Associated Press
May 27, 2020
(Credit: Pixabay.)
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The Diocese of St. Cloud will pay sexual abuse victims $22.5 million and file for bankruptcy, according to a settlement agreement.
Terms of the agreement were announced Tuesday.
Some 70 victims say they were abused by 41 priests in cases that date back to the 1950s.
Attorney Jeff Anderson negotiated the settlement agreement and said it gives validation to the victims, some of whom Anderson first represented in lawsuits filed in the 1980s, the Star Tribune reported.
“Every single survivor with whom we worked has felt some measure of recovery of power by having come forward to share secrets,” said Anderson.
“We believe they have made the community safer because of it, and they have been a part of a massive cleanup of a massive coverup in the Diocese of St. Cloud. It has been a journey born of great tribulation.”
St. Cloud Bishop Donald Kettler said in a statement that he apologized on “behalf of the Church for the harm they (victims) suffered.” Kettler said he hoped the settlement will help heal the victims of abuse.
If the bankruptcy plan is approved, the St. Cloud Diocese will become the fifth of Minnesota’s six dioceses to settle its clergy abuse claims and declare bankruptcy.
BishopAccountability.org
St. Cloud Bishop Releases Names of 33 Accused Priests
By Alex Svejkovsky
WJON
January 3, 2014
http://wjon.com/st-cloud-bishop-releases-names-of-33-accused-priests/
Bishop Donald Kettler, Photo by WJON.com’s Jim Maurice
A day after a Sartell man filed a lawsuit against the Diocese of St. Cloud, Bishop Donald Kettler has released the names of those accused of sexual abuse of minors.
The move comes as other Minnesota Catholic Dioceses and the Archdiocese of Minneapolis-St. Paul are dealing with similar disclosures or lawsuits to release similar lists of clergy members.
In a new release issued today, Kettler said:
When I became Bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud, I immediately began connecting with the people, familiarizing myself with policies and reviewing important documents that I am responsible for as Bishop. It is my intent to continue to provide a pastoral response to such abuse. I hope that the release of these names will provide validation to those victims.
According to the Bishop’s release, at least seven of the clergy members are still living. Four of them in Collegeville, one in St. Cloud, one in the Twin Cities, and one in New York.
Twenty-one others have died. And the status of five other clergy members are unknown.
Here is the list of clergy:
Robert Blumeyer, OSB (Order of Saint Benedict): St. Augustine, St. Cloud; St. Benedict’s, Avon; St. Catherine, Farming. Deceased
Michael Brennan, TOR (Third Order Regular of Saint Francis): Our Lady of the Angels Boarding School, Belle Prairie. Status Unknown
Anthony Canu, TOR: Our Lady of the Angels Boarding School, Belle Prairie. Status Unknown
Cosmos Dalheimer, OSB: St. Mary’s, St. Cloud; St. Benedict’s Monastery and College, St. Joseph; St. Augustine, St. Cloud; St. Joseph, St. Joseph; St. Scholastica Convent, St. Cloud. Deceased
John Eccleston: Sacred Heart, Staples; St. Edward’s, Henning; Ave Maria, Wheaton; Chaplain St. Francis Convent, Little Falls. Deceased
Richard Eckroth, OSB: St. Benedict High School, St. Joseph; St. Augustine, St. Cloud; Seven Dolors, Albany; St. Raphael’s Convent, St. Cloud; St. Scholastica Convent, St. Cloud. Currently residing in Collegeville, MN.
Sylvester Gall: St. Joseph, Pierz; St. Mary’s Cathedral, St. Cloud; Chaplain, St. Raphael, St. Cloud; St. John the Baptist, Swanville; St. Nicholas, Belle River; St. Nicholas, St. Nicholas; St. Andrew, Elk River; St. Michael’s, Motley; St. John Nepomuk, Lastrup. Deceased.
