St. Peter Parish

Welcome to St. Peter Parish in Geneva Illinois

These pages tell the story of one parish, St. Peter in Geneva Illinois, from the appointment of Joseph Jarmoluk as pastor to the present day.

Saint Peter is not unique in the fact that it has experienced turmoil and chaos in the face of clergy sexual abuse of minor children. However, the local parish of the charming community of Geneva may be unique in that, besides the child-molesting priest, there were other factors that contributed to the very public and tangled mess of this Catholic parish. First, Jarmoluk publicly castigated a member of the congregation during all weekend Masses for calling on the bishop, who had been found in contempt of court, to fully cooperate in the investigation and criminal prosecution of the then-alleged (and since convicted) child molester. Then, the parish's choir director was found guilty of murdering a disabled man in Buffalo, New York, who was described to be his gay lover. On top of that, Jarmoluk was - and apparently continues to be - involved in the filming of a documentary (which is more likely a mockumentary) about himself - a project that brought to Geneva a seedy character from New York whose film credits include 500 Porn and still appears to involve a local con-artist on parole for fraud.

During Jarmoluk's term as pastor, over 200 articles and letters were published in local and Chicagoland newspapers. Related documents include diocesan statements, parish petitions, and a so-called Due Diligence Report created by Jarmoluk's personal attorney. The timeline, though far from comprehensive, details the highlights - or lowlights - of events at the parish during Jarmoluk's reign there. (When he first came to the parish, he told an employee of the parish office, "I am going to build an empire".

Letters from St. Peter parishioners expressing concern that child abuse of a student was ignored in order to protect the image of the parish during a fundraising campaign .

A Timeline

The timeline at right lists only the very basics of events at St. Peter for the past 12 years. Click on the link directly above for a more comprehensive and informative timeline, separated by years.

Newspaper Headlines

This document lists more than 200 newspaper headlines and letters to editors regarding St. Peter parish from 1998 to the present day. Each headline contains a link to the full article or entire letter.

Document Map

This link takes you to a Document Map which lists many different documents regarding St. Peter Parish from financial letters to the Petition defending pastor Jarmoluk's altar tirade, to the prayer cards made by parishioners for the two girls abused by Campobello.

Notable Quotes

Here you will find a list of Notable Quotes related to St. Peter Parish. Subtitled The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, it includes foolish quotes made by the bishop and his underlings as well as some who have been blessed with a little more wisdom.

Comments and Questions

Like in the Notable Quotes, our Comments and Questions page reveals both wisdom and ignorance. We have comments from two different parish employees that are quite revealing. Because the parish has been in bunker-mode with a serious lack of honest communication (just what Catholic writer George Weigel warned against), members of the community have turned to us for answers and we do our best to help spread factual information which is necessary for healing to begin.

The Phony Documentary and Hateful Web site

This link pulls the curtain away from the facade of a "film company" supposedly coming from New York to make a "documentary" about pastor Jarmoluk. It goes "behind the scenes" and exposes the real people behind the phony names and delves a bit into their undesirable past, along with Jarmoluk's association with them.

The Rockford File

Rockford Diocese bishop Thomas Doran claims he "raises his prayers up to high heaven for the victims of child sexual abuse". His actions - and those of his attorney Ellen Lynch - say otherwise. Lynch's tactics in the courtroom reach so low that she even claims she's wants records sealed because she cares about the victims even though she's fighting against the victims' own attorney. (A tactic also used in Chicago and probably everywhere else.) Lynch, herself, was named in a lawsuit after she and monsignor David Kagan were taped making derogatory comments about a survivor after they thought they had hung up the telephone but were on voice-recorder. This link will lead you to information on other cases in Rockford as well has some opinions of several survivors on how well - or poorly - Doran has acted on behalf of the diocese.

The Rockford Files: Newspaper Articles Regarding Abuse Cases in the Rockford Diocese

st peter welcome sign
The sign pictured on the left, situated in front of the church, says "Welcome to St. Peter Church & School". During the tenure of Pastor Joe Jarmoluk, there was a mass exodus from both. Some parishioners were literally waved out of the building by followers of Jarmoluk. Jarmoluk told the friend of another that if she set foot on parish property, he would call the police on her. Police were called on several occasions when out-of-control employees and volunteers stalked, ambushed, and verbally attacked innocent parishioners after Mass, in the presence of priests. A former employee of the parish called it "the House of Satan".

