Diocese of Lafayette IN

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Terry McKiernan February 26, 2021

13 Accused in This Diocese

Fr. Kenneth Bohlinger

Ordained: 1976
Status: Accused

Diocese: Diocese of Lafayette IN

Removed quietly from public ministry in 8/1988 and sent to treatment after a report to the Diocese of the past sexual abuse of a young relative. Bohlinger admitted that he was addicted to children. He would take boys from church on camping trips, give them alcohol and pornography, and play sex games with them. He said he had quit abusing in 1986. Moved to AZ. Laicized 3/27/2009. Included on the Diocese's 9/28/2018 list of those with substantiated allegations.

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Fr. Joseph A. Colletti

Donate Photo

Ordained: 1971
Status: Accused

Diocese: Diocese of Lafayette IN

On diocese's list 9/28/2018 of those accused of sex abuse of minors. Removed from public ministry 7/1990. Faculties removed in 2004. Went on to minister as a priest in the "Old Catholic" church, which is not part of the Roman Catholic church, in Orange, CA. Diocese sent alert to USCCB regarding Colletti in 2016, after discovering he was presenting himself as a priest in Chicago and Southern CA. The USCCB then alerted all U.S. dioceses. Laicization in process in 10/2018. Included in 10/2022 on the Chicago archdiocese's list of credibly accused. Included in the 5/23/2023 IL Attorney General's Report.

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Fr. James De Oreo

Ordained: 2018
Status: Accused

Diocese: Diocese of Lafayette IN

Assigned to Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Carmel IN when suspended from public ministry 3/11/2022 due to allegations of "inappropriate conduct with a minor." The alleged victim wrote two letters in 2021 to the Diocese about De Oreo's behavior while he was a teen and parishioner of St. Alphonsus Liguori in Zionsville in 2018 and 2019. The youth claimed he was sexually harrassed and groomed by the priest. De Oreo filed suit against his accuser 4/4/2022.

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Fr. Donald J. Eder

Ordained: 1960
Status: Accused

Died: 07/19/2015
Diocese: Diocese of Lafayette IN

Eder was the subject of a sexual harassment lawsuit filed in 1997 by a female coworker, which the Diocese settled in 1998. Sent for counseling for alcohol-related problems, per news in 1998. Eder's niece also told the Diocese in 1995 and 2002 that he had fondled her several times as a child. He was in active ministry as of 6/2007. Died 7/19/2015.

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Fr. Gilbert F. Esser

Order: CPPS
Ordained: 1924
Status: Accused

Died: 05/15/1979
Diocese: Diocese of Lafayette IN

Named as accused on the Lafayette IN Diocese's list 9/28/2018. Taught Latin and Greek at St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer for almost thirty years. Hospital chaplain in Detroit. Died 5/15/1979.

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State Historical Society of Missouri

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Fr. James Grear

Donate Photo

Ordained: 1970
Status: Sued

Diocese: Diocese of Lafayette IN

Accused in a 10/20/2011 suit of abusing a boy, beginning in 1975; boy attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish and school, Grear was dean of students at Brebeuf Jesuit Prep. Accused in a 9/2018 suit of abuse of boy at a Catholic youth rally in 1982. Accuser said he told Bishop Gallagher in confession the next week, who told him to ask God to forgive him, and not to tell anyone else. Suits in 11/2018 by two men allege Grear abused them as boys. On diocese's list in 9/2018. Had been removed from public ministry in 10/2001, faculties removed. A suit filed in AZ in 10/2020 claims abuse of a boy starting in 1977. The boy was a Navajo Nation citizen; Grear worked at Chinle High School late 1970s-early 1980s. The suit says Grear was sent to AZ after allegations in IN, working mostly in Native American and rural communities. In 1982-1983 he was principal of a Crow Creek Sioux high school in SD, then back to AZ. Later moved to schools in MD, Guam, and NYC. Also taught at some point in the Virgin Islands. Included on the Gallup diocese's list of credibly accused in 11/2021.

