Pauline (Moskovitz) Owen
Loving Mother, Grandmother
and Great-grandmother
Pauline (Moskovitz) Owen, 78, of Lowell, died peacefully on June 26, 2020, at home. She was the beloved wife of the late Ralph “Gene” Owen.
Born in Framingham, she was the daughter of the late Sarah Moskovitz. In her early career, she was employed as a switchboard operator, and went on to work for Wang Computers in the accounting department. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1992 and finished her career as an accountant with MRSI, then NTS/ NQA USA of Acton until her retirement in 2009.
An extremely passionate and dedicated volunteer for many different organizations, Pauline was a Cub Scout leader and, despite having no daughters, was a lifetime volunteer for the Girl Scouts of the USA. She was awarded the Honor Pin as well as many other awards during her 55 years of dedication to these organizations.
Also a dedicated CPR and First Aid instructor, Pauline was named the 2003 American Red
Cross Volunteer of the Year. For over 39 years, she volunteered for countless hours at the Lowell Brunswick Lanes, as well as at the Donna Miceli Dance Center of Lowell.
She made a lasting impact on the lives of so many young people, there is no doubt she will be greatly missed. Pauline was a dedicated and loving friend to many people including
Pat Coulam and June Frechette, who will miss her dearly. Her two beloved cats will also be lost without her. Most of all, she was a proud grandmother and great grandmother, whose fiery and spirited nature will be deeply missed by all of them.
“Beneath the rough and tough demeanor she likes to portray, beats the heart and soul of a truly softhearted person.”
She is survived by a son, Robert L. Owen and his wife Debra of Lowell. Four grandchildren, James R. Owen and his wife Mary of Manchester, NH, Jessica P. Cobleigh and her husband Ryan of Pepperell, and Kara El Owen and Kal El
Owen, both of Lowell. Three great-grandchildren, Paige E. Owen, Joseph R. Owen, and Lynelle Z. Cobleigh. She was the sister of the late Paul Moskovitz.
Due to current gathering restrictions, Pauline’s funeral services were private. In lieu of flowers, friends who wish may make memorial donations in her name to: MSPCAAngell, Attn: Donations, 350 South Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02130. The staff of MORSEBAYLISS Funeral Home of Lowell was honored to assist the family with arrangements. Funeral Director, Frederick W. Healy.
Please visit Pauline’s life tribute page at www.morsebaylissfuneralhome.com ition payments. And the expense of disinfecting classrooms once classes resume will put additional pressure on budgets.
But other problems were self-inflicted. Long before the pandemic, scores of dioceses faced increasing financial pressure because of a dramatic rise in recent clergy sex abuse claims.
The scandals that erupted in 2018 reverberated throughout the world. Pope Francis ordered the former archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Theodore Mccarrick, to a life of “prayer and penance” following allegations he abused minors and adult seminarians. And a damning grand jury report about abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses revealed bishops had long covered for predator priests, spurring investigations in more than 20 other states.
As the church again reckoned with its longtime crisis, abuse reports tripled during the year ending June 2019 to a total of nearly 4,500 nationally. Meanwhile, dioceses and religious orders shelled out $282 million that year — up from $106 million just five years earlier. Most of that went to settlements, in addition to legal fees and support for offending clergy.
Loan recipients included about 40 dioceses that have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in the past few years paying victims through compensation funds or bankruptcy proceedings. AP’S review found that these dioceses were approved for about $200 million, though the value is likely much higher.
One was the New York Archdiocese. As a successful battle to lift the statute of limitations on the filing of child sexual abuse lawsuits gathered steam, Cardinal Timothy Dolan established a victim compensation fund in 2016. Since then, other dioceses have established similar funds, which offer victims relatively quick settlements while dissuading them from filing lawsuits.
Spokesperson Joseph Zwilling said the archdiocese simply wanted to be “treated equally and fairly under the law.”
When asked about the waiver from the 500-employee cap that religious organizations received, Zwilling deferred to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
A spokesperson for the bishops’ conference acknowledged its officials lobbied for the paycheck program, but said the organization wasn’t tracking what dioceses and Catholic agencies received.
“These loans are an essential lifeline to help faith-based organizations to stay afloat and continue serving those in need during this crisis,” spokesperson Chieko Noguchi said in a written statement. According to AP’S data analysis, the church and all its organizations reported retaining at least 407,900 jobs with the money they were awarded.
Noguchi also wrote the conference felt strongly that “the administration write and implement this emergency relief fairly for all applicants.”
Not every Catholic institution sought government loans. The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy based in Stamford, Connecticut, told AP that even though its parishes experienced a decline in donations, none of the organizations in its five-state territory submitted applications.
Deacon Steve Wisnowski, a financial officer for the eparchy, said pastors and church managers used their rainy-day savings and that parishioners responded generously with donations.
As a result, parishes “did not experience a severe financial crisis.”
Wisnowski said his superiors understood the program was for “organizations and businesses truly in need of assistance.”
to additional questions about the archdiocese’s finances and lobbying.