The photo at left was posted on a web site with an anonymous blog. Bishop Doran instructed Pastor Jarmoluk to disassociate himself with the web site. Some of those pictured at left were also involved with that site. The caption under the photo read, "It hangs for thee.... evil 14". It was intended to threaten and intimidate a group of parishioners who had publicly expressed support for the girls who were abused by Campobello.

A QUICK GLANCE AT THE HEADLINES..........................

"Suspect, victim's family at same Mass. Family of Andrea Will shocked to learn Boulay was at church" By Terri Tabor, Daily Herald, 07/03/98 full story...

"Church breaks ground" Kane County Chronicle, 03/02/02 full story...

"Parishioners celebrate Geneva priest's new title" By Stephanie Elliot, Daily Herald, 12/04/00 full story...

"Ex-Geneva priest charged with sexual assault. Teen says former St. Peter clergyman victimized her in 1999 when she was 14" By Tona Kunz, Daily Herald, 12/04/02 full story...

In case you missed it.................

A letter from Mr. and Mrs. Catholic regarding the abuse, fundraising, and secrecy at St. Peter Church in Geneva.

"Priest enters pleas of not guilty" By Geri Nikolai, Rockford Register Star, 01/10/03 full story...

"Church fights to keep priest investigation secret. Rockford Diocese says it can't turn over information in the case of teenager's rape" By David R. Kazak, Daily Herald, 04/17/03 full story...

"Diocese won't turn over files on priest" By Alicia Fabbre, Daily Herald, 05/23/03 full story...

"Priest faces more sex assault charges. Second girl accuses ex-administrator at Geneva school of criminal abuse" By Alicia Fabbre, Daily Herald, 11/01/03 full story...

Letter to the Editor, Daily Herald, "Legal situation spurs concern at church" By Frank Bochte, 11/16/03 entire letter...

"Church in no position to be casting stones" By John Kass, Chicago Tribune, 01/15/04 full story...

"Group asks bishop to take action. Punishment of Geneva priest sought" By Garrett Ordower, Daily Herald, 01/23/04 full story...

Letter to the Editor, Daily Herald, "Story was unfair to St.Peter pastor" By Angela Pavelich, 01/31/04 entire letter...

Letter to the Editor, Daily Herald, "Church's behavior is disappointing" By Tom Carter, 01/31/04 entire letter...

"Tensions at Geneva church reach boiling point" By Rita Hoover, Geneva Republican, 02/12/04 full story...

"Choir leader charged in killing. Man suspected in 1999 stabbing directed Easter mass in Geneva" By Garrett Ordower and Patrick Waldron, Daily Herald, 04/14/04 full story...

"Church denies knowing murder suspect's past" By Garrett Ordower, Daily Herald, 04/15/04 full story...

Blind Faith column, Kane County Chronicle, By Bill Page, 05/06/04 entire column...

"Diocese tries to keep priests records private" By Patrick Waldron, Daily Herald, 05/07/04 full story...

"8 years for priest in sex abuse. Mark Campobello will spend at least 3 and a half years in prison and could be defrocked by the Vatican" By Geri Nikolai, Rockford Register Star, 05/14/04 full story...

"Rockford diocese loses records ruling; Priest inquiry is ordered released" By Victoria A.F. Camron, Chicago Tribune, 05/23/04 full story...

Letter to the Editor, Kane County Chronicle, "Picking up the pieces" By Mary Lu O'Halloran, 05/30/04 entire letter...

"Second abuse victim expected to sue former priest" By Paul Rock, Kane County Chronicle, 06/17/04 full story...

"Did diocese hide priest's sex abuse? Police reports, school employees suggests diocese kept abuse quiet, didn't do enough to help" By Garrett Ordower, Daily Herald, 06/23/04 full story...

"Sex abuse story built on months of work and dozens of sources" By Kurt Gessler, Tri-Cities Editor, Daily Herald, 06/27/04 full story...

"Consultant: Clergy abuse is a 'violation of the community'" By Rita Hoover, Geneva Republican, 07/15/04 full story...

Guest View, Kane County Chronicle, "Make healing a priority" By John O'Halloran, 08/01/04 entire letter...

Guest View, Kane County Chronicle, "A matter of discourse" By Barbara Houston, 08/04/04 entire letter...

"Church can withhold its files on imprisoned priest, judge says" By Rita Hoover, Chicago Tribune, 08/14/04 full story...

"Experts: If in doubt, report it anyway. law clarifies what clergy, teachers and others must do about possible child abuse", By Garrett Ordower, Daily Herald, 08/16/04 full story...

