Priest who served in McHenry County accused of sexual abuse

By Julie Unruh
WGN
September 9, 2015

http://wgntv.com/2015/09/08/priest-who-served-in-mchenry-county-accused-of-sexual-abuse/

AURORA, Ill. --A 70-year-old Aurora priest accused of molesting a boy 40 years ago says he knows nothing about the allegations and had nothing to do with the abuse.

Fr. John Holdren, once an associate pastor with St. Rita of Cascia in Aurora, is accused of molesting a boy repeatedly between 1971 and 1973. The child was between the ages of 7 and 9 at the time.

In a lawsuit filed today, the victim, known only as John Doe JP, says he suffers from PTSD, childhood amnesia and depression, among other things, and is asking for $50,000.

Fr. Holdren says, "Good luck getting the $50,000. I don't have any money."

He denies any abuse and says he doesn't even know the victim.

When pressed about the allegations, Holdren says he received a letter several months ago from a man who wanted to know more about a molestation. Holdren said he had no intention of responding to that letter. It's unclear if the sender is John Doe JP.

The victim is now 49-years-old. The Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, says the average age of a victim when they come forward about abuse by a priest is 42. And people who abuse children rarely do it just once. SNAP believes there are other victims who may come forward as a result of today's filing.