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| 8 Catholic Priests Accused of Sexually Abusing Children Worked at Marrero Orphanage
By Drew Broach
NOLA.com
November 2, 2018
https://www.nola.com/news/2018/11/eight-catholic-priests-accused-of-sexually-abusing-children-worked-at-marrero-orphanage.html
Eight Roman Catholic priests whom the Archdiocese of New Orleans identified Friday (Nov. 2) as being credibly accused of sexually abusing children decades ago had been assigned to Hope Haven, a church-run orphanage in Marrero. Six of the accused are now dead.
All eight were members of the Salesians of Don Bosco order, said the archdiocese, which released a list of 57 accused priests and deacons who had served in its jurisdiction. The archdiocese said it learned of allegations against the eight between 2006 and 2011, and identified them as Paul Avallone, Stanislaus Ceglar, Paul Csik -- who was in charge of Hope Haven for six years -- Anthony Esposito, Ernest Fagione, August Kita, Joseph Pankowski and Alfred Sokol.
Hope Haven and the affiliated Madonna Manor, directly across Barataria Boulevard, were founded by the church in 1925 as group homes for children and teenagers from families in disarray. Some young residents were sent there by the courts as wards of the state; others were handed over to the church by desperate families unable to care for their children. Madonna Manor was for young children, Hope Haven for older children and teens.
The residential part of the orphanage closed long ago, but well into the 21st century Hope Haven continued offering services to at-risk youth and housing other ministries, too. The last ministry left in 2014, and the Jefferson Parish Council decided in 2017 to lease the property.
It was not immediately clear from the archdiocese’s list whether the eight Salesian brothers molested Hope Haven residents or violated even any children on campus, or whether the victims, the abuse or both were unrelated to the orphanage. Two of the priests had other church assignments in the archdiocese’s jurisdiction: Avallone at Archbishop Shaw High School in Marrero, and Fagione at Shaw and St. John Bosco Church in Harvey.
In 2009, however, the archdiocese announced it was settling, for almost $5.2 million, 20 lawsuits filed against it by an undisclosed number of adults who alleged they had been beaten, berated and sexually molested in the 1950s and 1960s at Hope Haven or Madonna Manor. The suits were filed beginning in 2005.
None of the priests was named at the time of the settlement, which came seven years into the national priest sex abuse scandal and two months after Gregory Aymond became archbishop of New Orleans. On Friday, however, the archdiocese said its newly released list of accused priests includes defendants in the settled lawsuits.
Here is the information released Friday by the archdiocese on the eight Hope Haven priests:
PAUL AVALLONE
Born: 1921
Ordained: 1950
Estimated abuse period: Late 1950s, early 1960s
Salesians inform archdiocese of allegations: 2011
Died: 2008.
Born in the Bronx, Avalone was the founding principal of Shaw High, which opened in 1962, and a Salesian for 65 years, according to The Times-Picayune records.
STANISLAUS CEGLAR
Born: Unknown
Ordained: Unknown
Estimated abuse period: 1960s
Archdiocese receives abuse allegations: 2010.
PAUL CSIK
Born: 1898
Ordained: Unknown
Estimated abuse period: 1960s
Archdiocese receives abuse allegations: 2010
Died: 1970.
Csik was a Hungary native who joined the Salesians in 1925 and was ordained in 1932, according to a May 18, 1957, story published by The New Orleans States newspaper. He arrived at Hope Haven as prefect in 1933, when the order assumed charge of the orphanage, and directed it from 1949 to 1955.
ANTHONY ESPOSITO
Born: Unknown
Ordained: Unknown
Estimated abuse period: 1950s, 1960s
Archdiocese receives abuse allegations: 2006.
ERNEST FAGIONE
Born: 1917
Ordained: 1947
Estimated abuse period: 1950s, 1960s
Archdiocese receives abuse allegations: 2006
Died: 2006.
AUGUST KITA
Born: 1931
Ordained: 1960
Estimated abuse period: 1960s, 1970s
Archdiocese receives abuse allegations: 2006
Died: 2008.
JOSEPH PANKOWSKI
Born: 1915
Ordained: Unknown
Estimated abuse period: 1940s, 1950s
Archdiocese receives abuse allegations: 2006
Died: 1981.
ALFRED SOKOL
Born: 1911
Ordained: Unknown
Estimated abuse period: 1960s, 1970s
Archdiocese receives abuse allegations: 2010
Died: 2004.
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