Ronald Bennett

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Father Ronald Bennett OFM (born 1935) is a Franciscan friar and a former spiritual director, sports master and bursar of Gormanston College, Co Meath, Ireland. He joined the staff of the College in 1963 and his duties also included organising teams of altar boys.

Bennett pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on June 29, 2006 to six sample charges of sexually abusing four pupils, three of whom were boarders, at the College on dates from 1974 to 1981.

The abuse began with Bennett touching them outside their clothes culminating with the abuse taking place in some cases with both parties totally naked. Some of the abuse took place in Bennett's office to which victims were summoned over the College tannoy system and direct access to which was controlled by a set of red and green lights outside his office door. Victims entered when the light turned from red to green.

His faculties for hearing Confession and celebrating Mass publicly have been withdrawn. Bennett lives at Cluain Mhurie, Killiney, County Dublin.

1 School principal infomed of abuse in 1973
2 Views of Richard Lanigan, past pupil
3 Punishment
4 Gormanston College
5 References
6 External links

[edit] School principal infomed of abuse in 1973

The Irish Times reported that the Franciscans in charge of Gormanston College during Bennett's tenure were made aware of abuse but did not remove^[1]. Complaints were made against Bennett in 1973 to Fr Patrick SweeneyOFM, principal of the college by the parents of one of the boys he abused. The parents were given assurances that Bennett would no longer be allowed to be alone with boys, but he continued to be in a positon to abuse until 1981, eight years afterwards.

Franciscan provincial Fr Caoimhín Ó Laoide OFM said that at the time the feeling had been that there could be an internal solution to the problem.

"From this point looking back, there was misguided thinking that it could be dealt with internally," he said.

He acknowledged that if the assurances given to parents in 1973 had been adhered to, a lot of other boys would not have suffered. He said there were now robust procedures in place.

"We acknowledge the hurt caused and our concern is for the injured parties," he said. "There is a tremendous sense of sorrow."

He added that the religious order had an open-door policy and any former pupil could contact them at any time.

[edit] Views of Richard Lanigan, past pupil

Richard Lanigan, a past pupil of Gormanston College, said the priest's behaviour was common knowledge among the boys in the 1970s, although they were not aware of the extent of the abuse.

"Some of the priests were lovely men, dedicated to their students," he said, "but this went on and adults who should have known better didn't want to go there. The neglect of these children by the other priests is every bit as bad as what Bennett did to them."

Dr Lanigan has set up a website to provide an independent forum for former students to discuss how abused past pupils might be supported.

[edit] Punishment

Bennett received a a five-year suspended sentence on July 26, 2006 and entered into a bond of €1,000 to keep the peace for five years and undertake to abide by the Franciscan code of practice^[2].

Monday, 5 March 2007

The Court of Criminal Appeal has ruled that a suspended sentence imposed on a former spiritual director of a Co Meath school for indecently assaulting young boys did not adequately recognise the seriousness of the offences or the consequences for the victims. the Court ruled that Fr Bennett must serve two and a half years of that sentence in prison.

A week before his appearance at Dublin Circuit Court on 29 June last year, Bennett changed his not-guilty plea to guilty on six sample charges of the indecent assault of four schoolboys between 1974 and 1981. There had originally been more than 40 charges against him. The Court of Criminal Appeal found that the sentence did not reflect the seriousness of the offences or the consequences for the victims and ruled that the priest should serve two and-a-half years of a custodial sentence.

Dr Richard Lanigan who set up the website gormanston.net for past pupils and has campaigned for a stiffer sentence to be given to Bennett, stated past pupils are delighted to hear the news, they hope further questions will be asked as to why Bennett was allowed continue working with children at Gormanston until 1993, twenty years after parents had first brought the abuse to the attention of the Franciscan's at Gormanston.

According to articles in The Irish Sunday Tribune on March 11 and Irish Independent March 9 Bennett was a co-founder of the national schools swimming association and was one of the most important figures in children's swimming in Ireland. Bennett co-founded the all Ireland body, the Irish Schools Swimming Association, in February 1969, the same year he formed the Gormanston Scout Troop.

