MINNESOTA
Star Tribune
By Chao Xiong Star Tribune JULY 7, 2015
It took 13 years, but Joe McLean finally felt vindicated Tuesday when the priest whom he said sexually abused him decades ago was publicly named as a “credibly accused” predator.
Former Oblates of Mary Immaculate priest Michael Charland and six other priests credibly accused of sexually abusing children were identified publicly Tuesday by attorney Jeff Anderson as part of a settlement reached earlier this year with the Catholic religious order.
It’s the first time the Oblates publicly named Charland as a credibly accused perpetrator, even though McLean shared his story with officials at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 2002.
“It’s a huge relief,” McLean said of identifying the priests. “For so long it’s been very difficult, because you feel so alone.”
McLean, 51, of Minneapolis, said it was especially important to publicly identify Charland because he works as a psychologist at Affiliated Counseling Center in Woodbury.
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