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Fr. Frank Kilcline

Ordained: 1981
Status: Accused

Diocese: Diocese of Lafayette IN

Named publicly by the Diocese on its list 10/1/2018 of those with substantiated allegations against them of child sexual abuse. Removed from public ministry in 7/2012. Laicized 4/17/2021.

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Fr. Ambrose Kohne

Donate Photo

Ordained: 1929
Status: Accused

Died: 04/4/1964
Diocese: Diocese of Lafayette IN

Named publicly by the Diocese on its list 10/1/2018 of those credibly accused of child sex abuse. Allegation received in 8/2018. Pastor for 30 years of SS. Peter and Paul in Goodland, IN. Died 4/4/1964, age 62, in a fire at a nursing home where he was resident chaplain. The fire resulted from Kohne smoking in bed.

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Fr. Robert J. Matichek

Donate Photo

Order: CPPS
Ordained: 1978
Status: Accused

Diocese: Diocese of Lafayette IN

Named publicly as credibly accused by the Lafayette, IN diocese on its list 11/25/2019. It notes that Matichek was "impeded from ministry" in 1986 and dismissed from the community in 1997.

Sources:

Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana List 11.25.19

Fr. Arthur A. Sego

Ordained: 1946
Status: Sued

Died: 09/7/1998
Diocese: Diocese of Lafayette IN

Monsignor. Per a 1995 civil lawsuit, Sego sexually abused a girl when she was an elementary school student in 1968. The suit was dismissed due to the statute of limitations. Sego admitted to exposing himself to one young girl and having another undress and dance for him. He was removed from ministry in 1994 and lived under restrictions in a priests' retirement home near St. Louis until his death 9/7/1998. In 1997 there were reportedly 15 or 16 alleged victims. He admitted that for about 5 years starting in 1956 he would ask young mothers-to-be to strip for him so he could feel their bellies. He lived and traveled with Bishop Higi for many years. Included on the Diocese's list 9/28/2018 list of credibly accused.

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Fr. Donald Tracey

Ordained: 1958
Status: Accused

Died: 06/4/1989
Diocese: Diocese of Lafayette IN

Superintendent of Catholic Schools, among other prominent diocesan position. Teacher, track coach, parish priest. Was a Holy Cross brother (Bro. Eugene) prior to priesthood. Accused of sexual misconduct with high school and college students. Also identified as having sexually abused a teenager who later became a priest. Tracey was fired from his job at Lafayette Central Catholic High School in the early 1980s for abusing a male student in an incident involving alcohol. Was retired when he died 6/4/1989. Included on the Diocese's 9/28/18 list of credibly accused .

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Fr. Ronald J. Voss

Ordained: 1967
Status: Accused

Diocese: Diocese of Lafayette IN

Accused of sexually abusing 8-9 teenage boys; resigned from ministry in 1993 and moved to Haiti. May have functioned as a priest there as late as 1997. One youth died of a heart attack after disclosing abuse. Laicized in 1998. In 2004 Voss was running Visitation House in Port au Prince--a guest facility for those who visited Haiti to aid the poor. Living as of 7/2008 on Abaco in the Bahamas. Included on the Lafayette IN Diocese's 9/28/2018 list of credibly accused.

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Fr. Raymond H. Wieber

Ordained: 1969
Status: Sued

Died: 08/17/1993
Diocese: Diocese of Lafayette IN

Accused of sexually abusing teenage boys. A lawsuit (later dropped) claimed Wieber used alcohol and LSD in repeated and systematic sex abuse 1969-1970. He ran a popular youth program during the 1970s. Warnings about his character were noted in his personnel file before ordination, but there were no efforts to supervise him. Wieber was granted leave in 11/1992. He died 8/17/1993. Included on the Diocese's 9/28/2018 list of credibly accused.

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