Steven Janik said he was an altar boy in the early 1980s being urged to consider the priesthood when the abuse began.

Janik was 13 or 14 at the time and was being interviewed by a priest who would determine whether he would be recommended for the seminary.

“When I was doing my one-on-one interview with him, one of the first questions he asked was, did I know what testicles were,” Janik said.

The next question was even stranger.

“He asked me if I knew what masturbation was. I did not. He took out a book and showed me,” Janik said.

Janik, who now lives in Wheaton, was among 14 men whose claims of sexual abuse against five priests in the Diocese of Joliet have been settled since July. Two law firms representing the men announced the settlements totaling $4.14 million last week.

Lawsuits filed on behalf of four of the plaintiffs tell similar stories of priests taking advantage of teenagers who were altar boys or interested in the priesthood.

One lawsuit alleges the abuse took place at the former St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Romeoville, a high school for boys interested in the priesthood.

“Our clients were very religious, and the families were very strong Catholics, which created the danger of their being victimized by these priests,” said Mark McKenna, an attorney for the victims.

The diocese issued a statement in response to requests for an interview saying that it “deeply regrets the abuse perpetrated by its priests in the past” and said it “encourages all victims of childhood sexual abuse to come forward.” The diocese last week also noted there are no pending allegations against any active clergy, and none of the accused perpetrators serve within the diocese.

Only four of the cases against the diocese are spelled out in lawsuits, which also accuse the diocese of a pattern of moving priests known to be abusers from parish to parish and putting victims at risk.

McKenna said after the lawsuits were filed in Will County Circuit Court, the diocese asked that other cases be brought to them for possible settlement. Janik’s was one of those cases settled without a lawsuit.

The priests identified in the settlements are Lawrence Gibbs, Michael Gibbney, Fred Lenczycki, James Nowak and Myles White.