Passive aggressive priests who refuse to answer your emails about a given issue.

We've never had a problem with the priests at our church, but we are a constant target of abuse and disrespect by the administrators of the church elementary school, which our children attend. The finance director (who is no longer in charge of handling the school tuition, not even sure he's working for the church anymore) called me one day to say that we owed an absurd and invented amount of money, and-in his words-"Other people here who give their time and talent(i.e. Money) make it possible for PEOPLE LIKE YOU to be here." I immediately called the pastor, who was furious, and this person was told never to contact or speak to us ever again. We did not owe anything and had paid exactly what we had to pay, as we always had. Further abuses come regularly from the school principal, who is now going so far as to demand that our oldest son, who has mild learning disabilities and has a service plan, be given an "official" diagnosis because the services the school is providing are "no longer sufficient". Again this is all about money, and she is seeking to recoup whatever losses she thinks we create by being on parish tuition assistance. Never mind that we've had many tests done over the years and no doctor will give her what she's looking for. It's particularly bad this year because the pastor, who has always been kind and supportive of us, and who knows we are active members of the church, does not get along with the principal and frequently overrides her "authority" on school issues. But he can do that, he's the pastor. He significantly reduced our tuition this year because we were having a very hard time making the payments we used to have to make.

Yeah...sorry to unload. If anyone out there experiences this kind of stuff all I can say is stay calm, be the bigger person, don't let anger destroy your own peace and grace. Easier said than done I know.

Chonak,

Recognizing that some people need to have a place to vent (sometimes quite legitimately) I must ask if this topic seems appropriate for the CMAA forum.

I once felt bullied by Chonak when he insisted we go to some awful restaurant where they serve FRENCH FRIES INSIDE the SANDWICH.

@matthewj: PRIMANTI BROS!!!!!

FRENCH FRIES INSIDE the SANDWICH?????
That sounds to me like that delicious northern English delicacy, the chip buttie. Yum!

https://www.primantibros.com/story/

I used my driving intimidation skills by zooming down Troy Hill at, oh, 25 MPH after the Meloche approached me for a ride at St. Anthony Chapel, home of the famous relic collection. Perhaps he thought he might end up contributing his own relics to the collection sooner than necessary.

I will agree, though, that Primanti's was not at its best that day.

I like onion rings very much.

25mph? More like 70mph!

Yes, the people who wish to perpetrate this type of abuse (and that is exactly what it is: abuse) will do so with blatant disregard for any "codes of conduct" that are published. Usually, it's because they are poorly enforced.

(deleted)

@Abbot Jonathan: Unfortunately, the school was featured on Dateline NBC a number of years ago as part of a high profile bullying case and held as an example in the national spotlight of how certain school or church or whatever cultures promote bullying and tacitly encourage it in some cases. The ironic part of this is that the current principal was hired to FIX the school's notorious "identity crisis", then realized the problems were so deeply embedded in the existing power structure there wasn't anything she felt she could do to change things, and basically just gave up and gave in. I would happily provide the name and place to anyone who wanted it. They've already had their names dragged through national mud anyway.

Put a stop, O Lord, upon our lips,
That they may not speak that which is untrue;
Or which, being true, is only half true;
Or which, being wholly true, is merciless.
- Anonymous

If I understand aright, you're thinking of cases that are already well known. That sounds different from the original question on this thread, namely:

What is the worst case of bullying that you have seen in your church? We get it all the time. It is not fun.

I recently had a choir director go at another one and it was really bad. The guy being targeted was so hurt and I don't know if I even want to remain in the music ministry at this church.

Yes, no matter how hard some people try to push others around and hide the truth, the truth has a way of surfacing. No matter what.

Yes, MJO, you're right: some people are very good at hiding the truth and can keep it hidden for quite some time. Sometimes, they can drag other people into helping them do it, which complicates the situation. However, they can't hide it forever. The troubling aspect is exactly what you described: people suffer in the mean time.

Then those same tiny little groups of wealthy control freaks turned on the pastors and the rest of the employees until they had gotten just what they all wanted. And all of this was supported by the bishops in each case because of the enormous financial wealthy and power of these few people.

When Sheep Attacks can eliminate this from happening.