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"There is a massive presence of Fresno County Sheriff's deputies and Fresno Police swarming the area of Kings Canyon Road around Lone Oak -- near Avocado Lake -- after numerous shots were fired."

Attorney Mary Jo White is prepared to move forward in her investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against Albany Bishop Howard Hubbard without any potential evidence from clients of attorney John Aretakis. White this week issued Aretakis an ultimatum that if she did not hear from him by Thursday, she would take it to mean he is declining to cooperate with her investigation. White was hired in February by the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese Review Board at more than $700 an hour to issue a public report on widespread homosexual allegations against Hubbard. She was looking to conduct interviews with...

Abuses hard to prevent, ex-bishop says Albany-- Rev. Broderick believes diocese priesthood was too large to monitor, stands by Hubbard The former bishop of the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese insists there was little he could have done to prevent the clergy sexual abuse that plagued the diocese in the 1970s and continues to haunt church leaders today. "In those days, we had 550 priests," the Rev. Edwin B. Broderick said. "What are you going to do, go down to every rectory at midnight and check to see if the priests are alone? Or if there are little boys around? They...

COLONIE - Before an audience of nearly 150 attending the 14th regional Education Forum of the Coaliton of Concerned Catholics in the Albany Diocese Saturday, attorney John Aretakis, outlined his efforts to bring to justice those in the Roman Catholic Church who he said have wronged parishioners. Aretakis is representing several clients who claim they were sexually abused by priests. He implied that he has possession of secret documents naming pedophilic priests and said a lawsuit based on federal racketeering charges was in the works. Aretakis was among several speakers appearing during the day-long event at the Colonie Elks Lodge,...

Hubbard enemies plan 'pep rally' Albany-- Church conservatives to speak to local group about removing bishop (Hubbard) Two Midwestern conservative activists determined to unseat Bishop Howard Hubbard -- and any other Catholic bishop they believe is actively homosexual -- make a return trip to the Capital Region on May 8. Stephen Brady of Illinois, president of Roman Catholic Faithful, and Paul Likoudis, of the Minnesota Catholic newspaper The Wanderer, will speak at a daylong conference sponsored by the Coalition of Concerned Catholics of the Albany Diocese. The event is called "Agony in Albany -- Leadership in Crisis." "It's kind of...

Coalition of Concerned Catholics of the Albany Diocese Fourteenth Northeast Education Forum The CCCAD "Agony in Albany - Leadership in Crisis" conference will be held on Saturday, May 8 from 9:00 a.m. until to 4:00 p.m. (Mass will be offered at 8:30 a.m.) The conference location will be: Elks Lodge #2192 11 Elks Lane Latham, NY 12110-0756 Speakers will be Stephen Brady, President, Roman Catholic Faithful, Inc., and Paul Likoudis, News Editor The Wanderer newspaper. A Press Conference will be held at noon. Directions: From WEST (Buffalo, Syracuse, Schenectady): Take the New York State (NYS) Thruway (I-90) East toward Albany...

Outspoken attorney John Aretakis continued to press the Albany Diocese on Bishop Howard Hubbard's alleged homosexual relations and is now saying the note left by Father John Minkler before his suicide lashed out at the Bishop. "I have been told by people who are aware of the letter. That it does address Bishop Hubbard's homosexuality and the rampant homosexuality and sexual misconduct of many Albany Diocesan priests, including Bishop Hubbard," Aretakis said. Aretakis stood by several alleged victims of clergy abuse, all who said Bishop Hubbard's homosexual lifestyle was well known around the community. And they also said Hubbard did...

The Rev. John Minkler's death on Feb. 15 was ruled a suicide late Tuesday, bringing to a close nearly two months of fervent speculation in a Catholic diocese rocked by the clergy sex abuse scandal. Albany County Coroner Herman Thomas declined to describe what the reports specifically showed, saying only that based on them his office had concluded there was no foul play involved in Minkler's death. Based on the findings, Thomas said his office concluded that Minkler, 57, had taken his own life. By law, an autopsy report can only be distributed to the victim's family or the district...

The Albany County Coroners Office said autopsy results show Father John Minkler, 57, committed suicide. Minkler was found dead in his home in Watervliet on February 15. Minkler reportedly left a suicide note, but the contents of that note have never been made public. The exact cause of death is not being released. Two days earlier, the Albany Diocese said Minkler signed a note denying he ever accused Bishop Howard Hubbard of sexual abuse in a letter to the Archdiocese of New York. Attorney John Aretakis who represents a number of alleged victims of priest sexual abuse, released a letter...

