By Peggy Scott

For the Leader

Three former Sacred Heart altar boys have filed lawsuits against the late Rev. Norman Christian, accusing him of sexually abusing them in the late 1960s and early 1970s when Christian was a priest at Sacred Heart in Crystal City.

All three lawsuits were filed in St. Louis City circuit court against the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Archbishop Raymond Burke and Festus property owner Robert Oberle.

The lawsuits allege Christian sexually abused the boys at the church rectory, in his car and at a swimming hole on the Plattin Creek, owned by Oberle. Oberle didn’t return phone calls requesting comment.

Christian, who was stationed at Sacred Heart from 1969 until 1971, died in 2004.

Two of the suits were filed April 13; the third was filed May 19. The three are identified in court records as John Doe 110, John Doe 111 and John Doe 112.

Attorney for the defendants, Ken Chackes of St. Louis, said the three didn’t want to be identified in the lawsuits because they were concerned about embarrassment to themselves, their families, children or parents. He said some still live in the area; others don’t.

Chackes said the men hope their lawsuits will make the abuse public and help protect other children from predatory priests.

Last year, Crystal City resident Tim Fischer sued the Archdiocese after being sexually abused by Christian when Fischer was a child. In his settlement, Fischer got a written apology from the Archbishop and a promise the Archdiocese would educate others about the potential of abuse.

Fischer, 43, said the apology was the most important part of the settlement of his civil lawsuit against the Archdiocese. He said he wanted someone to admit that the church has a responsibility to protect children from pedophile priests.

Chackes said the Archdiocese knew about Christian’s abuse. “In records we’ve obtained from the Archdiocese, it shows Father Christian admitted abusing a number of boys from 1963 to mid 1980s,” Chackes said. “But it didn’t come out until Tim Fischer sued. If they had acknowledged what happened, it would have made a huge difference in Tim Fischer’s life. If they had reached out to victims years and years ago, it would have made a big difference in these men’s lives. They lived with the secret all these years.”

One of the victims wrote:

“I thought it was time to tell. I am tired of living with the guilt and shame. Father Christian was a predator preying on little boys like us. Now he has to face God for his deeds. That is all I have to say.”

Another wrote:

“I am so relieved that this massive cover-up is finally coming to an end. I have carried this heavy burden for many years. I have survived an unimaginable crime. I am a victim and a survivor.”

The men are seeking monetary damages for injuries they received, the attorney said. But he said the main reason for filing the lawsuits is to bring the problem out into the public.

He said the three didn’t come forward sooner because they were afraid they wouldn’t be believed.

“By filing these lawsuits and publicizing what happened, they hope to prevent future abuse and to encourage the Archdiocese to reveal the information they have about abusive priests,” Chackes said.

Archdiocese attorney Bernie Huger said the Archdiocese plans to recommend the mediation process in these cases. Each will be mediated separately.

“Even though some of these cases are old, we take them seriously,” Huger said. “A lot of times people don’t have the ability to come forward earlier in life. People go through a lot.

“We will listen to the reports and assess the credibility of the case and listen to the needs. Then we will try to provide financial assistance to assist with their projected needs,” Huger said.

The Archdiocese has taken 33 cases to mediation and has successfully resolved 31, he said.

Huger said the Archdiocese is in the process of a massive educational campaign for all parishes and Catholic schools, which started two years ago.

“This is the most extensive educational program the Archdiocese has ever had,” he said.

The program is called “Protecting God’s Children,” and all people who work with or near children at parishes or schools have completed the training, Huger said. That involves more than 38,000 individuals.

Starting next school year, Huger said, the program will be expanded to include a new educational program for students. “We’ve gone through five pilot sites and it will be rolled out in every parish next year,” he said. In addition, the Archdiocese is offering an educational program for parents to help them talk with their children.