Hickey Upset, Not Surprised, Mount Cashel Brother Linked to Abuse in U.S.

May 26, 2023 | 

Gemma Hickey stands next to the monument to Mount Cashel victims in this file photo.

Author and advocate Gemma Hickey is demanding action and expressing frustration over the latest revelations that a Christian Brother convicted of abusing boys at Mount Cashel Orphanage ended up in Illinois where he is the focus of similar investigations.

“We’re demanding zero-tolerance. Stop shuffling predators around from place to place,” says Hickey. “We’ve seen it here and we’ve seen it in other parts of the world, and this is just wrong.”

According to the CBC, Ronald Lasik, who remained a member of the Irish Christian Brothers until his death in 2020, is among a number of people named in an ongoing investigation into Church-related abuse in the United States.

Hickey, who has been an outspoken advocate for people who have suffered abuse at the hands of clergy, is not surprised by the latest revelations.

“As horrible as this is, I’m not surprised. We’re used to seeing this. It’s a move straight out of the Catholic Church’s playbook,” says Hickey, citing the example of former Mount Cashel brothers now facing charges in British Columbia.

“It’s disheartening and disturbing. We’re holding the Church to account so this type of situation doesn’t keep happening