St. Louis' most prolific predator priest is sued again
Michael McGrath has molested more St. Louis kids than any other Catholic priest, nun, brother or seminarian. Still, he walks free, largely because his church supervisors protected him for years.
It's tragic that Archbishop Carlson does nothing to warn the public about McGrath or help police pursue him.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 23 years and have more than 10,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected]), Peter Isely (414-429-7259, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [email protected])
Man sues St. Louis Archdiocese and priest for sexual abuse in 1970s
BY VALERIE SCHREMP HAHN • [email protected] > 314-621-5804 | Posted: Friday, September 2, 2011
ST. LOUIS • A man filed a lawsuit in St. Louis Circuit Court this week against the St. Louis Archdiocese and the priest he says sexually molested him as an altar boy in the 1970s at St. Ferdinand Catholic Parish in Florissant.
The priest, Michael S. McGrath, has been sued at least 20 times by people alleging abuse. He was ordained in 1975, removed from public ministry in 1997 and laicized in 2005. He served in parishes and schools in St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Charles County.
The newest lawsuit, filed Thursday by a John Doe, names McGrath, the archdiocese, and Archbishop Robert Carlson.
It said that beginning in late 1976, the plaintiff became an altar boy in the parish. It says McGrath picked him up from his house under the guise that he needed an altar boy to help him perform last rites. McGrath sexually abused the plaintiff in the visiting room of the nursing home where he was to perform the last rites, the suit says.
Another incident happened in the rectory during a seminary recruitment, when McGrath forced the plaintiff to perform oral sex on him and McGrath performed oral sex on the plaintiff.
The suit says the archbishop and archdiocese became aware of the abuse after 2006 but failed to report it to police, parishioners, families and other victims.
The man is seeking unspecified damages for emotional distress, negligence, and failure to supervise clergy.
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
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