On Friday, February 25, 2011, our dear friend -- and an exemplary Catholic gentleman -- Bernie Brueggemann, was laid to rest. Since then, much has been written about this simple, holy man – both by family and by friends. But do we need one more eulogy for Bernie? Yes, you bet we do! Most of us know about his generosity to the Church, and to SGG (St. Gertrude the Great) in particular. But I’m not sure how many are aware of the total scope of what he did for SGG.
First off, he personally donated to them well over a million dollars; and if one were to include what his sons and the rest of the extended Brueggemann family have given, that figure would be at least doubled. It is safe to say that, without Bernie, SGG would not materially exist as it does today. The church that the SGG clergy use, the rectory in which they live, their “convent” (which hasn’t seen one nun yet), their school – all of these were bankrolled principally by Bernie. And he continued to give: he subsidized the school’s operation with several thousand dollars each and every month (without which it could not have functioned). Mark Lotarski, the school’s principal, owed his job, his salary -- his livelihood -- to Bernie.
But Bernie’s generosity didn’t stop there. As many know, Bernie was head of Bavarian Trucking, the trash-collecting business. Bavarian, of course, provided trash-collecting service to SGG gratis – no charge. When SGG’s new facility on Rialto Road in West Chester, Ohio (their present location) was built, Bavarian supplied all the excavating equipment and labor for them – also gratis – and all done without any fanfare. Few parishioners were even aware. He just did it.
He was like that at Bavarian, too, where he worked -- even “going out on routes,” pitching trash and driving one of the trucks -- well past his retirement age. One eye-witness relates that on one occasion, when Bernie was driving the truck, he noticed that one of the trash collectors had on worn boots. Without even asking, Bernie bought him a new pair. If not for that eye-witness, no one would have ever known of this random act of charity. If all was known of the acts of kindness that Bernie did anonymously for others, I’m sure that it would fill many, many pages.
But all of that is only half the story: what Bernie did spiritually for SGG was unparalleled. Perhaps his most recognized contribution was his faithful attendance every First Friday at SGG – not only at Mass, but at All Night Adoration. For decades, this man kept vigil all night, with perhaps an hour or two cat-napping to get him through, every First Friday. Even in failing health, well into his eighties, Bernie kept this up. He was unfailing in his service and support to SGG. Both spiritually and materially, he gave them his all.
So, what made Bernie leave SGG? Why would the greatest benefactor that SGG has ever known leave there? There are a number of reasons. His doubts about SGG probably started, as they did for others, back when Cekada took his appalling position on Schiavo – especially when facts came out proving him wrong beyond a shadow of a doubt. Although Bernie never vocalized about it, I’m sure that he was dismayed (if not appalled) that Cekada would take such a stand. But he kept it to himself, not wanting to “go against” the SGG clergy.
But subsequent years brought more scandalous behavior from them, especially with regard to the brutal behavior of SGG’s school principal and the openly obscene and immoral behavior of his sons (click here for details) — all of which was ignored and even condoned by Dolan and Cekada. Faced with angry parishioners and a school faculty (in open revolt) demanding that he replace the principal with Fr. Markus Ramolla, Dolan feigned giving in to their demands, then reneged on that promise -- keeping the principal and firing the latter on trumped-up charges. To add insult to injury, Dolan maliciously calumniated Fr. Ramolla from the pulpit in his now-infamous apology sermon. This proved too much for Bernie (and his last remaining son at SGG), and they both left in disgust. Even then, Bernie did not speak out against the SGG clergy, though he had every right to do so – and ought to have done.
And how was Bernie’s generosity and loyal service rewarded? What did Daniel Dolan do? Did he exercise the same restraint as his long-time benefactor did? Of course not! Being the treacherous viper that he is, he started on an immediate campaign to try to make Bernie feel guilty about leaving SGG: this viper had the haughtiness, the arrogance, the monumental hubris, the unmitigated gall (shall I substitute an “anatomical” metaphor here?) to demand – for Bernie to get back in SGG’s (and his) good graces – that he offer up masses in penance! He told Bernie that if he didn’t do so, he would be dishonoring the memory of his dead wife Rita.
