Archdiocese's List Includes Waseca Area Priest

By Christen Furlong
The Waseca County News
December 6, 2013

http://www.southernminn.com/waseca_county_news/news/article_c5768c30-0cfd-5bce-81e0-d950f2128fc2.html



The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on Thursday published a list of 34 priests who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors.

Ten of the 34 priests on the list were stationed in the region at some point in their careers. Only one man, Timothy McCarthy, served in the Waseca area — McCarthy acted as an administrator at St. Andrew in Elysian from 1977-1982.

Fr. Michael Ince, pastor at St. Andrew and Holy Trinity in Waterville, commented on the public's reaction to the list, indicating that he thought its disclosure could lead to potentially negative feedback against the state's Archdiocese.

"Well, I can't say much from the churches' perspective," Ince said. "But it's getting to be quite a witch hunt. I think we have to look at the fact that the [Archdiocese] has bent over backward and these people are still howling. The more we do, the more they yell at us."

Archbishop John Nienstedt, who has come under fire for the way sexual misconduct cases have been managed, was ordered to disclose the names by a Ramsey County judge in a case filed by a victim of clergy sexual abuse.

He said the list is not intended to be final and could be updated after further review of clergy files.

“All clergy feel the shame of the acts of some of their brother priests. We deeply regret the pain caused by sexual abuse by members of the clergy, and we remain committed to protecting children and promoting healing for victims,” Nienstedt said in a column in the archdiocesan newspaper, The Catholic Spirit, where the list was published. “I sincerely pray that these efforts will contribute to the healing process for victims and others who have been harmed, and serve to protect God’s children and foster trust in the Church.”

Thirty-three of the names in the disclosure were also printed on a 2004 list, including four men who've exhibited claims that could not be substantiated and one name of a priest recently convicted of child sex crimes.

Concerning the status of the 30 men with substantiated claims against them: 16 are listed as permanently removed from the ministry, 11 are deceased and two have been defrocked.

Sixteen of the men, including some who are now dead, were permanently removed from the ministry in 2002 or 2003, when the church sex abuse scandal was at its height.

Ten of the 34 men in the archdiocese's disclosure served at a church in the region at some point in their careers.

• John Brown, age 93. Served as an associate priest/administrator at St. Mary in Le Center from 1958-1960 and as a pastor at Sacred Heart in Faribault from 1970-78.

• Gilbert DeSutter, age 85. Served as pastor at Immaculate Conception in Faribault from 1973-1976.

• Richard Jeub, age 73. Served as associate priest at Sacred Heart/St. Lawrence in Faribault from 1997-2000.

• Dennis Kampa, age 81. Served as associate priest at Immaculate Conception in Faribault from 1968-1969.

• Jerome Kern, age 72. Served as temporary administrator at St. Dominic in Northfield in 1995.

• Lee Krautkremer, age 73. Served as associate priest at Immaculate Conception in Faribault from 1966.

• Alfred Longley, deceased. Served as associate priest at Immaculate Conception in Faribault from 1939-1942.

• Timothy McCarthy, age 67. Served as administrator at St. Andrew in Elysian from 1977 to 1982.

• Joseph Pinkosh, age 70. Served as pastor at St. Patrick in Shieldsville from 1981-1992.

• Patrick Ryan, deceased. Served as associate priest at Immaculate Conception in Faribault from 1922-1933.

• Clarence Vavra, age 74. Served as associate priest at St. Patrick in Shieldsville from 1997-2003.

The Archdicose says claims against Patrick Ryan have not been substantiated.

Kathy Atherton of Waterville was a member of St. Andrew Catholic Church in Elysian at the time McCarthy acted as its administrator. She said that he was fun and younger than other priests she had known.

"I would have been around 9 or 10 at the time," Atherton said on Facebook. "I can tell you that we trusted him and loved him. Me and my fellow classmates who were members of the church, went to his home on several occasions ... He worked hard to develop relationships with us."

After leaving Elysian, McCarthy went on to serve as associate priest of St. Peter Claver in St. Paul until 1984. He resigned from the ministry in 1991 and is believed to reside in either Oakdale or St. Paul.

He has previously been unnamed as one of the priests "who have had credible accusations and substantiated claims against them of sexually abusing a minor in our archdiocese," according to Nienstedt.

When she initially heard about the allegations against McCarthy, Atherton was devastated.

"I really lost my faith at one point," she said on Facebook. "I still tear up when I think about it. To me, at that age, your priest is like God. He could do no wrong and he looked after us. Finding out what he had done was a betrayal like no other in my eyes. I'll never understand it and I cannot even imagine how the children he abused must have felt. It just makes me so sad."

Sandy Weber Schroer of Janesville also expressed her shock at the news.

"I remember Father Tim and we thought he was so cool," Schroer said on Facebook. "Makes me sick!"

The archdiocese has directed parishes to read a letter at Sunday masses this week to explain the news to reassure congregations, said George Kallumkalkudy, pastor for Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery and St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Shieldsville.

“This is not pleasing to our Church,” Kallumkallkudy said, speaking of the larger Catholic community. “We (the clergy) have made mistakes and we’re trying to correct them. We have great faith and hope that in the face of crisis, we can find the strength to undo all this pain and suffering.”



Contact: cfurlong@wasecacountynews.com