Accused priest worked in 11 Mid-Missouri towns
Accused priest worked in 11 mid-MO towns
Another cleric suspended for “sexual misconduct”
The high-ranking Catholic official was just promoted
He helped handle abuse allegations against his peers
SNAP: Bishop should warn his African colleagues about a 3rd cleric
WHAT
Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims will blast mid-Missouri Catholic officials for being vague about
- new sexual misconduct allegations against a high ranking priest, and
- the work histories of 35 credibly accused child molesting clerics.
They will also call on the Jeff City area’s bishop to warn his African colleagues about an accused priest who’s still working as a priest
WHEN
Monday, February 4 at 1:00 p.m.
WHERE
On the sidewalk outside St. Peter’s Catholic Church, 216 Broadway in Jefferson City
WHO
Two-three adults who were sexually abused as kids and belong to a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org) including a Marthasville MO woman who is the group’s midwest director
WHY
1) Last month, for the first time, Fr. Eric A. Schlachter (sometimes spelled "Shlachter) was publicly accused of sexual misconduct when his name appeared on the Jefferson City diocese’s list of clerics "credibly accused" of abuse or who have been removed from ministry. Bishop Shawn McKnight deemed Fr. Schlachter to be “unsuitable for ministry out of concern for the safety of our youth.”
https://diojeffcity.org/wp-content/uploads/Clergy_Religious_removed_11.8.2018.pdf
McKnight refused, however, to provide work histories on Fr. Schlachter or any of the 33 alleged predators.
But SNAP has learned that Fr. Schlachter worked in 11 churches in Missouri towns (St. Peter's in Jefferson City, St. Mary-Blessed Sacrament in Hannibal, SS. Peter and Paul in Boonville, St. Patrick's in Clarence, Holy Family in Hannibal, Most Pure Heart of Mary in Chamois, Assumption in Morrison, St. Joseph's in Pilot Grove, St. John the Baptist in Clear Creek, St. Mary's in Shelbina, St. Michael the Archangel in Kahoka and St. Martha's in Wayland). He may have worked in Springfield MO too.
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/assign/Schlachter_Eric_A_Directory_Entries.pdf
https://vladmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Sunrise-014.pdf
https://www.sta-cathedral.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/008100_1-22-17a-1.pdf
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news13/2012_05_07_Dioceseof_Childproof30_Joseph_Starmann_3.htm
The group suspects Fr. Schlachter may have molested kids in some of those places and feels that Catholic officials have a moral and civic duty to warn and alert parents, police, prosecutors, parishioners and the public about him.
Schlachter attended Kenrick Seminary and was initially a St. Louis archdiocesan cleric but later transferred to the Jefferson City diocese.
SNAP’s information comes from the Official Catholic Directory and BishopAccountability.org
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news13/2012_05_07_Dioceseof_Childproof30_Joseph_Starmann_3.htm
For the safety of kids and the healing of victims, SNAP is renewing its plea to McKnight to provide more details about the all accused clerics, especially their photos, whereabouts and work histories.
2) Two weeks ago, Fr. Mark Porterfield was put on leave and is “not allowed to function publicly as a priest” because of “an allegation of inappropriate behavior” that reportedly “does NOT involve a minor.” Apparently the only media that covered Fr. Porterfield’s suspension was the Jefferson City News Tribune.
Seven months ago, McKnight promoted Fr. Porterfield to be vice-chancellor, vicar for clergy, chief canonist and a member of the bishop’s cabinet, roles in which he’d “work in responding to allegations of sexual abuse.” SNAP finds this “a very worrisome potential ‘fox in the hen house’ kind of situation.” Fr. Porterfield has been the diocese’s judicial vicar since 2012
For the safety of others, SNAP wants McKnight to more aggressively call on other victims, witnesses or whistleblowers to come forward using parish bulletins, pulpit announcements and church websites.
http://www.stmartinjc.org/Bishop%20McKnight%20letter%201-11-2019.pdf
Since 2000, Fr. Porterfield has led these other parishes: Sacred Heat in Rich Fountain, St. Alexander in Belle, St. Thomas the Apostle in St. Thomas, St. Margaret of Antioch in Osage Bend, St. Cecilia in Meta and St. Martin in St. Martins.
He attended three schools in Missouri (in Linn, Hannibal and Conception) and one in Rome. In 1994, he was ordained in Frankenstein MO.
3) Last month, church officials disclosed that Fr. Deusdedit ("Deo") Mulokozi had been credibly accused of ‘boundary violations’ with a 15 year old girl and expelled from the diocese. But Fr. Deo’s current supervisors, a Kansas City religious order called the Missionaries of the Precious Blood (816 781 4344, preciousbloodkc.org), quietly moved him, first to Liberty MO, then to Houston TX, then to Tanzania where he’s working now around even more vulnerable kids, SNAP says.
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2018/11_12/2018_12_28_MartinezKeel_FormerSedalia.htm
Fr. Deusdedit worked at three parishes: St. John the Evangelist in Bahner, Sacred Heart in Sedalia and St. Patrick in Sedalia.
For the safety of kids, SNAP wants McKnight to publicly and privately warn secular and Catholic officials in Africa about Fr. Deo, especially because McKnight has pledged “to put the care of victims, their loved ones and their communities first and foremost."
CONTACT
Judy Jones 314 974 5003, [email protected], David Clohessy 314 566 9790, [email protected]
