More than 20 Allegedly Abusive Priests were in Oregon

A Catholic religious order has released names of 50 credibly accused child molesting clerics and 21 of them worked or lived in Oregon. Now that same order must update their list to include full work histories and whereabouts of the accused.

Information quietly posted last Friday on the Oakland CA, based Franciscan website shows that twelve of these clerics were in Portland, eight were in Salem, four were in Tigard, and two were in Troutdale. 

For 13 of 17 years (1958-1975), at least one predatory cleric assigned to Ascension parish in Portland, and five of those years had two abusers working there simultaneously.

For 12 of 15 years (1955-1969), at least one credibly accused child molesting cleric worked at Serra Catholic High School in Salem.

Now, the Franciscans and Oregon’s bishops must do more to show that they are living up to their promise to be open and honest. Why, for example, do they decline to list the complete work-histories of these credibly accused priests, and especially when it comes to men like Gus Krumm, a particularly prolific abuser? Franciscan officials should remedy this situation immediately by including every parish each of these men worked at so that each community knows to look more deeply for survivors who may be suffering in silence in their midst.

A list of the accused clerics and their whereabouts are below:

Portland, OR

--Josef Prochnow, from 1993-1995

--Philip Colloty, at St. Clare’s from 1953-1957

--Berard Connolly, at Ascension from 1958-1964

--Joseph Mikulich, from 1962-1982

--Claude Riffel, at Ascension from 1968-1969

--Remy Rudin, at Ascension from 1972-1975

--Ramon Verela, at Ascension from 1972-1976

--John Bradley, at St. Clare’s from 1967-1974

--Francis Ford, at Ascension from 1960-1963

--Gus Krumm, from 1998-2002

--Gary Pacheco, at Ascension from 1974-1975

--Robert Peguero, from 1991-1992

Salem, OR

--Remy Rudin, from 1961-1972 (“residence”)

--Louis Wayne Ladenburger, from 1967-1968 (unspecified)

Serra Catholic High School, Salem, OR

--Melvin Bucher, from 1964-1968

--David (“Laurian”) Carrier (“Carriere”), from 1966-1967

--Adrian Furman (dates not available)

--Rayner Harrington, from 1968 – 1969

--Claude Riffel, from 1955-1958

--Charles (“Jude”) Ruetten, from 1959-1960

St. Anthony's, Tigard, OR

--Melvin Bucher, from 1968-1970 and 1988-1994

--Stephen Kain, from 1978 – 1982

--Rayner Harrington, from 1961 - 1967

--Conan Lee, from 1958-1962

St. Francis Seminary, Troutdale, OR

--Melvin Bucher, from 1963-1964

--Mario Cimmarrusti, from 1958 – 1965