"Protecting the wrong guy", Bill Page Column, Kane County Chronicle, 08/17/04 entire column...

"Attorney: Former priest might have more victims" By Dan Campana, Kane County Chronicle, 09/14/04 full story...

"Diocese offers to settle sex abuse suits" By Tona Kunz, Daily Herald, 09/28/04 full story...

Letter to the Editor, Daily Herald, "Pay more money to workers, not lawyers", By Frank Bochte, 10/10/04 entire letter...

"Candlelight vigil in Geneva supports victims of priest; Church questions group's motives" By Rita Hoover, Chicago Tribune, 11/12/04 full story...

"Priest reportedly caught on tape" By Dan Campana, Kane County Chronicle, 11/24/04 full story...

"Judge won't release details of ex-priest's conversations" By Dan Campana, Kane County Chronicle, 12/07/04 full story...

Letter to the Editor, Kane County Chronicle, "Lost our way" By Mary Lu O'Halloran, 12/16/04 entire letter...

"Former choir director found guilty of murder. West Chicago man killed lover five years ago, New York jury decides" By Garrett Ordower, Daily Herald, 12/17/04 full story...

"Judge indefinitely bars release of Campobello tapes" By Dan Campana, Kane County Chronicle, 12/21/04 full story...

Letter to the Editor, "Insensitive comment by diocese lawyer" By Frank Bochte, Daily Herald, 12/28/04 entire letter...

Letter to the Editor, "Duplicitous 'birds' do flock together" By David Clohessey, Daily Herald, 12/29/04 entire letter...

Letter to the Editor, "Continuing support for victims of priest abuse" The Geneva Republican, 01/20/05 entire letter...

"Attorney claims diocese is dragging feet" By Dan Campana, Kane County Chronicle, 02/10/05 full story...

"Ex-Tri-Cities man gets 25 to life. Former choir director sentenced in second-degree murder case" By Garrett Ordower, Daily Herald, 02/19/05 full story...

"Bishops' audit assailed in Geneva; Rockford diocese got a passing grade" By Rita Hoover, Chicago Tribune, 02/23/05 full story...

"Diocese asks the court to seal sex abuse files" By Tona Kunz, Daily Herald, 03/09/05 full story...

Letter to the Editor, Daily Herald, "Diocese should end legal games" By Frank Bochte, 03/17/05 entire letter...

"Judge issues gag order in church sex abuse case" The Geneva Sun, 05/26/05 full story...

"Files in Campobello case ordered sealed" By Tona Kunz, Daily Herald, 04/23/05 full story...

"Diocese must give records" By Rita Hoover, Chicago Tribune, 07/01/05 full story...

"Ex-priest's records won't be released" By Tona Kunz, Daily Herald, 07/23/05 full story...

"Diocese pamphlet draws criticism" By Dan Campana, Kane County Chronicle, 08/21/05 full story...

Letter to the Editor, Kane County Chronicle, "Time to wake up" By Janet W. Hauter, 09/28/05 entire letter...

"Priest files deemed relevant" Daily Herald, 09/30/06 full story...

"Court to put hearing back into hearings" By Tona Kunz, Daily Herald, 10/01/05 full story...

"Inaudible trial frustrates audience" By Tona Kunz, Daily Herald, 11/18/05 full story...

Letter to the Editor, Daily Herald, "Sheepish flock abets the Catholic Church" By M. Klemenz, 02/11/06 entire letter...

Letter to the Editor, Daily Herald, "Catholic defends her lack of outrage" By Nancy Wieczorek, 02/11/06 entire letter...

"Dear Catholics: Where is your outrage? Where is your shame?" By Chuck Goudie, Daily Herald, 02/13/06 full story...

Letter to the Editor, Daily Herald, "Far too many good Catholics look away" By Frank Bochte, 02/13/06 entire letter...

Letter to the Editor, Daily Herald, "Catholics should speak out on abuse" By Mary Claire Harris, 02/19/06 entire letter...

"St. Peter's settles suit with teacher" By Rupa Shenoy, Daily Herald, 06/08/06 full story...

"Pastor to seek parish's pardon. Bishop orders Geneva priest to ask forgiveness, fire attorney" By Rupa Shenoy, Daily Herald, 08/31/06 full story...

"Geneva priest "truly sorry". Church leader denies role in documentary" By Rupa Shenoy, Daily Herald, 09/01/06 full story...

"Zeal to defend priest takes wrong turn" By Jeffrey Ward, The Sun, 09/20/06 full story...

