Favourite One-liners Volume 6 (Financial coercive control edition)

John O’Brien, my sponsor: “You’re never going to work again!” Yelled at me over the phone when I called him after leaving Peterborough. I called to let him know what happened and got an earful about how I had told him I was recording the priests, and why did I leave the italki platform, and that I was never going to work again.

Elizabeth Irwin Howlett, 49% owner of the grocery store in Coniston where I worked briefly in 2021, on her last day of work before retiring: “Oh, you had lots of cash withdrawals this shift. No money in your till? Well, it’s nice I have all this money here in the office.” Softly slammed door in my face. The context, her voice and facial expression communicated her meaning…

These are the kinds of insults, accusations, abuse that became permissible when gossip about Peterborough trickled back to this Diocese.

FCR in 2021: Charged me $5500 for eight simple tax returns after telling me there was no way it would more than $300 per return. They sent in the returns electronically when I had asked that it not be sent insecurely. They demanded full payment, and cut me off from any opportunity to ask questions to the man who had prepared the returns.

Guilty until proven innocent.
So many lifelong friendships and new Catholic possible relationships ruined.
A life almost destroyed.
Because a few priests wanted to enjoy a little power trip.