William Garding: St. Mary’s, Melrose; St. Paul’s, Sauk Centre; St. John the Baptist, Bluffton; Holy Cross, Butler; Assumption, Menagha; Director, Cemetary Office, St. Cloud. Deceased
Raoul Gauthier: Chaplain, St. Michael’s Hospital, Sauk Centre. Deceased
Thomas Gillespie, OSB: St. Boniface, Cold Spring; St. Joseph, St. Joseph; St. Raphael’s Convent, St. Cloud; St. Scholastica Convent, St. Cloud; St. Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph. Currently residing in Collegeville, MN
Stanislaus Goryczka: Holy Cross, Harding (Pulaski); St. Edward’s Elmdale; Our Lady of Lourdes, Little Falls. Deceased
Francis Hoefgen, OSB: St. Bonface, Cold Spring; St. Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph. Laicized. Address unknown
Othmar Hohmann, OSB: Immaculate Conception, New Munich; St. Boniface, Cold Spring; St. Joseph, St. Joseph. Deceased
Raymond Jacques: St. Peter and Paul, Sauk Centre; Assumption, Morris; St. Anne’s, Kimball. Deceased
Val Klimek: St. Mary’s Cathedral, St. Cloud; Spiritual Director, Cathedral High School; St. Columbkill, St. Wendel; St. Lawrence, Duelm; Director, Catholic Charities; Holy Trinity, Royalton; Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Rockville. Deceased
Reginald Krakowski, TOR: Local Superior, St. Louis Monastery, St. Cloud; Cathedral High School. Current Status Unknown
Joseph Kremer: Sacred Heart, Sauk Rapids; Staff, St. John’s Seminary/Diocese of St. Cloud; St. Michael’s, Spring Hill; Holy Spirit, St.Cloud. Deceased
Richard Kujawa: St. Mary’s, Breckenridge; St. Joseph, Bertha; St. Edward’s, Henning; Sacred Heart, Flensburg; St. Mary’s, Melrose; St. Hubert, Blue Grass; Our Lady of the Assumption, Menagha. Deceased
Henry Lutgen: St. Mary’s, Alexandria; Superintendent, St. Cloud Children’s Home; Director, Catholic Charities. Deceased
Brennan Maiers, OSB: St. Joseph, St. Joseph; St. Boniface, Cold Spring; St. Raphael’s Convent, St. Cloud; St. Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph; St. Scholastica Convent, St. Cloud. Currently residing in Collegeville, MN
James Mohm: St. Joseph, Pierz; St. Joseph, Brushvale; St. James, Maine; Immaculate Conception, Osakis. Deceased
Donald Rieder: St. Mary’s, Alexandria; St. James, Randall; St. Anne’s, Kimball; Assumption, Morris; St. Agnes, Roscoe; St. Louis, Paynesville; Chaplain, St. Gabriel’s Hospital, Little Falls; St. Stanislaus, Sobieski; St. John Cantius, St. Cloud. Deceased
Francisco Schulte, OSB: St. Boniface, Cold Spring. Collegeville, MN
Robert Smith: Holy Angels, St. Cloud; Holy Family, Belle Prairie; Our Lady of Victory, Fergus Falls; St. Leonard’s, Pelican Rapids; St. Paul’s, Sauk Centre; Chaplain, Poor Clare Sisters, Sauk Rapids; Holy Cross, North Prairie; St. Stanislaus, Sobieski. Deceased
Peter Snyers: Immaculate Conception, Rice; St. Mary’s, Breckenridge; St. Kathyrn’s, Ogilvie; St. Louis, Foreston; Assumption, Eden Valley; St. Hedwig’s and St. Mary’s, Holdingford; St. John Cantius, St. Cloud. Deceased
Allan Speiser: St. Ann’s, Wadena; Sacred Heart, Sauk Rapids; Holy Angels, St. Cloud; Chaplain, St. Raphael’s, St. Cloud; Cathedral High School, St. Cloud; St. Anthony, St. Anthony; St. Nicholas, St. Nicholas; Immaculate Conception, Becker; St. Francis Xavier, Sartell; St. John Nepomuk, Lake Reno; Our Lady of the Runestone, Kensington; Holy Cross, Butler; St. John the Baptist, Bluffton; Holy Spirit, St. Cloud; St. Francis, St. Francis. Deceased
James Thoennes: St. Anthony’s, St. Cloud; St. Mary’s, Melrose; St. Joseph, Waite Park; St. John’s, Foley; St. Anne’s, Kimball; Sacred Heart, Dent; St. Leonard’s, Pelican Rapids; St. Joseph, Bertha; St. Edward’s. Henning; Chaplain, St. Mary’s Villa, Pierz. Currently residing in St. Cloud, MN
Roger Vaughn, OSC (Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross (Crosiers)) : St. Peter’s, St. Cloud. Currently residing in New York.
Michael Weber: Holy Spirit, St. Cloud as transitional deacon. Currently residing in Twin Cities, MN
William Wey: St. Mary’s Cathedral, St. Cloud; St. Donatus, Brooten; Immaculate Conception, Sedan; St. Gall, Tintah; Sacred Heart, Dent; St. Peter, Dumont; St. Patrick, Collis. Deceased
Adelbert Wolski, TOR: Cathedral High School. Current Status Unknown
Vincent Yzermanns: St. Boniface, Melrose; St. Mary’s Cathedral, St. Cloud; St. John the Baptist, Swanville; Editor, Saint Cloud Visitor; St. Nicholas, St. Nicholas; St. Rose, St. Rosa; St. Anthony, St. Anthony. Deceased
Francis Zilkowski: Chancellor, Diocese of Saint Cloud; St. Louis, Foreston; Sacred Heart, Flensburg; Our Lady of Lourdes, Little Falls; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Opole. Deceased
Bishop Kettler says he hopes the release of names will help victims.
It is my hope that the release of these names will provide validation to those victims who have been sexually abused and have already come forward. I pray it will also give strength to those who have remained silent and allow them to come forward.
The release also encourages anyone who may have been sexually-abused to contact a victim’s advocate.
ORDINATIONS OF EXCELLENT YOUNG PRIESTS FOR LEEDS AND NOTHAMPTON
FATHER JOSHUA HILTON
Recently ordained for Leeds.
Formerly of Oscott and Allen Hall.
FATHER BRENDAN SEERY
Recently ordained for Northampton.
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BISHOP PAT BUCKLEY 