ILLINOIS
Holy Family Inclusive Catholic Community
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.
What follows is a summary of the information that was released. (Disclaimer: This information was provided to us by SNAP.)
What we know for sure:
* 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.
More details:
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.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.