DuPage Co. fencepost

He's certainly earned it:

One of Rev. Fred Lenczycki's victims this week called upon the Diocese of Joliet to petition the Vatican to officially defrock the pedophile priest. Lenczycki is the 63-year-old retired priest who a DuPage County jury recently found to be a "sexually violent person" who should remain civilly committed in a secured state treatment facility despite the fact he finished his five-year prison term for molesting three Hinsdale altar boys in the mid-1980s. In all, Lenczycki admitted fondling at least 30 boys in six parishes across three states in 25 years through 1999. Diocese officials note defrocking is just a formality, since Lenczycki long ago was stripped of his priestly duties. Still, some formalities are important. Lenczycki shouldn't be able to call himself a priest, retired or otherwise. Bishop J. Peter Sartain, who inherited this mess from a previous leadership, should write the letter and put an end to it for good.

Rec center plans need feedback

Lisle Park District residents will have one more chance to let officials know what they think before the park board decides whether to pursue a referendum for a $20 million-plus indoor recreation center that would be built along Short Street. The board is holding a forum at 8:30 a.m. April 12 at its Community Center, 1825 Short St. At that meeting, or at one shortly thereafter, officials will decide whether to spend $100,000 or more on a schematic design phase and probably will take a public stand on whether to pursue a tax increase. A referendum would give supporters and opponents a chance to express their views at the ballot box, but it would be helpful if park leaders were made aware of any potential fears or concerns much earlier in the process. If you can't make the April 12 meeting, let them know what you're thinking by calling (630) 964-3410 or visiting their Web site at www.lisleparkdistrict.org. Whatever your position on the proposed recreation center, it's never too early to get involved and be heard.

Moser deserves Century Walk tribute

Nice to see Century Walk Corp. wants to create a sculpture to honor Harold and Margaret Moser. Harold, who was known as "Mr. Naperville," played a critical role in the city's development and was named the most influential Naperville resident in the city's first 175 years by a panel the Daily Herald put together a while back. There's no one more deserving, with the possible exception of Joe Naper, who not only founded the city but gave it its name.

Root, root, root for the cold team

While the Cubs and the White Sox have been training in temperate Arizona, high school baseball and softball teams have started their season in conditions that hardly resemble the desert Southwest. These teams don't expect to have a string of nice days, not when their games begin in March in the Midwest. But the colder than usual spring has made playing the games even more miserable than usual. But we take off our hats - and offer stocking caps - to the high school players who take to the diamond on the frozen tundra with great enthusiasm, and hit, field and pitch with skill despite frozen fingers.

Bunny brightened their day

Children whose illnesses forced them to spend Easter Day in Central DuPage Hospital had to feel better when they got a visit from the Easter Bunny. The bunny, whose visit was arranged by DuPage County Sheriff John Zaruba and the nonprofit group, The Easter Bunny, Inc., gave coloring books and stuffed animals to children in the hospital's 30-bed pediatric unit. The bunny was joined by a few Explorer Scouts and employees of the sheriff's department, which has made the Easter Bunny visit a tradition - a tradition worth keeping and praising.