St. Louis Priest Charged in Case Involving Misconduct with Minor, Placed on Administrative Leave

St. Louis Review
June 29, 2012

http://stlouisreview.com/article/2012-06-29/st-louis-priest

Fr. Joseph Jiang

Father Joseph Jiang, associate pastor of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis Parish, was charged June 28 in Lincoln County with a felony count of endangering the welfare of a child, a first-degree offense involving sexual conduct.

The Archdiocese of St. Louis had placed Father Jiang on administrative leave following a report involving alleged inappropriate contact with a high school aged minor. The Archdiocesan Office of Child and Youth Protection notified Missouri Division of Family Services immediately upon learning of the allegations.

According to a statement from Msgr. Richard Hanneke, the archdiocese’s vicar for priests, the archdiocese is fully cooperating with the investigation.

Bond set at $25,000.

None of the conduct is alleged to have occurred at the cathedral or on any archdiocesan property, Msgr. Hanneke noted in the statement.

Father Jiang, 29, is a native of Shandong, China. A graduate of Holy Spirit High School Seminary in Ji Nan, China, he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Holy Spirit College Seminary in Ji Nan.

The Archdiocese of St. Louis encourages all persons with reports of misconduct with a minor involving a member of the clergy or other church personnel to contact Phil Hengen, the Director of the Office for Child and Youth Protection at (314) 792-7704 or the civil authorities.