Disclosures Regarding Clergy Sexual Abuse of Minors

Roman Catholic Archdiocese
February 17, 2014

http://www.archspm.org/resources/articles-detail.php?intResourceID=10863

Below is a list of ordained ministers of the Catholic Church who previously had assignments in the archdiocese, and who have had credible claims against them of sexually abusing a minor in our archdiocese. All of these claims have been substantiated, which means that there is reasonable grounds to believe that the reported abuse occurred. Most of the reported incidents of abuse occurred between the mid-1950s and the 1980s, and most of these men have been previously identified in media reports. All of these men have been permanently removed from ministry, and most of them have been out of ministry for a decade or more.

Clergy who have committed acts of sexual abuse have caused insufferable harm to victims, families, parishioners, and the Church. We grieve and pray for all who have been harmed and are committed completely to combating acts of sexual abuse and doing all we can to ensure that these horrors are never repeated in the Church.

For more information, read a Q&A on the disclosure of names.

Priests with credible claims against them of sexual abuse of a minor

Notes regarding disclosure: Included in this disclosure are clergy members from other dioceses or religious orders who at one time worked in the archdiocese and were accused of engaging in sexual abuse of minors in our archdiocese, to the extent we have reliable and sufficient information to determine whether the claim was credible and could be substantiated. These disclosures will indicate that the individuals are non-diocesan clergy. We may not be able to report on the present status of such clergy members because the archdiocese does not always have access to such information since they are under the authority of their respective diocese or religious order. We do not have sufficient information to make a disclosure regarding priests from outside our archdiocese who may have served here at some point in time but committed child sexual abuse elsewhere.

Also, please note: Despite our best efforts to provide accurate information, our listings at this time may include some errors or omissions. The archdiocese requests that anyone with additional information or corrections regarding clergy members that are or should be subject to disclosure, to contact Greta Sawyer, the archdiocese’s Victim Assistance Coordinator at 651-291-4497.

Thomas Adamson - Permanently removed from ministry from our archdiocese in 1985.

John Brown - Permanently removed from ministry in 2002.

Cosmas Dahlheimer - Permanently removed from ministry (date unknown, died in 2004).

Gilbert DeSutter - Permanently removed from ministry in 2003.

Gilbert Gustafson - Permanently removed from ministry in 2002.

Louis Heitzer - Permanently removed from ministry in 1969 (died in 1969).

Rudolph Henrich - Permanently removed from ministry in 1976 (died in 1992).

Francis Hoefgen - Permanently removed from ministry in 2002.

Richard Jeub - Permanently removed from ministry in 2002.

Dennis Kampa - Permanently removed from ministry in 2003.

Robert Kapoun - Permanently removed from ministry in 2002.

Jerome Kern - Permanently removed from ministry in 2002.

Lee Krautkremer - Permanently removed from ministry in 2002.

Ronan Charles Liles - Permanently removed from ministry in 1985 (believed to have died sometime before 2006).

Alfred Longley - Permanently removed from ministry in 1968 (died in 1974).

Brennan Maiers - Permanently removed from ministry in 2002.

Timothy McCarthy - Permanently removed from ministry in 1991.

John McGrath - Permanently removed from ministry in 1995 (died in 1995).

Paul Palmitessa - Permanently removed from ministry in 2012.

Joseph Pinkosh - Permanently removed from ministry in 1992.

Francis Reynolds - Permanently removed from ministry in 1987 (died in 1988).

Richard Skluzacek - Permanently removed from ministry in 2005 (died in 2012).

Michael Stevens - Permanently removed from ministry in 2002.

Thomas Stitts - Permanently removed from ministry in 1985 (died in 1985).

Robert Thurner - Permanently removed from ministry in 2002.

Clarence Vavra - Permanently removed from ministry in 2003.

Joseph Wajda - Permanently removed from ministry in 2003.

Raymond Walter - Permanently removed from ministry in 2003.

Curtis Wehmeyer - Permanently removed from ministry in 2012.

Robert Zasacki - Permanently removed from ministry in 2002 (died in 2008).

Disclosures As a Result of Comprehensive File Review

The following names were released February 17, 2014 as a result of a comprehensive file review by an outside national firm. For more information about this disclosure, please see this statement from the archdiocese.

Robert Blumeyer - Permanently removed from ministry in 1983 (died in 1983).

Gerald Funcheon - Permanently removed from ministry in 1993.

Kenneth Gansmann - Permanently removed from ministry from our archdiocese in 1960 (died, date unknown).

Thomas Gillespie - Permanently removed from ministry in 1996.

Michael Kolar - Permanently removed from ministry in 1991.

Kenneth LaVan - Retired from full time ministry in 1998. Removed from all active ministry December 2013.

Francisco (Fredy) Montero - Permanently removed from ministry from our archdiocese in 2007.

James Stark - Permanently removed from ministry in 1986 (died in 1999).

Harold Walsh - Permanently removed from ministry in 2005.

Clergy included on John Jay Commission list with unsubstantiated claims

On Monday, December 2, we disclosed above the names of 29 of the 33 priests on the list provided to the John Jay Commission in 2004 by the archdiocese. We have been able to determine that those 29 priests had substantiated claims asserted against them of sexually abusing a minor. We have not determined that the other four priests had substantiated claims against them of sexually abusing a minor. In fact, we were unable to verify any claim in two of the four cases. Nevertheless, in deference to a recent order from the Ramsey County District Court, we are listing these four priests with further explanation on each.

Eugene Corica - No longer in ministry as of 1995.

Robert Loftus - No longer in ministry as of 1977.

Patrick Joseph Ryan - No longer in ministry as of 1965 (died in 1965).

Roger Vaughn - Permanently removed from ministry in 2000.