There's a New Sheriff in Town - Monsignor Deeley Comes Back to Boston

I hope all the excitement over the Stanley Cup didn't bury this little tidbit of news.

Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley is getting a new top aide: Monsignor Robert P. Deeley, a Massachusetts native, will return this fall from assignment in Rome to become the vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Boston Archdiocese, O’Malley announced yesterday.

The job is like a combination of lieutenant governor and chief of staff, carrying out O’Malley’s vision while dealing with religious and spiritual issues and the nuts and bolts of running a large organization, according to the Rev. Richard M. Erikson, who has held the job since 2006.

In case anyone swimming in the swill had reservations this is not all Cardinal O'Malley's 'vision', there you have it.

Curiously, check out the name of the article's url:


http://articles.boston.com/2011-06-15/news/29661986_1_boston-archdiocese-pension-funds-metropolitan-tribunal

Very interesting.

A Freudian slip of an upcoming story perhaps?

The beauty of underfunding your employees' pension is, a pile of money gets left on the table.

I digress.

On the long list of people trying to get out of Dodge, the Vicar General's departure has been rumored for quite some time. He was reportedly going back to a military assignment. Apparently being in the midst of bullets and bombs is more attractive than the Archdiocese of Boston.

However, as is duly noted in the story, Fr. Erikson is... unassigned.

Monsignor Deeley is orthodox. He tests positive for testosterone. A Roman with connections to the highest yahoos in the Roman Curia. Yahoos well informed on what is happening here in Boston.

Could be the beginning of the end.

Any way you slice it, it's good news.

A little like saying goodbye to Barney Fife and hello to Andy Taylor.

The trick will be loading up Opie's fishing pole with bait and sending him fishing. Way, way out.