"Looking for faith healing. St. Peter parish still reeling from 1999 priest abuse scandal" By Steve Lord, Beacon News, 10/04/06 full story...

"Key Events: Timeline of some key incidents in the Campobello case and St. Peter situation" By Steve Lord, Beacon News, 10/01/06 full story...

"Did diocese know? Trials set for 2007" By Tona Kunz, Daily Herald, 12/20/06 full story...

"Monsignor must give deposition" By Dan Campana and Kelley Casino, Kane County Chronicle, 01/26/07 full story...

"St. Peter's members hold press conferene in defese of parish. Campobello case: Rev. Jarmoluk's lawyer shot down in attempt to sanction another attorney", By Steve Lord, Beacon News, 03/02/07 full story...

Letter to the Editor, Daily Herald, "Jarmoluk should be critical of Web site" By Frank Bochte, 03/06/07 entire letter...

"$2.2M deal OK'd in church sex-abuse suit: Mark Campobello, jailed in 2004, was ministering in Geneva and Aurora at the time of the incidents" By Geri Nikolai, Rockford Register Star, 05/11/07 full story...

"Settlement leaves questions unanswered" by Harry Hitzeman and Tona Kunz, Daily Herald, 05/11/07 full story...

Letter to the Editor, "Events were not like writer says", by J. Thomas Morlan, Daily Herald, 05/26/07 entire letter...

"Forthcoming documentary defends Illinois priest" by Matt C. Abbott, renewamerica.us, 09/06/07 full story...

"Ex-priest required to register as a sex offender" by Erin Sauder, Geneva Republican, 02/08/08 full story...

"Ex-priest who sexually abused students in Geneva, Aurora released from prison" Chicago Tribune, 02/14/08 full story...

"Former priest back in prison" by Erin Sauder, Geneva Republican, 04/17/08 full story...

"Campobello released from prison once again" by Matt Hanley, Elgin Courier News, 07/09/08 full story...

"Defrocked priest, convicted sex offender, arrested" by Rita Hoover, City Examiner, 04/09/09 full story with photo...

"Rev. Jarmoluk will leave St. Peter parish" by Steve Lord, Beacon News, 06/17/09 full story....

FOR COMPLETE LIST OF ARTICLES AND LETTERS, INCLUDING LINKS, VISIT OUR HEADLINES PAGE.

A Closer Look at a Massive Scandal

FireThePope.com is a web site that aims to tell the story of the Roman Catholic Church's outrageous scandal of childhood sexual assaults in epidemic numbers and the concerted cover-up by the Church's higher-ups. Though Karol Wojtyla, Ratzinger's predecessor, claimed in 2001 that the scandal was an "American problem", similar crimes and almost identical cover-up practices have since been exposed in Europe, Canada, and Australia. It is only a matter of time before it is known that children in every corner of the globe known to the Roman Catholic Church have been raped and that those rapes were covered-up by the Church's local bishops and vicars.

Though this web site includes some information on the scandal on an international scale, our focus with be the scandal in the United States of American. More specifically, we focus on a single American parish in Geneva Illinois, 37 miles west of Chicago. St. Peter Parish saw the scandal hit home when "Father" Mark Campobello was arrested in December 2002 for the sexual abuse and assault of a female student at the parish school. Shortly thereafter, another girl came forward with similar accusations against "Father" Mark and he eventually pleaded guilty and served approximately four years in prison.

The story of St. Peter does not end there, however. Efforts on the part of the parish administration and the Rockford Diocese to cover-up and keep secret Campobello's propensity to molest female students, and the fact that their cover-up allowed the priest to continue abusing, led to a $2.2 million settlement in a civil lawsuit filed by the two victims. Despite the tab paid for by parishioners, no bishop, vicar, pastor, attorney, or principal who were part of the cover-up were fired, reprimanded, demoted, or otherwise disciplined. In fact, one of the vicars was promoted, the pastor was treated like a rock star by priest-worshipping laity, and the principal was sent off into retirement with a standing ovation and a healthy pension check.

St Peter Parish Church

What happened at St. Peter is not unusual. Sadly, it is quite typical. Catholics everywhere are rallying around their priests, even the ones who rape little kids and the other ones who let them. The priests, vicars, and bishops who are getting promoted these days are usually the ones who do the best job covering up sexual crimes against children or criticizing the secular media. The few good priest who are left have given up on any promotion because the refuse to "play the game".

