Showdown vote on Maryville Academy; City Council will move to block transfer of children

With Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Director Bryan Samuels determined to transfer 139 children from a group home, the City Council is set to vote to block his move today and seek a temporary restraining order, if necessary.

Led by Finance Chairman Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th), the aldermen are first voting for the resolutions in Burke's committee followed immediately by the full City Council.

But, at issue is the fate of Maryville Academy, headed by Father John Smyth, who is accused by DCFS of allegedly not fiscally running the home properly.

The political heavyweights that are coming to today's meeting, including State's Attorney Dick Devine and Father George Clements, both of whom urged lawmakers to settle their disputes in the boardroom rather than in a court of law.

Other supporters will be on hand, including Cook County Public Guardian Patrick Murphy, who along with Smyth, recently appeared on WVON's "Cliff Kelley Show" with Murphy later addressing the Academy with the Chicago Defender. Murphy and Clements said it would be "disruptive" to transfer the children from Maryville.

Even Illinois Republican Party Chairman Judy Baar Topinka issued a statement saying that the Maryville Academy "can institute the necessary reforms needed to continue helping children in the future."

She said the academy "has provided thousands of children with a second chance in life, a chance they would not have received anywhere else."

And the Chicago Defender has learned that Smyth has invited all of the aldermen to the Academy to see first-hand how he is running that home. Burke hand-delivered a letter to Samuels inviting him to his committee.

"Somebody has to bring some sense to this situation. It's simply out-of-control. If there is a building code violation in a building, you don't vacate the building.

"You cure the violation," said Burke.

Clements said he, too, like Burke, wants both parties to sit down and talk about the Academy and Smyth.

Clements listed a number of supporters and opponents of Smyth saying: "Only one of these combatants is Black and none has addressed the highly volatile issue of race.

"I've been involved with Maryville since my seminary days, over 50 years ago. During the summer months of the late 1940s, we seminarians were assigned to work with the youngsters at Maryville.

"The kids called us `Yellow Jackets.' In those days, the Maryville youngsters were overwhelmingly white," Clements said.

"In June of 1962, Father John Smyth was given his first and only priestly assignment, Maryville. Race has always been a non-issue with Father Smyth because the issue for him is troubled kids and how can Maryville help them," Clements said.

He said Smyth has witnessed the Academy turn from white to Black and said Smyth's "devotion to all of the youngsters at Maryville, Black or white, is unquestionable.

"In the history of the Archdiocese of Chicago, it would be extremely difficult to find any one priest who has contributed his entire life to troubled youth as has Father Smyth," he stated.

"His attackers are unwilling to reveal the true motivation behind their relent, who made a conscious decision never to turn away from the doors of Maryville any child, Black or white."

Saying Smyth has never left any child behind, Clements said: "It seems strange to me that all of the people involved in these youngsters lives are white.

"If they're concerned, they would call in some Black people.

"I am in favor of keeping Father Smyth there and keeping the children there," Clements told the Chicago Defender.

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