Archbishop Nelson Perez took a break from a typical day which could include presiding at a funeral for a predator priest who sexually violated the bodies of little girls. Or continuing to ignore a deceased clergy abuse victim’s family. And of course laughing at a mocking impersonation of an Archdiocese victims assistance coordinator. Instead, yesterday Archbishop Perez shared some good news. Mass attendance in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has increased 7.5% for the 2025 year.
Smoking cigarettes, crocheting, and Catholicism are all making a comeback with the youth in the U.S. The diocese of Lansing posted a 6% rise in 2025 mass attendance. Somehow accomplishing this without the billion dollar price tag that will come with the Catholic Church of Philadelphia’s Trust and Hope efforts. The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) has stated that in-person Mass attendance has returned to pre-pandemic levels as of early 2025.
One of the ways that the Catholic Church of Philadelphia will reach young people is through social media. A Philly clergy abuse victim reached out this week with the contact info for three new employees of the Trust and Hope team. The survivor was aware that we had previously contacted the Trust and Hope team over the past year letting them know of the many child and laity protection issues. I reached out to Morgan Hurlock and John Cardone who are Strategic Digital Missionaries on the Trust and Hope Team. Also included was Emma Gaughan who is the Donor Relations Coordinator. I emailed all a sample of C4C blog posts.
The survivor also let me know that the Catholic Church of Philadelphia created a Tik Tok page recently. I left two relevant comments on the new Tik Tok site. The comments appear to have been either hidden or deleted. I emailed Digital Missionary, Morgan Hurlock, who seems to have created the Tik Tok page letting her know that we are often speaking for survivors in our public comments. The following day it seems that I was blocked from the Tik Tok Page. This is the first time in 15 years that the Catholics4Change community of laity, survivors, and parents have been blocked from an Archdiocese site.
The comment that seems to have had us blocked was on a post introducing Deacon Jim O’Neill as the Director of Strategic Operations for the Trust and Hope team. Deacon Jim has been included in our emails to the team since January 2025 and has never replied. The comment I posted was “Deacon Jim O’Neill has never responded to a child or laity protection email.” It’s the truth, he hasn’t.
What are the ethics involved when an organization is in the process of launching a capital campaign, with a billion dollar price tag, to recruit youth to a place that is still not safe for them? If this was any other organization with a decades long history of child rape and was the subject of two Grand Jury report investigations, wouldn’t a Trust and Hope team want to be in constant communication with their customer base on the problems that continue, rather than just checking in that all is now fine with the organization that caused the problems?
The good old days of emailing with Archbishop Chaput (he always replied) or contacting Ken Gavin the Archdiocese spokesperson and having him spin like a top in his replies, are long over. The new regime under Archbishop Perez is one of shut down and shut out. Is he telling the new young employees to block Catholic moms? Catholic moms are that threatening to a billion dollar effort? Or is it the truth that is the threat?
I have to think the shut down began when the Catholic Church of Philadelphia knew that we have the documents that allegedly show that Archbishop Perez installed a priest as pastor of a parish when the priest was under the investigation for sexual abuse of an adult (over the age of 18) and who was found to have credibly violated the Standards of Ministerial Behavior Boundaries. If I were Dan Cellucci and Brian McCarthy and my name was attached to an effort recruiting youth to a place that continues to endanger children and laity, I would want to know every detail of this case. They have never replied.
Catholics4Change has welcomed the Trust and Hope Team to follow us on Facebook and to comment on the blogs. An opportunity to interact with laity and survivors . We also invited them to the play Unreconciled by a Philly clergy abuse survivor which details his abuse and treatment by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia IRRP program. They never replied. Deacon Jim O’Neill also was included on the invitation.
They are invited to explore the truth. We won’t block them. The truth does not require it.
Catholics4Change 
You write with anger that your posts on Tik Tok were deleted. I have tried to post on this site at least six times in the last two years that child abuse has been with Christianity since the days that Jesus walked the Earth and you have NEVER posted it. Not even once. You have no room to talk about a website ignoring your posts. You do it all the time. How does it feel? You are a hypocrite.
The phrase “millstone around their neck” is found in the Bible, specifically in Luke 17:2 and Matthew 18:6, where it serves as a warning against causing harm to vulnerable individuals, particularly those new in faith i.e. children and the horrors of judgement that come with that abuse.
Your comments were moderated because of how you went after people on the Fr John Paul post His victims who were commenting on the post but you needed the attention to yourself and you bordered on cruelty. I’m not a hypocrite. I posted this comment for all to see. You were inappropriate on the Fr John Paul post. You were given a chance to reign it in and you chose not to. Period.
Also you assign me the emotion of anger that comments on Tik Tok were deleted. My emails to the team inquiring about the deletion of the comments were polite and civil. They were invited to engage on the posts.
A comment from another person who is the brother of a predator Philly priest and uses various names to post on this site was also moderated on this blog post. His response to Arthur’s comment was cruel. Arthur is the father of a deceased victim. I will always step in to protect Arthur from a jerk behind a keyboard. He also has accused Archbishop Chaput of misconduct on our Facebook page. I don’t play with people commenting under various names. That man is as creepy as his pedophile priest brother. Part of me wanted to allow the comment so the Trust and Hope team could see who is in their corner.
Also any comments that contain profanity or go off on political rants get moderated.
My comments on the Tik Tok were respectful, relevant to the post and true. Also
it was on behalf of the victim who did not want to comment publicly on Tik Tok. The team was aware.
The catholic church avoids Justice because it is expensive!
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TO: All Priests and Deacons of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
FROM: Reverend Michael F. Hennelly
Vicar for Clergy
DATE: January 31, 2022
RE: Death of Reverend Monsignor Philip J. Dowling (1956)
Retired, Resident, Providence Rehabilitation & Healthcare
Center, Yeadon
__________________________________________________________________________
The Reverend Monsignor Philip J. Dowling, Retired, Resident, Providence Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center, Yeadon, died on Thursday, January 27, 2022.
The Reception of the Body will be held at Holy Innocents Church, Philadelphia, on Friday, February 4, 2022 at 9:00 A.M., followed by a viewing at 9:30AM. Most Reverend Nelson J. Pérez, D.D. will celebrate the Funeral Mass for Monsignor Dowling, at 11:00 AM.
In the tradition of the Purgatorial Society, priests are requested to offer two Masses for the repose of the soul of a brother priest.
May Monsignor Dowling rest in peace!
This is the predator priest whose funeral Archbishop Perez was the celebrant. The email was sent to clergy by Fr Michael Hennelly ,Vicar for Clergy. What an absolutely sick clerical culture. https://www.adamhorowitzlaw.com/blog/msgr-philip-dowling-archdiocese-of-philadelphia/
https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/josh-shapiro-clergy-abuse-survivors-20260213.html