LETTERS

Ida Colafrancesco is the East Bay Chairwoman of the Providence, Rhode Island chapter of the Friends of Sister Plante. The following are letters she sent to local newspapers about Sister Plante and her cause.

Sister Plante supports the Samaritans' efforts

Sakonnet Times (Rhode Island)
July 16, 1998

To the editor:

Many people have been calling and writing asking about the Rhode Island Samaritans. This letter is to clarify and explain some of the confusion surrounding the Samaritans and the issue of Sister Michaelinda Plante.

Tiverton resident Sister Michaelinda Plante, a Roman Catholic Sister of Mercy, is presently embroiled in a controversy involving the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River and the Fall River Samaritans.

This began in 1994, after the Fall River Samaritans visited Bishop Sean O'Malley in what is alleged to be an attempt to have Sister Plante removed from her post as associate superintendent of schools in the Fall River Diocese. Sister Plante was placed on involuntary leave of absence and ordered out of her convent after a July 19, 1994, visit from the director of the Fall River Samaritans and members of her board of directors.

This matter is an isolated incident involving the director, Ellie Leite, and the board of directors, who oversee the organization. In no way should this current situation diminish the good work of the Samaritan organization as a whole.

Sister Plante has always been a great supporter of the Samaritans and has praised the work of the Samaritans in general for their aid in the area of suicide prevention.

Here in Providence, our Samaritans provide a 24-hour suicide crisis line for the lonely and despairing. The Rhode Island Samaritans are independently run by their own director and board of directors and are not affiliated in any way with the Fall River group or any other branch. The Rhode Island Samaritans respect any and all callers' confidentiality and provide a truly wonderful service for those who are depressed or contemplating suicide.

Anyone who has any reservations about calling the Samaritans or who is worried about confidentiality should put their fears to rest. Our Samaritans offer a toll-free number here in the state, complete with anonymity, and also offer a group for survivors of suicide victims. The issue of the Samaritans being involved in a lawsuit with Sister Plante must be held separate from the befriending which we believe all Samaritans branches in New England provide.

The patient and kind volunteers who answer the phones are not to be associated with the director and/or board of directors, who are involved in this matter. I personally have relatives who have worked with our Providence Samaritans and I know first-hand the wonderful work which they display in answering the calls of the suicidal. Our Samaritans here in Rhode Island are there for any person who needs a caring ear to listen.

Ida Colafrancesco
East Bay chairwoman of Friends of Sister Plante

Reprinted here with permission from the author.

Sister Deserves Vocal Support

Tuesday, July 6, 1999
The Standard-Times, New Bedford, MA

As the East Bay Rhode Island chairwoman of the Rhode Island Friends of Sister Plante, I would like to comment on a letter published in a June 23 Our View by New Bedford resident Shirley Mendez.

Ms. Mendez points out in her article, titled "Sister's supporters should speak out," that [many] New Bedford residents and local priests and nuns support Sister Plante, a Sister of Mercy, but are frightened to have their identities known. This is not only a problem in the Fall River-New Bedford area but here in Rhode Island as well. Hundreds and thousands of dollars have been raised here to help the nun pay her legal fees and obtain the justice that many feel she so rightfully deserves and all of it has been done silently.

Her story has been covered by the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Channel 5's "Chronicle" and other Boston television stations but has been kept hidden here in Rhode Island. Local parishioners are often stunned by the coverage outside Fall River, New Bedford and Rhode Island, especially since so much of the sister's story revolves around these areas. Supporters in the Boston area hold public fundraisers, have freedom to express their views in the paper and have even rallied at Cardinal Law's residence in support of the nun. Even world-famous wrestler Killer Kowalski and Boston area politicians have come out strongly in support of Sister Plante. Yet many here are frightened of having anyone think or believe that they are against the Catholic Church.

It is just or truthful for politicians and local parishioners to be quietly supporting this cause hoping that the nun can seek justice without standing up for what's right. Funding Sister Plante's case in hopes that she will prevail in her quest to clear her name and redeem her fine reputation is not a crime, but you would never know it by the fears many public figures have. As for the nuns, priests, and Catholic school teachers who so firmly believe that sister was treated wrongfully, wouldn't it be better to rally in support of this beloved Sister of Mercy and voice your support to the Fall River Bishop than secretly support her cause in hopes that what happened to her will never happen to you?

I, too, am a devout Catholic involved deeply in Catholic issues and obedient to my religion, but being a Catholic should not mean being afraid of the Church. It should not mean that we have no voice or opinions on issues which effect us as Catholics. Ironically, while there are many who are fearful of being known, as Ms. Mendez points out in her letter, those who do want to be heard often do not have a chance because some newspapers won't allow this controversy to be heard.

I am certain that no one ever believed this case would last five years. Sister Plante has a wide range of silent support and financial help to keep her case alive, but this is a democratic country that we live in. Should well-educated professionals in our communities of Massachusetts and Rhode Island continue to be so silent in fear of their own reputations? I think not.

Sister Plante has a legitimate right to fight for what she believes in. She has a right to challenge and depose church officials who have escaped deposition for nearly five years and to let the public know that the Fall River Samaritans visited Bishop O'Malley in what appears to be a third-party interference with a nun's religious contract with the diocese. If what sister alleges happened is true, the truth will come out in court; if the bishop and Samaritans are within their rights, they should look forward to setting the record straight for their own reputations. But as long as church leaders escape testimony and as long as some papers try to bury this issue, the case will continue, as respected citizens have a right to know what is really happening.

Maybe 30 years ago this story could have been squelched, but not today.

Ida Colafrancesco
East Bay chairwoman
Friends of Sister Plante
Providence, R.I.

Reprinted here with permission from the author.

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