April 5, 1:15 p.m.
Dear Governor Blunt:
Is it safe for Missouri to allow dozens of proven, admitted and credibly accused sex offender-clerics to move here? It is prudent to spend our tax dollars monitoring these dangerous men?
These are among the questions we feel should be asked and answered through an independent, state-sponsored investigation into three pedophile priest centers in the St. Louis area: the Vianney Center in Jefferson County, the Wounded Brothers Project (aka Evergreen Hills, aka RECON) in Franklin County, and the St. Michael’s center in St. Louis County.
Just yesterday, we learned that yet another proven pedophile priest, Fr. Robert Larson of the Wichita Kansas diocese, would soon be moving here. Larson pled guilty to molesting four teens and at least five of his victims committed suicide. Now he's on his way to join dozens of other dangerous serial predator priests at a church-run center for pedophile clergy here that has no fences, gates, guards or barbed wire and a questionable record of supervising such dangerous men.
At least three other priests from across the country who came here for 'treatment' went on to molest St. Louis children:
Father Victor Frobas, Father Romano Ferraro and Father Ken Roberts – abused children in St. Louis after being removed from their home dioceses for molesting children. Lawsuits have been filed against the latter two. Lawsuits against Ferraro have been settled. (He’s been sentenced to life in prison in Massachusetts for sex crimes against kids there.)
We are convinced it will happen again. We have repeatedly asked St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke to suspend the risky practice of allowing dozens of abusive clerics to move here and be 'supervised' by other priests. He has ignored us.
The centers lack even basic security. There are no fences, no gates, no barbed wire, no ankle bracelets, no real monitoring of the molesters. Even if there were, we would still be worried because largely untrained Catholic priests are allegedly overseeing other abusive Catholic priests.
These three men and their crimes, however, are just the beginning of the troubles at these centers.
In January of this year, Fr. Bruce MacArthur, who allegedly molested kids in Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Texas was arrested and now faces criminal charges.
Last fall, we disclosed that two other clergymen were living and working in St. Louis parishes despite being accused of sexual misconduct elsewhere. Rumor is that both of them were also sent here for “treatment.”
In 2004, Fr. Nicholas Voelker was accused of twice sexually assaulting a Wichita, KS woman After she reported the misconduct, Voelker was sent to St. Ambrose Catholic church in south St. Louis where he worked and lived for seven months (Jan. 2005-July 2005.
In April 2002, Fr. Joseph Monahan was accused of molesting a Philadelphia boy in 1969. Yet for 3.5 years, he stayed in active ministry here in St. Louis (where he has lived since 1975) at St. Raphael’s parish in south St. Louis, where he was assigned to work with altar boys.
Last September, Monahan’s name first surfaced publicly as an alleged molester, when he was one of 171 current and former Philadelphia area priests disclosed in a grand jury report as having been accused of sexual abuse. That day, he was suspended from his position at St. Raphael’s.
In addition, a convicted Illinois cleric (Brother Robert Bouillette) wrote and called one of his victims while living at the center (in violation of his parole), and a convicted Wisconsin priest (Father David Malsch) received child porn in the mail and was arrested by the FBI while living at one of the centers.
Please don’t take our word for it. Here’s just one of the stories the Post Dispatch wrote about the centers (9/22/2004):
Three recent high-profile cases have focused attention on two private retreat centers six miles apart. One is RECON, also known as the Wounded Brothers Project, south of Robertsville in Franklin County. The other is the St. John Vianney Renewal Center near Dittmer in Jefferson County.
Father Mark Roberts, formerly of Henderson, Nev., moved into the RECON center this summer. He was convicted in January of offenses against five boys. One of his victims, now 21, happens to live in Imperial, and complained "it's like he's following me."
Father William Wiebler, formerly of Bettendorf, Iowa, was ordered by his bishop to enter the Vianney Center in 2002 after admitting abusing several minors during the 1970s and 1980s. Four civil lawsuits are pending against Father Wiebler in Iowa, but he was never charged in a criminal case. In July, Father Wiebler simply moved out of the Vianney Center to an apartment in the University City Loop less than 300 yards from an elementary school.
Brother Gerald Chumik,moved into RECON earlier this month from a Franciscan retreat center in California. He has been a fugitive from authorities in St. John's, Newfoundland, since 1990, on charges of gross indecency with a minor. Because of technicalities in the U.S.-Canadian extradition laws, Canadian authorities did not seek his return.
Since tax dollars and public safety are involved, we are asking you, Gov. Blunt, to intervene. The Post has reported that two of the centers house roughly 36 men. We suspect that the real figure is higher, and we suspect that these centers will grow in size in the future.
At a bare minimum, we believe it is your duty to investigate these Catholic run centers that house dozens of known, proven and credibly accused abusive clergy.
We ask two simple questions: Why not put the safety Missouri families first? What’s the harm in suspending this dangerous practice until it is thoroughly evaluated?”
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
David Clohessy
National Director, SNAP
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
7234 Arsenal St.
St. Louis MO 63143
314 566 9790
Barbara Dorris
Outreach Director, SNAP
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
6245 Westminster Place
Saint Louis, MO 63130
314 862 7688 |