Dolan even had some of his loyal sycophant cultists write similar letters to Bernie to try to “shame” him into coming back to SGG. It is hard to imagine how anyone could sink that low – or have an ego so exalted -- but this is typical of Dolan. That’s his modus operandi: he’s a user/abuser; he doesn’t know any other way. It’s a measure, too, not only of his monumental ego, but also of his contempt -- and of his total lack of humility, compassion, and conscience.
Usually, Dolan will discard someone after he has used him. But in Bernie’s case, Dolan wanted him back, even though he knew that he had already sucked him dry (although he may have suspected that there was still some more blood left in the turnip). But Dolan was well aware that Bernie’s leaving reflected badly on him; and he wanted him back for “appearance’s” sake. However, his “guilt-trip” ploy didn’t work; Bernie didn’t take the bait.
Then again, at Bernie’s death, he had to give it the “appearances” try again. He had to give some semblance of respect to Bernie – enough to make it look “convincing” to the SGG subservient -- since Bernie was (obviously) still loved and respected by them all. So, he had a “memorial” Mass said for Bernie, and forced out some affected words of praise for him in the SGG bulletin – again to placate the SGG faithful (he had to -- he had no choice; it was a matter of simple political necessity). But, of course, he used it to further his own agenda – and to slam his enemies. [for what he said, click here; but to get the truth, click here and here].
But, other than the aforementioned political necessities, how else did he or Cekada pay homage to their long-time and greatest benefactor?? Did either show up at Bernie’s visitation -- as Frs. Thielen and Ramolla did? No. Did they show up (as those two did) at his funeral Mass? No. Did they show up (as they also did) at the graveside service? No. Now perhaps they were too ashamed to show their faces at Bernie’s funeral; but the more proximate reason is that Bernie could no longer do them any more material good – so why bother to show up? That’s what is known as “SGG gratitude.”
But that kind of “gratitude,” once again, is just part of their modus operandi. They have a long history of biting the hand that feeds them; and that’s not the first time that they’ve done it to the Brueggemanns, either. To cite an example from a few years back: Mark Lotarski, the SGG principal, decided to humiliate a boy in front of his classmates. The boy was Andrew Brueggemann, the son of Joe Brueggemann (one of Bernie’s nephews). It seems that Andrew bought “improper” school supplies; and Lotarski, reaming the boy out in front of the class, threw those (newly bought) supplies into the trash can, reducing young Andrew to tears – this in the school that the boy’s Great Uncle Bernie made possible – the school without which Lotarski would have no job. When the boy’s mother complained about it to the SGG clerics, she was told to leave if she didn’t like what happened – that is just one instance of how the Brueggemans were repaid for their loyal support of SGG.
Want another? Cathy Beil (nee Brueggemann), Bernie’s niece and Joe’s sister, who painstakingly put the Sacred Heart emblems on SGG’s sanctuary walls – well, she was roundly reprimanded by Anthony Cekada for daring to question his justification of the murder of Terri Schiavo – that’s how she was rewarded (see her correspondence with Cekada on Schiavo). As a result, most of that branch of the family has left SGG as well, as have all of Bernie’s children -- and as have countless other recipients of Dolan and Cekada’s unique brand of “gratitude.”
For those of you still left at SGG, your turn will come, too: you too will receive their “gratitude.” And when you do, consider yourself lucky, for this will provide the opportunity (and perhaps the impetus) for you to break your bonds and free yourself from this venomous pair. Expect it to be a humiliating, perhaps costly, even painful, lesson – but it will be worth the pain. Don’t prolong your agony. Extricate yourselves. -- you’ll be glad you did. And for those of you at Our Lady of the Sun in Arizona, pay attention – your turn will come too.
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