In our Second Reading today, St. Paul says that the Church is the Body of Christ; and that we all have a part to play in that Body; and that God has arranged it so, that the parts may have concern for one another: “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.”

Alan is going to need our prayers, and we’re going to need his. This is not the first time that an innocent man has suffered for the sins of others. It’s a part of the Mystery of the Cross.

As a prayer in last week’s Liturgy of the Hours put it: “Father, help us to see that the glory of your Son is revealed in the suffering he freely accepted. Give us faith to claim as our only glory the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Alan’s holiness in these next 30 months (and beyond) will be – with the help of the Holy Spirit – to accept the burden of a cross he did not fashion for himself; he’s going to carry the burden of someone else’s mistake. His big challenge – and ours – will be not to let that make him bitter.

His family is here with him tonight. His brother deacons are here with him tonight. We’re all here with him tonight. And we’ll be with him in prayer, and friendship, and love, in all the months to come. And we’ll be so glad and so proud to have him back with us again. -Msgr. Gaalaas

 

My Dear St. Bernard’s Family,

This letter is incredibly difficult to write, but you deserve to hear the truth from me.
 

During the fall of 1993, my company entered into a contract with Kraft Foods to drill a waste water disposal well at one of their cheese manufacturing facilities in Pinconning, Michigan. During the arduous pre-drilling process of acquiring permits and EPA approval, Kraft Foods sold the plant. Within months of drilling the well, the new owners of the cheese plant were on the verge of going out of business.
 

In an effort to keep the plant operating and preserve the use of the disposal well, my business partner and I, along with other investors, purchased the cheese plant and began operating it. The business struggled financially due to our inability to secure an adequate volume of milk for producing cheese. Repeated promises by a major milk cooperative to furnish the necessary volume of milk finally turned into a complete shutting off of the milk supply to the plant. We were forced to close the plant in January 1996. All of the creditors of the plant were paid in full for their supplies and/or services provided to the plant with the exception of the milk cooperative that was responsible for putting the plant out of business.
 

In late 1997, I was named in a federal indictment alleging my involvement in a conspiracy with my business partner and an associate of my business partner to commit money laundering and wire fraud as part of a scheme to defraud the milk cooperative that put us out of business.
 

The case went to trial in early 1999. My partner testified in a written statement before the trial, and again during the trial, that I had nothing to do with the transaction that led to our indictment. He had entered into a business agreement with his associate without my knowledge. Still, the court refused to free me from the indictment or allow us to be tried separately. My business partner’s associate had previously entered into a plea bargain agreement with the federal prosecutor and had pled guilty to a misdemeanor offense in exchange for testifying against my partner and myself. Even though I had been exonerated by my partner from any knowledge of or participation in the business deal, the court found both my partner and me guilty of some of the counts originally charged by the government.
 

Subsequent to the verdict, the trial judge reversed the jury verdict and acquitted my partner and me of all charges. The government appealed the acquittal to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals where the acquittal was reversed and remanded back to the original trial judge. Since 2001, the case has been mired in the criminal justice system pending the trial judge’s final ruling on a myriad of legal issues and also another review by the Appellate Court. Those proceedings have now been concluded and unfortunately not in my favor. I have been sentenced to thirty months of incarceration in a federal prison facility. On January 14th, the trial judge revoked my bond pending appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which would have allowed me to stay out of prison until the Supreme Court rules on whether or not legal issues exist that could be cause for another trial.
 

I take full responsibility for my actions and for the decisions I made which resulted in this chain of events. At the same time, I continue to profess my innocence of any crime. Certainly, had I known then what I know now, I would have done things differently, specifically where my partner and his associate are concerned. One decision I would not change, however, is my decision not to plead guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for testifying against my partner. I do not believe he intended to commit a crime and I know that I didn’t.
 

I want to publicly thank Bishop Slattery and Msgr. Gaalaas for their support during this long ordeal. Bishop Slattery believed in me in 1996 when I told him I was innocent and he has continued to support me throughout this process. I greeted Msgr. Gaalaas with this news within a week of his coming to St. Bernard’s. He has been a source of great comfort for both Ginger and me. I would be remiss if I did not also say a word about Fr. Jewitt’s support of me. Like Bishop Slattery, he supported me from the beginning until the day he died.
 

One of my greatest concerns throughout this ordeal has been the possibility that I would someday bring embarrassment to the Church. I hope that will not be the case. To serve as a Deacon in the Church has been an incredible blessing in my life and I would hope that my conviction will not reflect negatively on the Church or on those men who serve as Deacons and Priests, particularly here in the Diocese of Tulsa.
 

In 1973, God gave me the greatest blessing of my life and that was the gift of my best friend as my wife. Ginger and our children have stood by me throughout this “living hell” and I would not have persevered without their love and support. As difficult as it is to write this letter and publicly acknowledge my situation, it pales in comparison to having to tell your wife and children that you have been indicted by the U. S. government and then to actually have been found guilty. They have been a source of love and inspiration to me, greater than words could ever express.
 

When Bishop Slattery ordained me as deacon, he placed the Scriptures in my hands and spoke the following words, “believe what you read, teach what you believe, and live what you teach.” With all my heart, I have tried to live up to those words.
 

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as a deacon in this parish community. I ask you to keep my family in your prayers. Please know that you will be in my prayers each day.

God’s blessings,

Deacon Alan Mikell