Hmm.... might be worth trying again?
| from: | Tom Wood tgwood9@gmail.com | ||
| to: | s.ambrogio@tiscali.it | ||
| cc: | bishop@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk, Abate Primate <abate@anselmianum.com>, ufficiovitaconsacrata@religiosi.va, vitamonastica@religiosi.va, governoistituti@religiosi.va, disciplina@religiosi.va, approvazioneistituti@religiosi.va, ajaf@protonmail.com, archbishop@rc-birmingham.org, cardinalnichols@rcdow.org.uk, Bishop@dabnet.org, bishopalan@dioceseofbrentwood.org | ||
| date: | 31 May 2019, 14:37 | ||
| subject: | Abbot Cuthbert Brogan O.S.B. | ||
| mailed-by: | gmail.com I became a postulant at St. Michael's Abbey, Farnborough, UK on 17/09/87. About a month later David Brogan joined.
He then began to subject me to a diatribe against various community members, most especially the Prior (Superior) David Higham, whilst at the same time developing an inappropriate familiarity with the novice master Mario Sanderson such that I felt unable to seek his counsel when Brogan also began to fill my head with gay culture and irreverent jokes and then to mock my piety when I expressed shock and incredulity.
Without a trusted avenue of support I quickly became enamored.
When our old family cat was dying I asked to briefly return home, which was denied and I accepted that and did not leave the monastery, however, the novice master decided to clothe David first, ahead of me and now making him my senior in community Dom Cuthbert Brogan. I was clothed soon after, becoming Dom Thomas Wood.
About 6 months after Brogan began "Conditioning" me (According to the police in 1987 / 88 in UK law, it was not possible to "Groom" an adult. I was 18 when it started.) I suddenly found myself experiencing an overwhelming sexual attraction towards him. I explained how I was feeling and after some equivocation where he gave and then revoked licence he maintained that our friendship should remain celibate. This news resulted in my becoming distraught and I was ushered into an empty room by the novice master who threatened to strike me as an attempt to stop my hysterical crying. I stopped crying and the details of our ensuing conversation escape me but I know it included re-assurance for my intrinsic worth and the way God made me and that I left the room feeling stronger and as the days passed became recommitted to my celibate monastic life whilst appreciating beauty and embracing self acceptance.
Soon afterward Cuthbert and I visited Wonersh Seminary. My father was friends with the late Brian Madeley from Horsham and his son Tim (Now Arundel Cathedral Dean, Canon Tim Madeley) was a seminarian there. After a pleasant visit Cuthbert and I were returning on the train from Guildford to Farnborough North when he (Cuthbert) suddenly placed his hand on my thigh. "Is that alright?" he said. I was very confused because as I've written, it was what I had wanted but since then had regained my holy purpose and was feeling assured within that. He then proceeded to undo the fly on my trousers. I think he continued to seek confirmation of my consent and I did not overtly object and as he fondled my genitals I became content with his actions. On returning to the abbey he entered my cell. The centre light was on and I prefer low lights so it was switched off and the low light from a desk lamp heightened the sensual atmosphere where, in private, he now proceeded, with my consent, to masturbate me.
This heralded an on / off sexual affair that would last until my departure from the Abbey and the O.S.B. in the summer of 1989. Most successive times I would initiate though I do recall being in his cell and in a seated position where he pulled my head towards his crotch indicating to me that he was seeking fellatio. I recall performing fellatio and that his personal hygiene was poor. We also had sexual contact on the beach at Ramsgate during our novitiate holiday in August 1988 staying at the benedictine abbey there that has now moved to Chilworth. Another repeat occasion for sex was in the swimming pool of Farnborough Hill girls school. We had to first collect the key from the nuns. This was on a number of Sunday afternoons.
I entered the monastery in good faith. On top of that I really loved the place and initially felt the happiest and most content in all my life. Realistically, there were ups and downs as in any life but I was feeling purposeful for perhaps the first time.
When I left in 1989 I believed we were two contemporaries who had made a mistake and as he wanted to stay, I believed he should have my loyalty in preventing scandal so he could have a second chance. What became apparent over the ensuing 30 years alongside my growing depression and alcoholism is that I protected a highly unsuitable character where there is much public speculation online of further misdemeanour, both before he came to Farnborough, when he was with The Passionists in St. Helens, Liverpool and after his involvement with me, suspicions The Church has on occasion seen fit to look into, visitations etc as indicated by comment therein or to me privately.
Names of those mooted as previously involved with Farnborough / David Cuthbert Brogan "Concerns" include:
Abbot Gilbert Jones, former Abbot of Ramsgate and former Abbot President, Subiaco Congregation
Abbot Aldhelm Cameron-Brown, former Abbot of Prinknash
Abbot O'Keeffe (Laurence? former Abbot Of Ramsgate?) (Think he was either prior or novice master during Cuthbert and my novitiate holiday at Ramsgate during the early days of our affair)
Abbot Of Pluscarden 2002/3 (Hugh Gilbert?)
And within the last two years I've only had response from Abbot Anselm Atkinson (Pluscarden) and Abbot Primate Gregory Polan pointing me toward Subiaco-Cassinese president Guillermo Leon Arboleda Tamayo who has completely ignored me! As have Vatican congregations / dicasteries. Portsmouth Diocese safeguarding, once advised there were no criminal proceedings and that it was not a matter for the Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Service, referred me to the French Benedictines, unfortunate as F'bro is Subiaco-Cassnese. They have also failed to remove Brogan from their safeguarding commission!
Although we were both novices / contemporaries I believe I was vulnerable by virtue of deprivation of personal liberty, wanting to persevere in the religious life at St. Michael's. I believe I was in a position of relative powerlessness. Brogan appeared to me charismatic and with a compelling authority. He was two years older, had previous experience of religious life and also had a confident worldliness about things I was trying to leave behind but was being drawn back, becoming intrigued and quickly overcome as having no one I felt able to confide in, nor soon wished to. The grooming or conditioning left me,I believe, also vulnerable by way of impaired mental faculties, depression / anxiety, low self esteem, emotional dependence.
In light of Pope Francis Motu Proprio "Vos Estis Lux Mundi" I am hoping you will now investigate again and agree with me that Brogan should either be removed from his position and from the Abbey, including his dubiously "formed" community who might test their vocation elsewhere OR that the Abbey lose it's canonical status and it's clerics be laicised so that the innocent may be protected.
Yours Sincerely,
Tom Wood.
For more, see my blog: http://
My Cell, Thursday 17/09/87
My Cell (Window Open)
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I truly sympathise with your story and believe that Abbot Brogan is guilty of these terrible abuses but if the church authorities are not prepared to listen to you, would the only recourse you have is to take your story to the national newspapers?
ReplyDeleteThank you Anon 2 June 2019 at 01:46
DeleteI suspect many already know. I've tagged and commented / linked etc over the years. I was optimistic that these new instructions from the pope might provoke some action but comments I'm reading on other sites, particularly regarding something called "The Pontifical Secret" which it's suggested remains unaffected and if so this all looks like just another in a long line of attempts to kick the can down the road and bamboozle everyone that they're doing something when in reality it's just business as usual. Hold tight and it will disappear. Actually, I wonder if some will be hoping that the rise in populist right / hard right politics will continue and the roman catholic church can in the near future assert itself once more as the undoubted arbiter of morality and replace firmly a lid upon any scandal within whilst conveniently exploiting the zeitgeist and blaming liberalism and church haters and fake news!
I think a month is by far enough for the church to make an initial response. I'll think again about the press if I hear nothing constructive. Thanks again for your sympathies, much appreciated. :-)