Firefighter Tony Comes

For nearly two decades, Ohio firefighter Tony Comes carried a dark secret -- beginning at age 14, he had been sexually abused by a trusted priest. As the recent sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church became headline news, he decided to confront his demons, first talking to his Bishop, and then going public with a lawsuit. But Comes was unprepared for the devastating effect his accusation would have on his family, his faith and his community. Nominated for an Oscar(r) in the Documentary Feature category earlier this year, Twist Of Faith tells Tony Comes' story when it debuts Tuesday, June 28, 2005 at 10 p.m. on HBO. A 2005 official Sundance Film Festival Selection, the America Undercover special was directed by Kirby Dick, whose credits include the Cinemax Reel Life documentary "Chain Camera" (a 2001 Sundance Film Festival Selection for Documentary Competition).

While Twist of Faith unravels the damage resulting from sexual abuse, it also focuses on Toledo, a close-knit Catholic town that is reluctant to let the truth come out. Comes does everything he can to hang on to a lifetime of Catholic traditions, despite his ongoing pain and the resistance of Church leaders to admitting abuse. The result is a gripping drama of one man's struggle to overcome a profound trauma in the face of intense family, community and religious pressures.

Tony Comes grew up in a large Catholic family, the middle of seven children. They attended Mass regularly, and he became an altar boy. Comes attended Toledo's parochial schools, including Central Catholic High School, where he struck up a friendship with Dennis Gray, a charismatic religion teacher and priest. For Comes' family, the boy's strong relationship with a priest was cause for great pride.

But Gray would take a number of boys up to his cabin in Michigan, where, according to Comes, they would shoot pool, swim, go skinny-dipping, drink alcohol and be subjected to sexual abuse. Comes said nothing for nearly 20 years, confiding only in his wife Wendy. But as the widespread sexual abuse scandal became public, and Comes discovered that Gray lived just a few houses down from the new home he had just purchased with his wife Wendy and their two children, he decided to face the past. Comes reported the abuse to his Bishop, who denied that others had made the same allegations against Gray - a denial that Comes subsequently found out was untrue.

He went on to file a lawsuit against the diocese, first as a John Doe, then putting his own name on the suit and going public. Comes became a public figure as local newscasts reported his allegations, prompting others to come forward with similar accusations against Gray. But as the case against the diocese dragged on, Tony found his friends divided, his health suffering, and his marriage crumbling as he and Wendy considered filing for divorce.

Ultimately, all lawsuits against the diocese and Dennis Gray were settled, including Tony's for $55,000. Gray has publicly denied the allegations against him, and now lives ten miles from Tony and Wendy, who are still together.

Twist Of Faith includes footage shot by Tony and Wendy Comes, who were given cameras by the producers so that they could provide private insights. In addition, the film features harrowing video shot during a deposition of Dennis Gray.

In making the documentary, director Kirby Dick was struck by how the Catholic Church plays such a supportive and meaningful role in communities like Toledo. "One of the many tragedies of this story is that so many of the priests and Bishops that were complicit in these crimes have also devoted their lives to helping the poor, promoting justice locally and internationally, and helping to build this strongly knit community," he comments.

Twist Of Faith was directed by Kirby Dick; produced by Eddie Schmidt; edited by Matthew Clarke; music supervisor, Blake Leyh; executive producer for Chain Camera Pictures, Kirby Dick; associate producer, Jane Fitzgerald. For HBO: associate producer, Danielle Schleif; supervising producer, Nancy Abraham; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.