About Tony Lembo

Tony Lembo 2006
WHY IS THIS MAN SMILING?

Thirty years after the night Stephen C. Foley took off his Roman collar and changed my life forever, I was sitting in the photography studio at The Hartford Courant having my picture taken (not this one) for an article. After firing off a flurry of shots, the photographer said, "Maybe we should take a shot without you smiling. You know, it's not a happy story, right?" But, for the first time in thirty years, I had a hard time supressing my smile.

The truth was finally coming out about Foley and the heartless church officials who protected him, and the public officials who failed to get him off the streets. I don't know about other survivors of priest abuse, but I felt no sense of satisfaction, or completion, or closure when my attorney handed me my check in settlement of my claim against the Diocese of Hartford.

I doubt there will ever be a moment of real closure. But I couldn't stop smiling at The Courant because the real satisfaction was in knowing that I have had the opportunity to show the

ABOUT TONY LEMBO

Born in August 1961 in Waterbury, CT, and raised in nearby Wolcott, Tony's father was a machinist at the once-thriving Scovill brass works, and worked second and sometimes third jobs to support his wife and two children. His mother was a devout Catholic for whom no priest could do any wrong.

Tony attended Wolcott Junior High when the events described in his book took place. He went on to Wolcott High School, quitting in 10th grade to join the United States Marine Corps.

After deployments in Camp Lejeune, Okinawa, Japan and Camp Pendleton, CA, Tony worked in the auto repair business.

Tony Lembo Marine USMC

He returned to the Waterbury area in the late 1980s, operating two service stations. Since the early 1990s he has been a tire technician working in the infield at major NASCAR races around the country.

Tony now lives in southern New Hampshire. To inquire about speaking engagements, click here.

public what really happens to people who are betrayed this way.

All the news articles about priest abuse cases in the world cannot hold a candle to what goes on inside a child, and the adult he or she becomes, after being suddenly, violently, and sexually attacked by a figure held in absolute reverence and esteem not just by society, but especially by his mother. That betrayal drove a wedge between my parents and me that lasted a quarter century.

In some ways I was lucky. I survived, and I was finally able to explain to my mother and father why I became such an angry, alienated kid at age fifteen.

And I am now able to put a human face on an issue that gets more attention than true understanding.

I'm hoping that some of the estimated hundreds of Foley's other victims will find some peace in knowing the whole truth is out, and that the thousands of people who know someone who was abused by a trusted adult will have a better understanding of what we cope with to survive.

So, that's why I'm smiling.

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