MINNESOTA
Fox 9
POSTED:MAY 06 2016
The following is an emailed statement to Fox 9 investigative reporter Tom Lyden in response to this story: Family members claim Nienstedt failed to report abusive priest in the 1970s
Dear Mr. Lyden,
I am writing to address questions you recently asked me regarding my cousin’s son. Please allow me to answer your questions.
I want to start with the timeline because I think it’s important. I was ordained as a priest in July 27, 1974, which is important to note because I was not assigned to a parish until I was ordained a priest. I was immediately assigned as an associate pastor at Guardian Angels Parish in Clawson until 1976. During that time, I reconnected with a first cousin and her family as they were members of Guardian Angels parish. The family was very kind to me and opened their home for dinners, family gatherings or simply to enjoy each other’s company. I still remain very grateful to, and a deep regard for, all of them.
During the year and a half I served at Guardian Angels parish, then Father Sam Ritchey, a priest from Columbus, Ohio, whom I met during my schooling at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, would attend school during the summer at Marygrove College in Detroit. I introduced him to my cousin’s family and they were just as generous to him as they were to me during the two summers he was there. In 1976, I returned to Rome to study for my licentiate.
When I did return from Rome in January 1977, as I recall, I stopped by my cousin’s house for a visit, and she and her daughter told me they wanted to talk with me. As I remember, my cousin relayed an incident where her son had driven Father Ritchey to a retreat center. She told me that once they were in his room at the retreat center, Father Ritchey apparently said something inappropriate to her son and placed his hand on her son’s knee. It’s my understanding her son immediately left the retreat house.
It’s my memory that I asked my cousin if she wanted me to talk with her son, and I recall that she said he did not want to talk with anyone about what happened. We continued to discuss the matter, which I took very seriously.
After I left, I contacted Father Ritchey, who denied anything had happened. We did not discuss the matter again. However, I continued to keep in touch with my cousin.
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.