ALBANY - Private investigators hired by Mary Jo White to look into sexual misconduct allegations against Albany Bishop Howard Hubbard were never given clearance to conduct interviews at Stratton Veterans Medical Center Hospital earlier this month. Hospital officials criticized part of the team retained by the Albany Diocesan Review Board Friday for having to read in a Record story that White's investigators were conducting interviews on the premises without permission. Private investigator Frank Citera attempted to interview a close personal friend of the late Rev. John Minkler in the deceased priest's 11th floor office on March 2. Minkler, who was...

Things have been awfully quiet around here. I wondered when we'd get an update.

WTEN is reporting tonight that a 2nd letter, written by Fr. John Minkler has now surfaced. This one is dated 2001. The entire letter is handwritten and the handwriting matches the first letter. In this letter, Minkler accuses the bishop of having sex with 3 priests and names 24 others who are active homosexuals. The letter was sent to WTEN by Stephen Brady, President of Roman Catholic Faithful. In an interview with the lawyer, John Aretakis says this 2nd letter confirms that Minkler did indeed write the first letter, thus the denial by Minkler was not voluntary. Hubbard maintains his...

Attorney John Aretakis has written a formal letter to Pope John Paul II. Aretakis is asking the Vatican to acknowledge a letter, he said was written back in 1995, which questions some of the practices of Bishop Howard Hubbard. The late father John Minkler's name had been linked to the letter.Minkler's body was found last week in his Watervliet home.Aretakis said Minkler sent the letter to Cardinal John O'Connor, who then forwarded it to the Vatican. Officials from the Roman Catholic Diocese said Father Minkler requested a meeting with them shortly before his death to deny authorship of the letter...

Coming soon to a theater near you. It's going to be a documentary since they couldn't have written a better script.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Father Minkler. To me, he was a Saint! I have not heard of one church here in the Albany Diocese where prayer was offered for Father Minkler at its Masses on Sunday. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone was given the word NOT TO! There is a scheduled Mass for the repose of the soul of Father Minkler this Friday, February 27th, at 6:30 a.m. at St. Brigid's Church in Watervliet. It will be interesting to see if this still takes place now that I have posted it. If anyone has...

ALBANY - A rift among local Catholics precipitated by the sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany and recent allegations against Bishop Howard Hubbard was seen in living color Sunday night as two women screamed in each other's face. The shouting match took place at the Crowne Plaza hotel, where The Roman Catholic Faithful, a non-profit organization that claims it promotes orthodox Catholic teaching and fights corruption in the church's hierarchy, held a meeting to discuss its investigation into the Albany Diocese. More than 100 people attended, many hoping to get some answers about the diocese's crisis,...

Fr. John A. Minkler WATERVLIET Father John A. Minkler, died Sunday, February 15, 2004. Father Minkler was born in Troy, N.Y. and attended Sacred Heart Elementary School and graduated from Catholic Central High School. He attended Mater Christi Seminary in Albany for his minor seminary (A.A.) and the University Seminary in Ottawa, Canada for his major seminary. (B.A., B.Th. University of Ottawa and B.Ph., S.T.B., St. Paul University, Ottawa). Father was ordained a priest on May 13, 1972 by the Most Reverend Edwin B. Broderick at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Albany, N.Y. Post-ordination degrees in theology from the...

Minkler's friend left with questions Associate offers new insight to priest found dead By John Allen WNYT-TV Updated: 11:08 a.m. ET Feb. 21, 2004Feb. 18 - There is new insight into Rev. John Minkler, the Catholic priest found dead in his Watervliet home on Sunday. Minkler has been linked to a 1995 letter to Cardinal John O'Connor alleging Bishop Howard Hubbard had sexual relations with two priests in the diocese. Rev. Charles San Fratello worked with Minkler for 20 years. San Fratello is a chaplain at the Stratton VA Medical Center where Minkler was his boss and associate. He says...

Message drew sister to priest Watervliet -- Call prompted discovery of cleric who died amid Hubbard controversy By BRIAN NEARING, Staff writer First published: Saturday, February 21, 2004 Before he died, a priest embroiled in the controversy surrounding Bishop Howard Hubbard arranged for his sister to find him, according to a police report obtained by the Times Union. Patricia Minkler told Watervliet police that she went to the 2319 Seventh St. home of her brother, the Rev. John Minkler, on Sunday after getting a call from another Catholic priest. She found her brother on the kitchen floor, face-down on a...

The Albany County Coroner tells Fox 23 News autopsy results on Father John Minkler's body were inconclusive, and they are waiting for more tests to determine exactly how he died. But today we spoke with several people who say they spoke with Father Minkler just days before his death. Stephen Brady is the director of Roman Catholic Faithful, an Illinois-based group which investigates clergy corruption allegations. Brady faxed us documents which he says are just some of his correspondence with Father John Minkler. The signature on the cover letter appears similar to the one on the affidavit Minkler gave the...