By Gretchen R. Crowe
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 3/17/05)

The Brent Society hosted former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating last week at St. Catherine of Sienna Church in Great Falls. Keating, whose controversial comments in 2003 led to his resignation as chairman of the National Review Board, encouraged the crowd of more than 50 to be "vigilant" in their roles as Catholic lay people and, when they feel discouraged, to "keep the faith.

"I’m convinced that if you have a life that’s rooted in your faith, you’re not afraid of expressing that faith," Keating said. Our role as lay people is "to nudge our fellow human beings to be better … to do better."

Some attendees traveled from as far as Front Royal to listen to the two-term Catholic governor present a brief talk and preside over a much longer question-and-answer session. Keating, who was introduced by Charles Molineaux, program chairman, as "an outstanding Catholic layman," used anecdotes from his political and religious roles to express the importance of faith in the lives of Catholic lay people.

Keating described giving a rosary to a New York City firefighter who was in Oklahoma City for the aftermath of the 1994 federal building bombings. The man wore it every day until he died — on Sept. 11, 2001.

"Here was a man who made a statement for his faith," Keating said.

The former governor, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history from Georgetown University and a law degree from the University of Oklahoma’s College of Law, worked for the FBI and in various political capacities before he was elected governor of Oklahoma in 1994. In June 2002, he was named chairman of the National Review Board, which was formed by the U.S. bishops to monitor the Church’s response to the clergy sexual abuse scandal.

The question and answer period that followed Keating’s talk focused on his short time as leader of the board and on his termination from that position for, as Molineaux put it, "commit(ing) candor."

One woman, who was concerned about the lack of control that the laity had over the Church, asked Keating what lay people should do to show their support, or lack thereof, of the Church’s involvement in the sexual abuse crisis.

"The Church should be faithful to the faith," Keating said. "The nice thing about our world, if the Church is not faithful to the faith, is that tomorrow I can become a Methodist. But I love my faith.

"This (sexual abuse) is an evil that somehow some people have just missed. That’s where we come in — to sustain the faith," Keating said. "We fill up the pews and we write the checks. It’s a big deal. Keep the faith. Keep writing those letters. If you’re mad, don’t put the money in the basket, or earmark it for something else."

When asked if having homosexual priests is cause for concern, Keating said the problem does exist. "There has been an unwillingness to aggressively vet unqualified candidates for the priesthood that have come back to haunt us," he said.

Keating also said he didn’t believe that, when the scandal came to light, the Vatican thought the crisis was as serious as it turned out to be. "I think that the pope and his immediate staff didn’t understand how bad it was," he said.

Molineaux said the Brent Society asked Keating to speak in order to "play up" the role of Catholic lay people.

"We’re always trying to highlight and demonstrate the example of Catholic laity that take the initiative to act as Catholics," he said. "He’s almost a role model."

At the end of the evening, Keating again stressed the importance of remaining faithful to the Church and its teachings.

"Just live the best life you can," Keating said before leaving the small church. "I really feel that as long as all of us are vigilant and involved that everything will be fine."