PA - Sex Abuse Victims Seek Help From Bishop
An accused predator priest, who quit his job in Philadelphia last week also worked in Pittsburgh. Now, a support group for clergy sex abuse victims wants Pittsburgh Catholic officials to “aggressively seek out others who may have been hurt by him.”
He is Fr. Michael Ledoux, a priest of the Franciscan order who for the past nine years has been working in an administrative role at Widener University in Chester, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. Years before, Fr. Ledoux had been assigned to a parish in Derry, NH where he had been accused of abusing a young boy in the late 1980’s. The claim was found credible, a settlement was paid, and Fr. Ledoux’s supervisors pledged to keep him away from young people.
But until Philadelphia Inquirer raised questions about Fr. Ledoux last week, he was working as a Widener dean.
http://www.delconewsnetwork.com/articles/2013/01/07/news_of_delaware_county/news/doc50eaec000328a729024007.txt
Leaders of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, are asking Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik to seek out others who may have been hurt by Fr. Ledoux while he worked in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, and to do more than the “bare minimum.”
“Bishop Zubik has a duty to seek out those who have been hurt by this crediblyaccused priest,” said David Clohessy, SNAP Director. “So far, we’ve seen little if anything done by the Diocese of Pittsburgh to find more victims and help them heal, and this must change.”
SNAP recently learned that Fr. Ledoux also spent time working at a Pittsburgh area parish (St. Pamphilus, 948 Tropical Avenue, 412-531-8449), a Pittsburgh area school (Sierra Catholic High School in McKeesport. (412-751-2021) and Duquense University (412-396-6000).
According to his on-line profile, Fr. Ledoux “spent three years as an adjunct professor and online resource specialist for the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pa., where he earned a doctorate in educational leadership.”
SNAP is also calling on Zubik to use resources like the diocesan website to bring attention to the allegations against Fr. Ledoux.
“Bishop Zubik has many different options and resources available to him that can help him reach out the victims, such as pulpit announcements and parish bulletins,” said Clohessy. “There is no excuse for him to not use all of these resources in order to find and help other victims of sexual abuse.”
Fr. Ledoux is now reportedly living at a Franciscan facility in New York.
Fr. Ledoux’s victim was represented by Boston attorney Carmen Durso. (617-728-9123 or 800-287-9123, [email protected]).
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2013/01_02/2013_01_08_Toole_FormerDerry.htm
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2013/01_02/2013_01_14_DailyTimes_EditorialSuspected.htm
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
Showing 3 comments
Rembrent Weakland, another dysfunctional sex freak was also the archabbot at St. Vincent in Latrobe, PA. He recently visited Nowicki who is rumored to have had a sexual relationship with Weakland years ago.
Also Bernard Law would visit with Nowicki before the disgraced red hat was deported to Rome. One can only wonder if it was to remind Nowicki that LeDoux and Ghastin had been credibly accused of sexually abusing young boys.
For more information on Nowicki visit the following website:
http://www.misconductinlatrobe.com/did-archabbot-douglas-nowicki-offer-a-bribe-to-protect-cardinal-wuerl/
I did speak to Father Primo the new Provincial for the Franciscans up in New York and also Father Campagna in Ontario, who was the Provincial for both LeDoux and Ghastin when they were assigned in Pittsburgh.
By Mike Ference
I wouldn’t look to the Pittsburgh media or the Pittsburgh Diocese for any help when it comes to exposing Michael LeDoux for the sake of any other …victims of abuse. The Pittsburgh media and the district attorney’s office have always accommodated Bishop Zubik, Donald “The Lavender Don” and all Pittsburgh clerics when the need to cover-up crimes of clergy sex abuse would arise.
The case of Michael LeDoux may be a difficult one for them to shake my accusations. I first exposed Michael LeDoux on the Mckeesport Topix Internet site on November 19, 2012. I posted the email I sent to all the administrators and teachers at Serra Catholic High School: http://www.topix.com/forum/city/mckeesport-pa/TGRGUN8005Q57SRGI/p6
Here’s what we know so far. The Catholic Church worldwide has a reputation of covering up clergy sex abuse crimes against innocent children for centuries. The Catholic Church Hierarchy willingly placed additional children in harm’s way by recycling these pedophile priests in other parishes so they could repeat their crimes time and time again.
In the case of Michael LeDoux being assigned Headmaster at Serra Catholic High School in McKeesport, PA let’s take a look at the school’s history of scandals in following articles we’ll review the sordid history of McKeesport scandals – a town I would compare to Steubenville, Ohio most recently exposed for the alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl by two high school football players who may have transported the victim from crime scene to crime scene where she was repeatedly sexually assaulted.
Michael LeDoux was not the first cleric I exposed at Serra Catholic High School. In August of 2009 I wrote about Brother Kenneth Ghastin and the allegations of sexual abuse against two twin brothers. Sadly, one of the alleged victims of Ghastin would commit suicide shortly after the civil case was settled.
This is just one more reason why Serra Catholic High School, Duquesne University and the Pittsburgh Diocese must step forward and announce publicly the allegations against LeDoux and Ghastin.
I first wrote about Ghastin when I was a writer for the Examiner, and Internet reporting site. Here’s a link to my article: http://www.bishopaccountability.org/news2009/07_08/2009_08_13_Ference_DonaldWuerl.htm
Here are a few more reasons why the Pittsburgh Diocese has deliberately neglected to warn alleged victims of LeDoux and Ghastin.
Nicolas Cafardi, a canon lawyer with ties not only to the Pittsburgh Diocese, Duquesne University and The US Bishop’s Conference; might not want to share all that he knows about clergy sex abuse cases within the Pittsburgh Diocese, more on Cafardi at a later date.
Still another reason for a cover-up in the LeDoux and Ghastin cases, both Catholic priests could have and should have wreaked havoc on the case of 32 alleged sex abuse victims of Catholic priests in the Pittsburgh Diocese. The civil suit was a landmark judgment based on a civil suit involving Chris Mathews vs. Father John Wellinger.
Wellinger was a credibly accused pedophile from the Pittsburgh Diocese who I’ve written about extensively.
Again, with credible accusations involving Ghastin and LeDoux and the information passed on to me by former city of Clairton Public Safety Director William Scully in January of 1990 that John Wellinger may have sexually abused the 15-year-old Serra Catholic High School Student who tried to kill my son on December 5, 1989, a much different verdict may have been reached. Factor in that Scully also gave me information about Wellinger drugging and possibly assaulting a University of Pittsburgh student in 1987. I talked to Greg Witkowski the alleged victim of John Wellinger’s assault, he verified much of what Scully had told me or passed on to me in his written notes. Notes now over 24 years-old and notes that I still have in my procession.
Where’s an honest district attorney when you need one. I will continue to work with federal authorities and my citizen-driven investigative team to bring justice to the many victims of the Pittsburgh Diocese.
Much more to come including Father Daniel Valentine, a fixer for the Pittsburgh Diocese who just a few months ago found himself in quite a fix. I will continue to report on the many sexual abuse cases dating back years within the Pittsburg Diocese, likewise, I will continue to report on the cover-ups.
I coined the phrase “Synchronized Crime” to best describe the partnership between Allegheny County Government, the Pittsburgh Diocese, wealthy community donors to the Pittsburg Diocese, the Zappala Crime Family and many more who spend their time protecting pedophile priests instead of innocent children, God’s most precious commodities.
Here’s a link to an article outlining the cover-up of the of the civil case involving the 32 victims of alleged sexual abuse in the Pittsburgh Diocese:
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2009/05_06/2009_06_11_Ference_IsPennsylvania.htm