1967

Milwaukee archbishop was William Edward Cousins (1958-1977).

Port Washington

• Widera was convicted in 1973 of sexual perversion. He admitted to the molestation of an 11 year old boy, and of several other boys. An allegation that he abused another boy was pending.

Parish had a school with 351 students.

Widera was sentenced to three years' probation. His church employed therapist helped find Widera's next assignment.

Delavan

• The archdiocese was informed by a therapist in June 1976 that a boy he was treating disclosed that he had been sexually abused by Widera. Widera was kept in the parish for at least six more weeks, and was told by archdiocesan officials to prepare to move when his probation ended.

• In 2006 three men accused Widera in a lawsuit of having sexually abused them when they were boys, between 1974 and 1976.

3/3

Parish had a school with 227-222 students.

Parishioners were not told of Siegfried's conviction or history of sexually abusing children. Some wrote to the archdiocese that they were impressed with Widera's interest in and rapport with children.

The archdiocese told the therapist of the boy who disclosed abuse in June 1976 that Widera would go to inpatient treatment. The therapist, in turn, persuaded the boy's mother not to report Widera to the police.

Widera's therapist, Leo Graham, noted that "one slip in three years is not too bad".

Milwaukee archdiocesan officials made plans for Widera to go on "vacation" to see his brother in Southern California, and for getting the diocese of Orange to allow Widera to serve as a priest there. They also told Widera that they would "keep a lid on things".

Jan. 1977

Orange bishop was William Robert Johnson (1976-1986).

Buena Park

• Widera is said to have begun to sexually abuse boys in Orange County in 1977, some as young as nine years old.

Widera is listed in the Milwaukee archdiocesan pages of the 1977 Directory as atSt. Pius, but he is not listed as there in the Orange diocesan pages.

The diocese of Orange accepted Widera despite a warning from Milwaukee archbishop Cousins that there had been "a moral problem having to do with a boy in school", and that there had been a "more recent "repetition", so Widera needed to leave the state of Wisconsin for legal reasons. Cousins also said "there would seem no great risk in allowing this man to return to pastoral work".

Anaheim

• Widera has been accused of sexually abusing boys at this parish.

Yorba Linda

• In 1985 someone reported to Orange Chancellor Michael Driscoll that Widera was seen molesting four or five boys in a swimming pool.

• In Sept. 1985 a woman told Driscoll that Widera inappropriately touched her son when Widera was tucking the boy into bed.

1986

Norman Francis McFarland succeeded Johnson as Orange bishop (1986-1998), followed by Tod David Brown (1998-).

• In 2002 more people came forward with accusations of child sexual abuse by Widera. He was charged with 42 counts of molestation in Orange County and Milwaukee.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1968-2002)

• Letter from Milwaukee archbishop Cousins to Orange bishop Johnson, Dec. 20, 1976
• Letter from Orange Chancellor-Secretary to Milwaukee bishop, Jan. 17, 1977
• Diocese of Orange memo, Sept. 24, 1985
• Widera's personal history sheet, Oct. 16, 1985
• Ex-Priest Spotted near Mexico, Long Beach Press-Telegram [Los Angeles CA] , Downloaded May 5, 2003
• Fugitive Ex-Priest Jumps to His Death from Mazatlan Hotel Balcony, By Isaac Guzman, Associated Press, carried in Mercury News [Mexico], Downloaded May 27, 2003
• Calif. Appeals Court Finds Milwaukee Archdiocese Liable, Herald Tribune [Santa Ana, Calif], Downloaded October 3, 2003
• Church IDs 15 Abusive Priests, By Ray F. Herndon, Los Angeles Times [California], Downloaded January 11, 2004
• Archdiocese Sues Insurance Companies to Force Coverage, By Tom Heinen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [Milwaukee WI], April 29, 2004
• Information with Regard to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, Archdiocese of Milwaukee, July 9, 2004
• Hide the Buggering Priests! A Brief History of Pedophilic-Priest Shuffling in the Diocese of Orange, By Gustavo Arellano, Orange, County Weekly, July 9, 2004
• Accused Priests of the Orange Diocese, Compiled by Gustavo Arellano, Posted in the OC Weekly, March 4, 2005
• Orange Diocese Gives Details on Sex Abuse, By William Lobdell and Jean Guccione, LA Times, May 18, 2005
• Second Chances, By Rachanee Srisavasdi, Andrew Galvin, Tony Saavedra, and Chris Knap, Orange County Register, May 18, 2005
• Reports Show Failure of Therapy for Priests, By Jean Guccione and William Lobdell, Los Angeles Times [California], May 25, 2005
• Appeals Court Upholds Dismissal of Suits against Archdiocese, By Ryan J. Foley, The Associated Press, carried in Grand Fork Herald, August 29, 2006
• Dismissal of Abuse Lawsuits Upheld, By Ryan J. Foley, The Associated Press, carried in St. Paul Pioneer Press, August 30, 2006
• Attorney: Archdiocese Settles Lawsuits, By Tom Heinen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 1, 2006
• Archdiocese Avoids Bankruptcy with Sex-Abuse Settlement, By Brian T. Olszewski, Catholic Online, September 7, 2006
• Judge Orders Release of Church Files on Molester Priest, By Peter Y. Hong, Los Angeles Times, February 7, 2007
• Church Knew of Abuse by Priest, By Marie Rohde, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [Milwaukee WI], February 10, 2007

Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Widera's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on March 23, 2012.