It has also been revealed that Bennett worked closely with George Gibney and Derry O'Rourke, hosting regular training camps in the 1970s and 1980s at the school's pool, which were run, at the priest's invitation, by the notorious coaches. One of the first 11 women whose complaints against O'Rourke resulted in his 12-year jail sentence in January 1998 recalls attending regular residential camps at the school under the aegis of O'Rourke.

In 1977, Bennett became secretary of FISEC, an international body that organises the World Catholic Games for school children. FISEC's membership is confined to traditionally Catholic countries such as Italy, Spain, Belgium, Malta, France and Ireland. The annual games were inaugurated in 1948 and are meant to foster good relations between children of different countries "through the medium of sport carried out in an educational, disciplined and Christian manner".

Bennett was team manager for Ireland at the Madrid games in 1971 and at the Rome games the following year. As late as 1995 - despite a child sexual-abuse complaint having been made against him to the college principal by parents of a Gormanston boarder in 1973 - he continued to be the swimming supervisor on behalf of the FISEC international technical committee.

Ronald Bennett was based in Drogheda after his ordination. He got involved in the Leinster league football club that is now Drogheda FC and became president of the Drogheda Supporters' Club.

After that, he was in charge of all sports at Gormanston for 30 years. He was honorary treasurer of the Irish Schoolboys' Swimming Association (ISSA) from 1971 and was elected its president for two terms of office in 1974 and 1990.

Another string to his bow was Gormanston sports day, which he organised every year from 1964 until 1993. He was president of Leinster Athletics for six years and was ultimately elected chairman of Irish Schools Athletics.

According to people who remember him in his heyday, Bennett was an enthusiastic advocate of the philosophy that sport provides a healthy lifestyle for energetic young children.

According to Richard Lanigan the college annuals record the celebrity status Bennett created for himself, even having his picture taken with the pope in1980. Other areas of Gormanston college life Bennett made himself responsible for between 1968 and 1993 were;

The Sports shop - An Isolated room in the basement if you needed sportswear you had to go to the sports shop. Often you would be the only person there and you would have to try the garment for size. In those days you wore a jock strap doing sport. Bennett was notorious for giving first years boys mens jock straps and when the boy would bring it back Bennett would check the fit before changing it.

Bursar - If you needed pocket money, train tickets or anything of that nature you needed to go to him in his office where you would be on your own with him.

Third Order of ST Francis (T.O.S.F). - This also allowed him to have association with boys in small groups, quite often giving him opportunities to travel to functions & meetings with boys.

"Spiritual Advisor" This was where he created his best opportunities to have very private and prolonged sessions with young boys in his office. A red light indicated he was not to be disturbed. New boys at boarding school are often home sick and vulnerable Bennett was able to take advantage of this. My grandmother was also from Carrick on Siur and was friends with Bennetts mother, no doubt that is the reason I was never invited in for “Spiritual Advice”

The strange thing is "spiritual advisor" was not part of Bennetts job description, this was the responsibility of Fr. Vergil O Mainnin who was a very decent and upright man and who only ever took boys in groups.

It is difficult to understand then, that when other Franciscans knew Bennett was giving private sex education classes and they were aware that it wasn't his job. Why did they not say anything especially after a victims parents complained about the abuse in1973 and he remained working at Gormanston until 1993.

[edit] Gormanston College

Gormanston College is a fee-paying Catholic secondary school under the trusteeship of the Franciscan Province of Ireland. The College is located approximately 32 kilometres (20 miles) north of Dublin.

The student cohort numbers 604 and has a strong international flavour. There is a mix of boarding and day boarding (day boarding is co-educational).

The College ethos strives to be fair and firm in an atmosphere where students are directed towards the values of mutual respect, social awareness and reverence for Gospel values.

The College motto is Dei Gloriae, Hiberniae Honori - To the glory of God and the honour of Ireland.