Father Paul Kalchik is no longer the acting pastor of Resurrection Parish following the controversial decision to burn a rainbow flag last week. According to witnesses at the parish, Cardinal Cupich sent two priests, Fr. Dennis Lyle and Fr. Jeremy Thomas, from the Vicar for Priests Office to the church right before 6 p.m. mass on Saturday asking to meet with Fr. Kalchik in private. Fr. Kalchik refused and asked for witnesses to the exchange. What was reported to have happened after that is chilling.
According to sources at the parish as reported by Church Militant, “Lyle and Thomas made clear they were there on order of Cdl. Cupich, who insisted that Kalchik be sent to St. Luke Institute for his ‘psychiatric issues.’ Both vicars for priests had also only days before threatened that Kalchik could have his faculties removed if he failed to comply with Cupich’s orders.” Those threats led to the revoking of a transfer that would have allowed Fr. Kalchik to be close to his aging parents.
Two witnesses, Miriam and Wayne Smith, said that when Fr. Kalchik refused to go with them, the priests became threatening and at one point the cardinal’s men referenced Fr. Kalchik dying. “Fr. Kalchik told those two enforcers that he had Mass to celebrate in the morning and that he was needed in the parish,” the Smiths said. “The response from the two was to ask him, ‘What would happen if you were dead?’ They could have asked, ‘What would happen if you were sick or injured?’ but they asked him what would happen if he was dead.” The Smiths continued, “Based on that it is clear that if any harm came to Fr. Kalchik it would be on the orders of Cdl. Cupich.”
When Fr. Kalchik refused to comply, the Smiths said the cardinal’s emissaries “continued to bully and verbally insult and attack Fr. Kalchik until it was clear that he was not going to do as they demanded because he had done nothing wrong. They left the rectory and everybody was very shaken up because they never expected that kind of behavior from the representative of Cdl. Cupich.”
A staff member who did not want to be named said: “His options were to leave on his own or be taken out forcibly by the police.”
Fr. Kalchik did leave and is in hiding according to church members. PJM reached out to Fr. Kalchik but as of publishing time he has not responded. Fr. Kalchik, it should be noted, is a victim of sexual abuse by a priest. His protest was one against the many clerics who have been leading double lives as homosexuals, breaking vows of celibacy, and preying on seminarians and children.
The flag had been used during a mass said by Cardinal Bernardin in 1991. Fr. Kalchik explained in an article why the flag had to go. “Let’s get back for a moment to Resurrection Parish’s gay cross banner, which hung proudly, covering the real crucifix on our reredos at the Mass of Consecration. Simply stated, it was an instrument of propaganda to promote in a sly way the acceptance of sodomy as OK, in direct opposition to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Long story short, that is why this sacrilegious work of art was burned.”
Photograph of Cardinal Bernardin presiding over Mass in 1991 at Resurrection Parish (Credit Fr. Kalchik)
After a solid week of protesting from militant gay activists who have been outside the parish and threatening Fr. Kalchik with death and other ill wishes, according to staff, Cardinal Cupich issued a letter removing Fr. Kalchik from his parish saying, “It has become clear to me that Fr. Kalchik must take time away from the parish to receive pastoral support so his needs can be assessed.”
After this action by the cardinal, an online petition asking him to resign popped up that is gaining thousands of signatures every hour.
PJM reached out to the Archdiocese of Chicago to respond to the allegations of their priests issuing veiled death threats against Fr. Kalchik. While they confirmed they received our inquiry and would work to respond, nothing appeared as of the time of publishing. If they do respond we will update accordingly.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member