11701 Maplewood Road,
Chardon, Ohio 44024-8482

Dear Fr. Schaut,

     Today, I attended your 4:30 P.M. vigil Mass. It was the feast of Corpus Christi. The rubrics state that the Homily is supposed to be a further explanation of the readings of that Mass. "Although in the readings from Sacred Scripture God's word is addressed to all people of every era and is understandable to them, nevertheless, a fuller understanding and a greater effectiveness of the word is fostered by a living commentary on the word, that is, the homily, as part of the liturgical action."¹ I point out this particular rubric because part of your homily included you holding up your so-called 'prop', a new copy of the Harry Potter Book #5, Order of the Phoenix. You showed it to the congregation and said it was a great book and you recommended that all of our children read it this summer. You further said you had just purchased your own copy an hour and a half earlier.

     First, I question how comments and your promotion of a witchcraft book could be related to the readings of today or the celebration of Corpus Christi in any way, shape or form? Next, I precede my comments with a little of my pertinent background. I taught a Catholic Christian presentation on the occult, witchcraft, satanism and cults for about 7-8 years all over northeast Ohio. My primary audiences were Catholic and other Christian Churches and school districts. To mention a few that received my training: St. Mary's in Chardon youth group, St. Helen's in Newbury youth group, St. Anselm's in Chesterland PSR students, Chardon Christian Church congregation, Chesterland Christian Center Church, St. Mary's in Mentor Holy Name Society, St. Joseph in Amherst (I think the youth group), John Carol University (large student group in a lecture hall), Methodist Churches in Painesville and Eastlake, Ledgemont School teachers in Thompson, Cardinal School teachers in Middlefield, Geauga Library open to the public, St. Mary's in Hudson youth group, St. Noel's congregation in Willoughy Hills, U.S. Coast Guard in Cleveland, etc. I obtained my own secular and Catholic training on the occult through courses at the Ohio Peace Officer's Training Academy, Lakeland College, studied under national occult expert trainers Thomas Wedge and Dan (last name escapes me), seminars on the occult at Borromeo Seminary sponsored by the Catholic Charismatic Renewal - Cleveland Diocese, etc. There is not much regarding the occult that I have not been taught by our Church and secular sources. I felt I had to mention the above facts concerning my background in order to comment on your promotion of the newest Harry Potter Book. I might mention here that, following Mass, someone told me you had done the exact same thing once before; promoted a Harry Potter book during your homily.

     Commenting upon the Harry Potter book in a positive way and recommending that our children read it was a wanton, reckless, immoral act and directly endangered the souls of any who follow your immoral, uncatholic advice and endangers your own soul for doing it. Recommending this book on witchcraft to the youngest of your flock is probably the most damaging thing you have ever done to innocent souls since your ordination to the priesthood. I know you well and I know your mentality on subjects such as this. Your answer will undoubtedly be that the Harry Potter books are not biographies, they are fiction and, thus, harmless to read. I respond to that mindset with an analogy. Let's take a seedy, sexy novel about a 16 year old boy who brags in graphic detail about his sexual conquest of 30 or 40 teenage girls (all fiction of course). Would you wave that book during a homily and tell all our children that it is all right and not a sin to read this because it is a fictional account? Father Schaut, I must repeat myself here; you have endangered the souls of yourself and anyone who follows your advice and reads this occult garbage.

     As a concerned Catholic parent and one who loves his priests, including you, I beg you to repent of this activity of recommending dangerous reading to our youths. I beg you to also make reparation and publicly, at Mass, inform the congregation that your advice was in error and that under no circumstances should anyone who loves God read these occult books. Another way to repair might be a good explanatory letter in our parish bulletin. Father, trust my good council that our loving God will hold you accountable for what you have done and what you do or do not do in an attempt to repair the damage already done.

     If you cannot come to terms with what I am accusing you of, I seriously suggest that you request from His Eminence Bishop Anthony Pilla a lengthy retreat at a monastery where you can pray, meditate and reflect on this matter. If, after said retreat, you can still find no moral wrong in what you have done, I strongly recommend that you ask of Bishop Pilla an indefinite leave of absence from the active priesthood until such time as the Holy Spirit has corrected you and your way of thinking.

     I am concerned about you and I pray for you that you will repent, repair and go on to be a saintly priest.

     Your friend (not enemy) in Christ,

     Ronald Smith

CC: His Eminence Bishop Anthony Pilla
Rev. Fr. Thomas Gilles