Accused priest’s trial approaches in Kansas
Accused predator priest’s trial approaches
Ordained in 2011, the accused cleric is young
Two alleged victims are both in early teens now
SNAP: “It’s your civic & moral duty to speak up”
Group also ‘outs’ 3 more accused Kansas priests
It seeks “victims, witnesses & whistleblowers now!”
“Archbishop: Teach your flock how to act,” SNAP says
WHAT
Holding signs and childhood photos a at a sidewalk news conference, weeks ahead of a rare criminal accused KC KS priest’s trial, clergy sex abuse victims and their supporters will
--disclose that a second victim of the alleged offender will testify,
--beg victims, witnesses and whistleblowers with information or suspicions about the accused priest to call law enforcement,
--urge prosecutors to “be tough and stand strong” against a plea deal, and
--prod the KC KS archbishop to educate his flock about the proper way to behave when abuse reports are made public.
They will also
--reveal the identities of 3 accused priests who are/were in Kansas City but have escaped virtually all scrutiny or attention here, and
--challenge local Catholic officials to disclose the names of ALL alleged predator priests, along with their photos, whereabouts and full work histories.
WHEN
TODAY,Thursday, March 21 at 2:00 p.m.
WHERE
On the sidewalk outside St. Peter’s Cathedral, 409 N 15th St. (between Sandusky and Orville) Kansas City, Kansas
WHO
Three-four concerned KC area Catholics along with two-three victims of clergy sexual abuse who are members of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, including the organization’s new Kansas City leader and a St. Louis man who is the group’s current volunteer St. Louis leader as well as its former long time executive director
WHY
1) Next month, Kansas City Kansas priest Fr. Scott J. Kallal goes on trial for alleged child sex crimes. SNAP wants top Catholic officials to “aggressively reach out to anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered any wrongdoing by him” so that the judge and jury “might be able to assess the case with more information, not less.”
And SNAP is urging Wyandotte County prosecutors to resist the temptation for a deal and instead to push for a trial at which those “who may have concealed or ignored” alleged child sex crimes against Fr. Kallal “might also be publicly exposed.”
Fr. Kallal was an assistant pastor at Holy Spirit in Overland Park when he was suspended in 2017 after two people complained of inappropriate conduct by him, one toward an 11-year-old girl.
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/assign/Kallal_Scott_J_AVI.htm
The girl's father says the priest tickled her and touched her breast at a St. Patrick's gathering in the summer of 2015 but Fr. Kallal denied "moral misconduct or malicious intent."
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2017/07_08/2017_07_19_KSHB_FatherClaims.htm
The cleric was arrested in Maryland in 2017 where he had been sent for treatment at a church-run facility called the St. Luke’s Institute. Fr. Kallal was charged with two felony counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. He pled not guilty.
Fr. Kallal was ordained in 2011 in Kansas City, Kansas for a Rome-based religious order called the Apostles of the Interior Life. His whereabouts until 2014 are unclear; the 2013 and 2014 Official Catholic Directory shows that he was assigned to "further studies." During 2014-2016, Fr. Kallal was an assistant priest at St. Patrick's in Kansas City, after which he was assigned to the same role at Holy Spirit in Overland Park.
In July 2017, Fr. Kallal was suspended from public ministry, after the archdiocese received allegations against from two different sources.
Fr. Kallal is not indexed in the 2012 Official Catholic Directory. He was ordained in June 2011. His current whereabouts are unknown.
2) SNAP continues to find and disclose names and information about publicly accused abusive priests who were in the Kansas City Kansasarchdiocese but are NOT on the official archdiocesan ‘accused’ list. Here are the latest three:
--Fr. Gilbert Stack, a Kansas City native who joined the Benedictine religious order, attended four nearby colleges (Rockhurst in KC MO, St. Benedict’s in Atchison Kansas, Conception Seminary in northwest Missouri and the Missouri state teacher’s college in Maryville). He worked in theRapid City South Dakota diocese where he was accused of abuse. Yesterday, he was put on that diocese’s ‘accused clerics’ list.
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news13/2003_02_20_KelolandCom_RapidCity_Gilbert_Stack_2.htm
He died in Kansas City in 2007.
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news13/2008_08_NoGazette_ConceptionAbbey_Gilbert_Stack_1.htm
--Fr. Thomas S. McShane, a Jesuit who is accused of sexually abusing a child in the 1950s while he was assigned to the St. Francis Mission in St. Francis, South Dakota. Fr. McShane is included on the USA Midwest Province Jesuits’ list as having at least one “established allegation of sexual abuse of a minor.” He was ordained in 1960 and was at St. Mary’s College in Kansas City, KS in 1961.
--Fr. Philip D. Kraus was a Jesuit who allegedly sexually abused a minor in the 1970s. Fr. Kraus was removed from ministry with minors in 1996 and was permanently removed from all ministry in 2003. Fr. Kraus has been named on the Jesuits’ Central and Southern Province’s list of “Jesuits With Credible Allegations of Sexual Abuse of a Minor.”
He was ordained in 1975 and also worked in St. Louis, Denver, California and at Rockhurst College in Kansas City, MO. His current whereabouts are unknown.
https://patch.com/colorado/denver/regis-hs-priests-sex-abuse-complaints-jesuits-release-list
http://www.snapnetwork.org/links_homepage/when_priest_accused.htm
3) SNAP also wants KC KS Archbishop Joseph Naumann to educate his flock about how to support accused abusive priests, if they must, in ways that don’t hinder law enforcement and hurt victims. The group is asking Naumann to distribute this leaflet to his parish:
http://www.snapnetwork.org/links_homepage/when_priest_accused.htm
(In January, SNAP discovered and disclosed these publicly accused clerics who were not, and still are not, on the Kansas archdiocesan ‘accused’ list: Fr. Anthony D. Palmese, Fr. Roger A. Sinclair, Fr. Eugene A. Maio, Fr. John C. (Fidelis) Forrester and Fr. Norman J. Rogge.)
http://www.snapnetwork.org/victims_blast_ks_archbishop_on_abuse_jan19
CONTACT
David Clohessy 314 566 9790, [email protected], Jim McConnell 816 741 9882 or 816 590 4752, [email protected], [email protected],Zach Hiner 517 974 9009, [email protected]
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