Note: Tom Monaghan insulates his admirers, and that includes priests. Whether they are his priest-employees, or Diocesan priests, it seems to matter not.

[L to R] Fr. William Thomas, Tom Monaghan, Dean Bernard Dobranski (standing),
Chaplain Michael Orsi (seated), Dean Eugene Milhizer

Consider the case of Fr. William Thomas. He was an Ann Arbor area priest who wanted to run with the big names like Tom Monaghan. Fr. Thomas felt strongly that his congregation should buy into having an Ave Maria grade school at his parish. The proposal was rejected by parishioners for a host of reasons, not least of which were strong concerns over Monaghan's burdensome stipulations for control over nearly every aspect of the school. Mr. Monaghan is adept at parlaying the dedication of other Catholics (along with their financial and intellectual investment) into furthering the entrepreneurial potential of his Ave Maria "brand". As Mr. Monaghan says, "If you can franchise pizza restaurants, why can't you franchise Catholic schools?" (Sept. 14, 2000).

Ave Maria would later return the favor to this local priest with the franchisee spirit. Just after the Diocese of Lansing informed Fr. Thomas that gay pornography was found on his parish computer - with some of it appearing to involve boys - Ave Maria School of Law Chaplain Fr. Michael Orsi offered Thomas access to their Ave Maria computer staff (see background and AW series). Month's later, AMSL would conduct an internal investigation to make an assessment for "wrongdoing". It was an assessment in which neither the Diocese nor the police had the opportunity to conduct their own fact finding at Ave Maria. Also, AMSL's internal assessment - which Chairman Monaghan likely knew about - was never fully disclosed to police or the Diocese despite Ave Maria's access to, and likely knowledge of, details on the computer's disgusting contents, as found in the police reports.

Did Chairman Monaghan and Dean Dobranski have any idea how high the stakes were? It was recently reported that 85% of those convicted of computer-based child pornography also admit to having sexually abused minors. Why did Monaghan and Dobranski not insist that the Diocese and the police have unfettered access to Ave Maria for their own fact finding? When a former Board member and school founder calls for an independent investigation of these events, one wonders if anybody really knows the full story of Ave Maria's involvement with this priest of the Diocese of Lansing. Remember, personnel at both Ave Maria College and at Ave Maria School of Law had contact with Fr. Thomas about his computer.

Will Ave Maria do it again? In the Diocese of Venice, will they offer services to Monaghan-friendly Diocesan priests who are in trouble with the chancery, and then not fully and immediately disclose such help? Remember, it was only because of AW's reporting, and the subsequent public attention, that Dean Dobranski ever bothered to disclose anything about the Fr. Thomas case. There is no evidence that the Dean or Chairman Monaghan ever sanctioned or reprimanded Chaplain Orsi. Based on that, one might conclude that the Chairman and the Dean do not find it problematic for an Ave Maria employee to offer Ave Maria services to non-employees who are in trouble. With Chaplain Orsi scot-free, there is no reason to think that Ave Maria will change its behavior in the Diocese of Venice. In AveWatch's opinion, this event also suggests that Tom Monaghan and Ave Maria administrators cannot be expected to report serious matters to the local Bishop or police if they're not legally obligated to.

For all the faculty who were booted as the new academic year beings at AMSL, and for all the legal risk that Orsi invited upon the Law School through Fr. Thomas, Ave Maria's Chaplain Orsi seems miraculously secure in his job. As someone who has flown on Tom Monaghan's private jet, and has addressed Dean Dobranski as "buddy" on their Saturday radio show ("The Advocate"), Chaplain Orsi seems free to do and say nearly anything without accountability.

For example, consider Fr. Orsi's stance on immigration - a timely topic, and one that is hot among Catholics in the Diocese of Venice. Bishop Dewane, after all, served as Under Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Vatican before coming to a diverse south Florida. Listen to Fr. Orsi expound on "those people" - the ones who, as he says, sing "Jose can you see", and who try to learn that "boondoggle" of English-as-a-second language (ESL). The first voice that you hear in the clip is Chaplain Orsi, AMSL's "Research Fellow in Law & Religion", a Catholic priest with a doctorate in Education.

• Orsi on immigration - MP3 #1 (3 min. 29 sec.)

If this is what's in store when Ave Maria School of Law moves to south Florida, let's hope that the AMU Radio signal is weak in Immokalee. Become aquainted with Chaplain Orsi's insight on the topics of discrimination, the culpability of minors, and the importance of immodest dress in rape (especially in Florida with the heat and beaches). You'll need to listen to the aforementioned clips on AveWatch since some originals appear to have been removed from the Law School's radio download list. Hmm.

Hopefully, the Diocese of Venice will be able to halt what has been described to AveWatch by local parishioners as a "growing dislike" between "local Catholics" and so-called "Ave Maria Catholics". AveWatch and other interested parties already documented how one cannot simply stroll onto AMU's campus and expect to chat openly or privately with students and employees; such "interviews" are regulated by university policy. When AMU starts issuing its own "Directives" on the priest's posture duing Mass, one wonders the degree to which Ave Maria is trying to exert its own authority within Bishop Dewane's Catholic flock.

UPDATE, 8/23/2007 - Multipe people have written AveWatch to offer examples of "chain of command" issues involving Ave Maria priests. One example, mentioned several times, was a statement supposedly made by Chaplain Orsi at AMSL's fifth anniversary mass where he pointed to Dean Dobranski as "the best bishop I ever had". Was it a joke? Maybe. But, all good wisecracks have an element of truth.

Tags: boyscherries