There are some events that set St. Peter apart from the rest of the crowd. In 2003, a parishioner wrote a letter to the editor, pointing out the fact that the bishop, Thomas Doran, was held in contempt of court for refusing to turn over court-ordered documents in the criminal case against Campobello and stated he would withhold donations to the diocese until the bishop decided to cooperate with the prosecutors in the case. In 2004, the parish choir director was arrested for a brutal murder in New York where he had previously lived. Michael Pavone was later found guilty by a jury and was given a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. Several years later, he died of hepititis while incarcerated. Finally, the parish pastor, Joe Jarmoluk, hired a personal attorney, Canice Rice of St. Louis, and became involved with a con-man, James Grice, who claims to be filming a documentary about Jarmoluk titled Forsaken.

Papa Roma vs Joe Pa

Joe Paterno, the head football coach at Penn State University was fired on November for not "doing enough" to protect kids from being raped by an assistant coach. According to a grand jury report, Paterno was told by a graduate assistant coach that he had witnessed Jerry Sandusky raping a young boy in the locker room. Paterno relayed the graduate assistant's report to the athletic director and moved on. The police were not contacted and Sandusky kept assaulting boys. The president of Penn State was also fired by the board of directors.

Joseph Ratzinger, on the other hand, oversaw the sexual assaults of children in the world-wide Roman Church for two decades as the prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under the papacy of Karol Wojtyla. Among the thousands of cases of cover-up of sexual assaults of children by priests and nuns, there are three cases in particular that are damning against Joseph Ratzinger personally. Not only did the current pope not "do enough" to protect children from rapists but he refused to remove the predators when begged to do so by some of the lower-level humans.

At Penn State University, there was a higher power who did what the self-centered men would not do to themselves. When the scandal broke in the media, no one involved stepped down voluntarily. Paterno announced that he planned to retire at the end of the season and informed the board they need not take any action. The following day, the board fired him. When Joseph Ratzinger, a known enabler of hundreds if not thousands of child rapes or molestations, refuses to step down, it is incumbent upon other to knock "His Holiness" off of his pedestal and send him home, if not to jail.

FireThePope.com

St. Peter Parish

Tour a Parish

A Quick Timeline

In May of 1998, pastor Joe Jarmoluk arrived at St. Peter Parish in Geneva as pastor and almost immediately started to raise funds for an $8 million parish and school expansion.

In 1999, another priest at St. Peter, Mark Campobello began sexually abusing one of the female students of the parish school. The girl confided in a teacher who did not report it. When another teacher found out, she reported it to the principal who told her it was being taken care of.

In 1999 and 2000, Campobello continued abusing. Another victim was a female student at a the high school were he was working. The bishop pulled him out of the high school in the middle of the school year but the cops were never called.

In 2000, Jarmoluk received the title of 'monsignor'.

In 2002, the bishop showed up for "ground-breaking ceremonies" for the expansion of the existing school and parish offices and erecting of a new chapel.

Later in 2002, Campobello was arrested at a parish of which he was a 'parochial minister' which essentially the pastor. The parish, St. James in Belvidere, has a school.

In 2003, the Rockford Diocese was held in contempt of court for refusing to turn over court-ordered documents to the authorities prosecuting the Campobello criminal case.

A short time later, a parishioner wrote a letter to the Daily Herald, calling out the bishop for not cooperating the the investigation of the child sexual assault charges. The parishioner included that he would no longer be donating money to the diocese for that reason.

Less than a week later, Jarmoluk asked the parishioner for a meeting. Jarmoluk showed up with the pastoral council chair, Ray Benedetto, and pressured Bochte to sign a recantation letter they had prepared. Bochte refused.

One month later, in May 2004, Campobello changed his original plea of not-guilty to guilty. He was sentenced to 8 years for crimes committed against two girls.

A local newspaper covered the scandal at the parish, in part, with a comic portraying Jarmoluk hiding in the church basement, afraid to face parishioners.

The group of parishioners publicly supporting Jarmoluk began to wane. Even many of the ones who were publicly silent began to quietly express a desire for him to leave the parish. Some of those who chose to stick by him increased their attacks on the victims' advocates and victims themselves.

In 2009, Campobello was paroled after serving less than half of his sentence. He violated parole a short time later and was re-arrested and later re-released.

Campobello is rearrested and returned to prison for violating parole again.

Campobello is released from prison in July 2010 and registers as a sex offender with the State of Illinois Department of Corrections.

In the spring of 2011, St. Peter releases a book to mark its 100 year anniversary. In it, Jarmoluk is hailed as a hero despite the fact that the diocese settled for$2.2 million immediately after his deposition and the fact that a mass exodus occurred under his watch.