Fr. Gerry shares his philosophy of being a longtime pastor of his parish and his co-founding of the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests. He later founded Elephants in the Living Room. At the biannual priests' convocation at Boyne Mountain, MI in October 2003, Fr. Gerry Bechard rose to ask Cardinal Maida if they were going to talk about the Elephant in the Living Room. Cardinal Maida ignored the question and returned to the agenda. A few priests decided that some subjects needed to be discussed and agreed upon returning to Detroit to hold gatherings for that purpose. Thus, the name: Elephants in the Living Room.