ILLINOIS
Daily Herald
Eric Peterson
New information has cleared a former pastor of St. Matthew Catholic Church in Schaumburg of allegations he sexually abused a young parishioner, leading to his reinstatement as a priest in good standing, the Archdiocese of Chicago confirmed Wednesday.
An independent review board on July 24 removed the Rev. Joseph Wilk from a list of clergy with a substantiated allegations of abuse against them. Wilk had been placed on the list Feb. 5.
“It was the most horrible thing to go through,” Wilk said Wednesday. “I was a good priest. I still am a good priest. I’m a priest in good standing. Now I’m living a very holy life and reading spiritual books.”
Wilk is not assigned to any ministry currently. Instead, he is looking after his ailing parents in Palos Park.
An archdiocese official said the decision to remove Wilk from the list came after new information about his case came to light.
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