Parents previously raised concerns about priest
Reehil pulled ‘Harry Potter’ books from school
A Nashville priest’s decision to pull “Harry Potter” books from the library of a local Catholic school because of their “curses and spells” is bringing to light previous concerns raised by the parents of students.
A group of 14 St. Edward Catholic School parents said in an Oct. 17, 2017, letter obtained by The Tennessean that the Rev. Dan Reehil was causing psychological and spiritual harm to children and asked top leaders in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville to move the pastor to a parish that does not have a school.
The letter, which is supported by more than 50 bullet-pointed examples of why the parents thought Reehil needed to be removed, also described the priest as a negligent role model and an irresponsible school administrator.
“He is not supportive of Pope Francis. He considers the world a place full of sin and evil. He views himself as a soldier of God and that every day is a battle against Satan,” the letter states. “Our school, however, consists of children, not soldiers. He is too fanatical to understand this.”
The parents, who did not sign their names to the letter, described themselves as former parishioners of St. Edward Catholic Church struggling with their decision to keep their children at the church’s school.
“We know that we speak for many other parents, teachers, and parishioners of St. Edward who are too afraid to voice their concerns,” the letter states. “Many of us fear the repercussions of the letter and our requests.”
It is addressed to the Rev. Michael Johnston, who served for about seven months as diocesan administrator after Bishop David Choby died on June 3, 2017, and to Therese Williams, who was the diocese’s superintendent of schools at the time. Neither are currently in those roles.
Spokesman: Parents disagreed with Reehil’s conservative style
Reehil, who was ordained a priest in 2014, did not respond to the The Tennessean’s interview requests.
But diocesan spokesman Rick Musacchio confirmed that diocesan officials met in 2017 with members of a “small, but vocal group” of parents to address their concerns about Reehil. He noted that some of the parents in the group pulled their children from the school while others chose to re-enroll them.
“Those meetings included making sure that the parents were aware of an avenue to bring forth future issues of concern. No additional reports of concern have been relayed through that channel,” Musacchio said.
Overall, Musacchio said it was Reehil’s style as a priest that the parents did not like.
“At the center of many issues they expressed was the idea that Father Reehil has a particularly conservative view of the faith. In the context of some of the citations that they presented, it is worth noting that the parish had long been led by (a) pastor who held a notably liberal view of the faith. Both, however, fall under the broad umbrella of the Catholic Church,” Musacchio said.
The church and pre-k through eighth grade school, located on Thompson Lane in South Nashville, used to be led by the now-retired firebrand priest, the Rev. Joseph Patrick Breen. The beloved clergyman is one of the most progressive voices in the diocese.
Parents’ letter includes long list of concerns
The parents mention Breen in their 2017 letter.
“There is a small, but vocal group of followers and supporters of Fr. Dan,” the letter states. “Fr. Dan has convinced them that Fr. Breen led our parish astray and although the parish will not burn in hell (because we were ‘ignorant’), Father Breen will have to answer to God for what he did. The individuals feel that Fr. Dan has saved their souls.”
They also attached a lengthy list detailing encounters with Reehil that caused concern. Among the accusations are that Reehil is financially irresponsible and hostile toward those who disagree with him.
“His narcissism is unparalleled. His sarcasm is toxic. We would never encourage these rude behaviors in our children and cringe at the thought that he serves as an early example of a priest in our children’s spiritual development,” the letter states.
They also shared several examples where they say students were scared and anxious after hearing homilies about the devil returning to Earth, people of faith being killed on college campuses and Catholic school children being targeted in other countries.
The list also says he shared how famous people like Lady Gaga and members of Metallica made a pact with the devil in exchange for fame and warned that Halloween is a pagan holiday and the spells in “Harry Potter” are real.
Removing ‘Harry Potter’ books stirs controversy
Reehil’s views on “Harry Potter” landed the priest and St. Edward Catholic School in the national spotlight this week.
On Saturday, The Tennessean first reported that Reehil consulted with exorcists in the U.S. and Rome before choosing to remove from the library the wildly popular series of books.
In an email obtained by The Tennessean, Reehil explained his decision.
“These books present magic as both good and evil, which is not true, but in fact a clever deception,” he wrote. “The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text.”
Reehil’s decision stirred controversy on social media and spurred further news coverage by media outlets across the country and beyond.
The school just opened a new library in time for the 2019-2020 academic year. While they were in the old library, the “Harry Potter” books were removed from the new one.
J.K. Rowling’s seven-book series depicting the magical adventures of a young wizard and his friends were published between 1997 and 2007. They spurred a successful movie franchise and a huge following worldwide. Rowling has since added more books and movies within the “Harry Potter” universe.
The “Harry Potter” story is considered controversial in some circles, including religious ones.
“The books also glorify acts of divination; of conjuring the dead, of casting spells among other acts that are an offense to the virtue of religion — to the love and respect we owe to God alone. Many reading these books could be persuaded to believe these acts are perfectly fine, even good,” the email from Reehil states.
Rebecca Hammel, the superintendent of schools for the diocese, said in a Friday interview that the Catholic Church does not have an official position on the “Harry Potter” books and Reehil is well within his authority as the pastor of the school to remove them.
Reehil’s decision only impacts St. Edward school library.
“Students who obtain the books from other sources are still able to read the books at school; the school library will simply not offer them as part of its selection,” a letter Hammel sent parents on Monday states.
“Many voices in the Church, even at high levels, have expressed that the subject matter may be appropriate when due consideration is given to the maturity of the reader. We leave these decisions to you as your children’s primary educator.”
Reach Holly Meyer at hmeyer@tennessean.com or 615-2598241 and on Twitter @Hollyameyer.