta put their own self serving interests ahead of protecting and caring for the most vulnerable children in the world.    The truth will be told.   Sincerely, Paul Kendrick Freeport, Maine 207 838 1319   Betrayal of Hope: Pierre Toussaint investigation - Connecticut Post ________________________ OPEN LETTER December 30, 2010 Mr. Joseph K. Miller, KM President Order of Malta, American Association Dear President Miller, Tens of millions of Catholics have inflicted additional insult upon victims of clergy sexual abuse by their failure to demand redress for the crimes committed against children and the cover up of these crimes by bishops, priests and other Church officials. I am including you in this number, President Miller because you are showing great insult to the boys who were sexually abused at Project Pierre Toussaint (PPT) and to the people of Haiti by your personal failure to hold Hope Carter, DM accountable and responsible for her role in the cover up of crimes against children at PPT. You have been aware for almost a year, President Miller, of the following facts about Mrs. Carter: 1.   Knowing that there was an investigation being conducted, Project Pierre Toussaint (PPT) Board Member, Hope Carter, secretly went to Haiti to steal two computers used by Douglas Perlitz, but owned by PPT.  Carter gave these computers to Perlitz, thereby obstructing justice and the ongoing investigation.  2.   Mrs. Carter (with 5 other members of Malta - the Tisdales, the Lacovaras, and Paul Carrier) wrote a 3 page letter of pure fabrication whose sole purpose was to destroy the good will and good name of PPT.  The letter resulted in the drying up of all donations to the program and therefore forced the program to close. 3.   Hope Carter helped redirect donations intended for PPT to other unauthorized Connecticut based Malta charities. 4.   Mrs. Carter paraded Doug Perlitz, a publicly accused child abuser, to Malta events including your white-tie investiture dinner during the time he was being investigated for child sex abuse. The bottom line here, President Miller, is that Carter did everything she could to help Perlitz hide his crimes against children.  It was clearly more important to Carter to protect the abuser than to protect innocent children.  Let me see if I've got this right. Hope Carter did everything she could to protect and cover up for a child molester and now you're doing everything you can, President Miller, to protect and cover up for Carter.  Hope Carter called the abuse victims "liars." She hated them for exposing Perlitz as a pedophile. She retaliated against the victims by using her position in the community to turn donors away, causing the school to be closed and the boys to be abandoned, homeless once again without food and safe shelter.     Who is your and Hope Carter's God, Mr. Miller, that you could so despise these suffering abuse victims?  The Jesuits taught me that the service of my faith must include the promotion of  justice. Hope Carter had choices. Isn't it reasonable to expect that even though Carter disagreed with the majority decision of the PPT board of directors to remove Perlitz, she would have stayed aboard and worked even harder to maintain and preserve the mission of PPT?  Please, President Miller, close your eyes and listen to my words. These boys were raped and sodomized by Perlitz in the most disgusting ways imaginable. If the boys didn't cooperate, Perlitz intimidated them by threatening to take away their food or throw them out of school.  So why, President Miller, is Hope Carter held in such high prestige by you and the Order of Malta that she still holds influential committee assignments?   We all hope to hear your voice soon. Sincerely, Paul Kendrick.    P.S.: A bit about me. I am 61 years old, married, no children and am employed as a financial consultant (in Portland, Maine) for a national brokerage firm. I reside with my wife in Freeport, Maine. My wife is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and has a private practice.    I am Jesuit educated (Cheverus High School '68, Portland, ME and Fairfield University '72, Fairfield CT).   In 1999, I reached out to a group of Cheverus alumni who were reporting for the first time that they were sexually abused when they were students at Cheverus (in the 1970s) by a well liked, award winning track coach. In addition, other former students were reporting that they were sexually abused by a Jesuit teacher. I began advocating on behalf of the victims, calling for the former Cheverus students to be treated with compassion and understanding. Unfortunately, Cheverus and diocese officials were treating the victims as if they were the enemy. I have continued to advocate on behalf of abuse victims since that time.   In 2002, my wife and I participated in a 10 day "Ignatian Immersion Experience" trip to Bolivia. We were immersed in the economy, culture and poverty of the poorest country in South America. The Jesuits were our hosts.   During the past ten years: I have served as a volunteer board member for a domestic violence prevention agency (4 yrs.). I have volunteered answering phones once a week on a social service agency's confidential 24 hour "crisis line" (4 yrs.) and served as a volunteer for the Trauma Intervention Program (volunteers are mostly dispatched to scenes of death. Each volunteer is "on call" for three 12 hour shifts each month (2 yrs.). During the past seven years, I have traveled to Haiti five times.