KANSAS CITY (KS)
SNAP - Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests [Chicago IL]
May 2, 2022
A Kansas priest who’s been called “a new kind of radio priest” for his efforts to reach the young through rock music, has just been suspended because of a child sex abuse report. We call on six Catholic officials in Kansas and Colorado to immediately reach out – via public announcements, mailings, and other means – to anyone who might have information or suspicions about the cleric.
For four decades, he has been a high school administrator, youth pastor, and parish priest.
https://www.bishop-accountability.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/news-1998-06-05-Allen-Reaching-kids.pdf
Fr. Michael Scully’s suspension was announced on March 25, 2022, in the Kansas City Kansas archdiocesan publication, The Leaven.
In the Kansas City KS archdiocese, Fr. Scully worked at two parishes – St. John the Evangelist in Lawrence and Holy Family in Eudora. He was also assigned to the Haskell Indian Nations Campus Catholic Center in Lawrence.
In the Salina diocese, he worked at St. Joseph’s parish and headed Thomas More Prep-Marian High School, both in Hays.
In Colorado, Fr. Scully belongs to – and from 2001-2007 headed – a Denver-based religious order called the Capuchins. (303.477.5436, contact@capuchins.org). https://capuchins.org/ninth-triennium-2001-2004/
We in SNAP beg two Kansas church officials (Kansas City Kansas Archbishop Joseph Naumann and Salina Bishop Gerald L. Vincke), two Colorado church officials (Denver-based Archbishop Samuel Aquila and Capuchin Br. Mark Schenk), and two Thomas More Prep-Marian High School officials (Principal Chat Meitner, meitnerc@tmpmarian.org and Alumni Director Wanda Billinger, billingerw@tmpmarian.org) to use their considerable resources to aggressively seek out anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes or cover-ups by Fr. Scully or his supervisors or colleagues.
It’s crucial that other possible victims, witnesses, and whistleblowers be prodded to come forward so that the truth can be determined, kids can be protected and victims can heal.
This is especially important because the Kansas Bureau of Investigation is currently looking into child sex crimes and cover-ups by Catholic officials and institutions.
According to a glowing 1998 profile in the National Catholic Reporter, Fr. Scully “has and continues to have offers regularly to become a media personality on a national scale.” [See BA database entry for Scully.]
CONTACT: David Clohessy, SNAP, St. Louis, Missouri (314 566 9790, davidgclohessy@gmail.com), Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager (267-261-0578, mmcdonnell@snapnetwork.org) Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director (517-974-9009, zhiner@snapnetwork.org)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is www.snapnetwork.org)