OPEN LETTER to BISHOP MICHAEL F. OLSON
From the Parishioners and supporters of St. Martin de Porres
September 7, 2018
Most Reverend Michael F. Olson
Bishop of Fort Worth
800 West Loop 820 South
Fort Worth, TX 76106
Your Excellency:
‘The undersigned parishioners and supporters of St. Martin de Porres respectfully request
that you reinstate our pastor, the Reverend Richard Kirkham, to his rightful position within
St. Martin de Porres.
‘The relationship between a pastor and his parishioners is a critical component of the Catholic Faith.
Itis akin to the sacred relationship between a husband and wife. This is why there is nothing more
important to spreading the message of Jesus Christ than the actions of a good priest in guiding his
parishioners. When you unjustly separate a good priest from his parish, you jeopardize the souls
of everyone in that parish. Such is the case with the unjust loss of Father Kirkham at St. Martin’s.
If you spent some time at St. Martin de Porres, you would recognize the irreparable harm caused
by your decision to remove Fr. Kirkham, Parishioners know that you removed Fr. Kirkham based
on his interactions with a troubled priest from another diocese. What you may not realize is that
Father Kirkham’s decision to fraternally correct that priest was done with the same Heart of Jesus
as Father Kirkham’s guidance of his flock at St. Martin de Porres.
Father Kirkham’s spiritual guidance has been an invaluable service to each of our souls. His
practical leadership has been a boon for building a new parish church and for providing a steady
hand during these turbulent times for the worldwide Church,
In short, we have lost both a trusted adviser and a tremendous shepherd.
We are writing this open letter in the Spirit of Christ. He urged the apostles to first approach a
brother privately, one-on-one, to provide correction. Then He said a witness should come, if the
person is unrepentant. Then the whole Church should come, and then the wider community should
become aware of the errors.
As you know, parishioners at St. Martin’s have come to you privately through verbal interactions
as well as letters to ask you to reinstate Father Kirkham. We have written to the Nuncio, urging
him to act in his role. And we have asked Rome to get involved so that St. Martin’s can continue
to thrive under Father Kirkham.
Ithas now been almost three months since we began making these outreach efforts. We have been
ignored and, in some cases, berated. We have been shocked at the false and contradictory
statements you have made to parishioners and to the media about Father Kirkham.OPEN LETTER to BISHOP MICHAEL F. OLSON
From the Parishioners and supporters of St. Martin de Porres
We are now writing this open letter with an eye towards having the full DFW community become
aware of the unjust nature of Father Kirkham’s removal from our parish. We all make errors, and
removing Father Kirkham was one of yours. That error was compounded by your claims to the
media that you were protecting children and that Father Kirkham has obsessed attractions.
None of these claims are true. Father Kirkham has been a shepherd of Christ for us and many other
families and individuals. Removing him causes a great stain on our souls, and puts them at risk.
‘The Catholic Church nationally and worldwide stands at a crossroads. Will we continue hiding the
sins of clergy for the sake of favoritism, or will we do everything possible to eliminate sin from
Jesus’ Church? We applaud your condemnation of former Cardinal McCarrick as well as your call
to defrock a man whose cover-ups have been exposed. This call will be of great help for the
worldwide Church.
But we also urge you to act with that same call to holiness within our local parish. Reinstating
Father Kirkham puts an amazing shepherd at our parish when it is most needed. Retracting your
false statements and reinstating Father Kirkham will represent at a local level the same repentance
and spiritual leadership needed in the worldwide Church.
‘And May God be Praised... gabe
ah j
f, OC
Koran P. Rew hOPEN
From the Parishioners and supporters of St. Martin de Por
LETTER to BISHOP MICHAEL F. OLSON
Aevuiny ytn
Le Wa Ls pie :
h eet)
7 ay ae Ta
Bey See
=
L utr
be