St. Cloud Bishop Plans Sessions on Abuse Claims

St. Cloud Times
July 17, 2015

http://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/2015/07/17/st-cloud-bishop-plans-sessions-abuse-claims/30298435/

Bishop Donald J. Kettler

Bishop Donald Kettler of the Diocese of St. Cloud will have a series of listening sessions in August following allegations of sexual abuse committed by three priests of the diocese.

Four civil lawsuits allege abuse by the Revs. Robert Smith, William Wey and James Thoennes. The suits name the Diocese of St. Cloud as a defendant.

Smith and Wey have been dead for more than 25 years. Thoennes lives in St. Cloud under restrictions.

The listening sessions will be at parishes in areas of the diocese where the three men served. According to a news release from the diocese, the gatherings are “an opportunity for the bishop to acknowledge the accusations, listen and answer questions, and encourage any other abuse victims to come forward.”

The times and locations of the sessions will be on the diocese’s website at www.stclouddiocese.org and in the diocesan newspaper, The Visitor. Pastors of the parishes involved also will be given announcements for their bulletins and asked to announce the sessions from the pulpit.

In January 2014, Bishop Kettler publicly identified Smith, Wey and Thoennes as among clergy likely involved in the sexual abuse of minors in the past.

Smith, who died in July 1987, served at Holy Angels Church, St. Cloud; Holy Family Church, Belle Prairie; Our Lady of Victory Church, Fergus Falls; St. Leonard Church, Pelican Rapids; St. Paul Church, Sauk Centre; chaplain, Poor Clare Sisters, Sauk Rapids; Holy Cross Church, North Prairie; and St. Stanislaus Church, Sobieski.

Wey, who died in July 1988, served at St. Mary’s Cathedral, St. Cloud; St. Donatus Church, Brooten; Immaculate Conception Church, Sedan; St. Gall Church, Tintah; Sacred Heart Church, Dent; St. Peter Church, Dumont; and St. Patrick Church, Collis.

Thoennes served at St. Anthony Church, St. Cloud; St. Mary Church, Melrose; St. Joseph Church, Waite Park; St. John Church, Foley; St. Anne Church, Kimball; Sacred Heart Church, Dent; St. Leonard Church, Pelican Rapids; St. Joseph Church, Bertha; St. Edward Church, Henning; Chaplain, St. Mary’s Villa, Pierz.