Predator priests in the Springfield, Illinois Catholic diocese

By John Freml
Holy Family Inclusive Catholic Community
March 4, 2015

http://www.inclusiveholyfamily.org/blog/predator-priests-in-the-springfield-illinois-catholic-diocese

This entry was posted on March 4, 2015 by John Freml Bishop PaprockiOn Wednesday, March 4, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and Call To Action Central Illinois held a news conference in which the names of eight priests accused of sexual abuse of minors were released, all of whom are believed to have been transferred to various towns within the Springfield diocese.

• Two out-of-state predator priests spent time in the Springfield diocese.
• Neither Bishop Thomas Paprocki nor his predecessors have told anyone about them.
• If they molested kids here, those kids are now adults and are likely still suffering.
• If so, Paprocki has a moral duty to aggressively reach out to them.
• Six predator priests ousted from their Chicago parishes in the 1990s, while Bishop Paprocki was the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Chicago, were listed in the Official Catholic Directory as having a central Illinois area phone number, after they were ousted from their Chicago parishes for alleged abuse. The phone (217-324-4192) is a land line in Litchfield. Currently, the only operating Catholic facility in Litchfield is Holy Family parish.

• The two out-of-state predator priests who spent time in the Springfield diocese are Fr. Frank R. Martinez Jr. of Iowa and Fr. James Vincent Fitzgerald of South Dakota, both deceased.
  • In 2008, Fr. Martinez was deemed “credibly accused” of child sex abuse by Davenport diocesan officials and reportedly molested at least one kid in Iowa. Later, he was sent to St. Mary’s hospital in Decatur (source).
  • Fr. Fitzgerald was a member of a Washington, DC-based religious order called the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (202-529-4505). In 2013, Fr. Fitzgerald was sued for reportedly assaulting one kid in Minnesota and in 2010 for molesting two kids in South Dakota. From 1994-2002, he lived at a church facility in Belleville (source, source).
  • Catholic officials must soon release more church records about Fr. Fitzgerald, thanks to a ruling last month in a pending civil abuse case against him in Minnesota (source, source)
• The six priests ousted from their Chicago parishes in the 1990s and listed in the Official Catholic Directory in the 217 area code are: Fr. David F. Braun, Fr. Eugene P. Burns, Fr. William J. Cloutier, Fr. Norbert J. Maday, Fr. Robert E. Mayer and Fr. Kenneth C. Runge.
  • We believe Fr. Mayday and Fr. Mayer are alive, but are unsure.
  • Fr. Cloutier, Fr. Burns, and Fr. Braun are deceased.
  • The identities of these priests were revealed from long-secret church documents, made public recently through civil lawsuits.

Roughly thirty US bishops have posted lists of predator priests on their websites (source). Paprocki has ignored the repeated requests of SNAP to do this. These eight predator priests raise a crucial question: Have Springfield Catholic officials secretly let other bishops send child molesting clerics here? And if so, are they still acting so recklessly, callously and deceitfully?

Posting these names is a quick, inexpensive, non-controversial way to help protect kids, warn families, and heal victims. In spite of this, almost everything ever disclosed about abuse by bishops is done only because of external pressure.

We fear that one or more of those six Chicago predator priests spent time in this area. If so, perhaps other child molesting clerics from elsewhere did, too, and the chances are high that one or more of them hurt one or more kids here.

Bishop Paprocki can almost certainly clear this up. Unless or until he does, we hope current and former church staff and members – in both Springfield and Litchfield – will find the courage to share what they know about out-of-town predator priests who were sent to this area, either publicly or privately. But regardless of what Catholic officials in Springfield or Chicago disclose or don’t disclose, it’s obvious that Springfield citizens and Catholics deserve more information about dangerous child molesting clerics.

We hope the Catholic hierarchy – here and in Chicago and elsewhere – will honor its pledges of “openness and transparency” by giving the Springfield public this answer. Indeed, it’s the official national church policy that bishops are to be “transparent” about clergy abuse. It’s clear that Paprocki and other Springfield Catholic employees are not doing this.

If you saw, suspect, or suffered from clergy sex crimes or cover ups in the Springfield diocese, by any of these eight clerics or any other church employee, we hope that you will find the strength and courage to step forward, seek help, call police, expose wrongdoers, protect kids, and start healing. Please seek help by calling therapists, police, prosecutors, loved ones, or support groups like SNAP. Remember, it is crucial to call independent, unbiased professionals, not the self-serving biased church bureaucrats.