There were a lot of secrets between “Kevin” and Father Theodore Feely, a religious order priest assigned to the Diocese of Rockford. It started with swearing—a sin, taking God’s name in vain. It moved to smoking, even though Kevin was only 13 years old and had asthma. Next came drinking—beer. On his first night ever consuming alcohol, Feely bought Kevin a six pack and told him it was all his because “everyone knew” that Feely drank scotch. Then came the rape.
After a wonderful day at the Wisconsin Dells with Feely, a trusted family friend who spent ...