Locally-based Catholic group names 19 predator priests
Locally-based Catholic group names 19 predator priests
Sixteen of them are ‘outed’ as abusers for the first time here
Thirteen of them are/were in St. Louis, Kansas City & southern MO
Four credibly accused abusers – or more - are missing, SNAP says
One died as recently as 2014 & and least one molested in the 2000s
A St. Louis-based Catholic religious order has released a list of 19 clerics it admits face ‘credible’ or ‘substantiated’ allegations of ‘sexual misconduct.’
https://www.vincentian.org/about-us/environment/#1591731119882-a917f71c-b989
At least ten of them are/were in the St. Louis archdiocese (at ten locations), six are/were in the Kansas City diocese and five are/were in the Springfield/Cape Girardeau diocese.
https://www.vincentian.org/about-us/environment/#1591731138979-745af8a2-99d6
Four of the child molesting clerics are/were in BOTH St. Louis and Kansas City. Five of them are/were in BOTH St. Louis and Springfield/Cape.
Vincentians claim that at least two of the offenders (Coury and Lause) now live “under supervision,” at a facility SNAP believes is in south St. Louis County 314 729 3700).
https://www.snapnetwork.org/snap_statements/2006_statements/062006_priest_pleads_guilty.htm
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2007/04/30/daily64.html
At least one of the offenders molested in the 2000s and one died as recently as 2014.
One was sent to a ‘residential treatment center’ in St. Louis, because of abuse SNAP suspects, and then re-assigned to ministry in Kenya, then to southern Missouri.
“We strongly suspect that the Vincentians are still putting kids at risk by keeping names and other crucial details about these predators hidden,” said David Clohessy of SNAP. “And we’re shocked that Vincentians have known about so many of these abuse reports for years but have only now finally disclosed them.”
John Joseph Casey
DePaul Hospital, St. Louis
Stanley Conner
St. Catherine Laboure Parish, St. Louis
Philip Coury
St. Louis Prep Seminary, St. Louis
St. John Seminary, Kansas City
Warren Discon
St. Vincent Church, St. Louis
St. Vincent Church, Kansas City
St. Louis Prep Seminary, St. Louis
John V. “Jack” Farris
St. Louis Prep Seminary, St. Louis
St. Vincent Church, St. Louis
St. Mary Seminary, Perryville
Christ the Savior Church, Brewer
St. Gabriel Church, St. Louis
(NOTE: Farris also worked at the Evangelization Center in Cape Girardeau, according to a southern Missouri newspaper.)
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news5/2019_01_17_Bliss_Abuse_Survivors.htm
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2013/09_10/2013_09_20_Priddy_PriestsAccused.htm
Richard Lause
St. Louis Prep Seminary, St. Louis
St. Catherine Laboure Church, St. Louis
St. Vincent Church, Cape Girardeau
J Dennis Martin
St. John Seminary, Kansas City
St. Mary Seminary, Perryville
St. Vincent Church, Perryville
Louis Meteye
St. John Seminary, Kansas City
SSt. Vincent HS Seminary, Cape Girardeau
Francis Murphy
St. John Seminary, Kansas City
Prep Seminary, St. Louis
Cardinal Glennon Seminary, St. Louis
Thomas O’Hern
Participated in residential program in St. Louis, Nov. 1991-Mar. 1992; returned to ministry
St. Vincent Seminary, Cape Girardeau
Thomas Parrott
St. John Seminary, Kansas City
St. Vincent HS Seminary, Cape Girardeau
Daniel Schulte
St. Vincent Parish, Cape Girardeau
St. Vincent Parish, Perryville
James Steinbach
Community farm, Perryville
St. Vincent Parish, Perryville
As best SNAP can tell, only Parrott, Farris and Lause had been ‘outed’ in news accounts in Missouri previously.
http://www.bishopaccountability.org/assign/Parrott_Thomas_cm.htm
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2013/09_10/2013_09_20_Priddy_PriestsAccused.htm
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2005_01_06/2005_02_14_Suhr_StLouis.htm
At least two credibly accused Vincentians who spent time in Missouri should be on the list but are not, SNAP says. They are:
---Fr. James Lawbaugh, who worked at St. Vincent's in Kansas City. He is on the Kansas City diocese’s list of clergy “involved in settlements without legal proceedings’ determination nor (church review board) assessment.”
http://www.bishopaccountability.org/assign/Lawbaugh_James_cm.htm
---Fr. John (Jon) Edward Ruhl, who worked St. Mary's Seminary in Perryville and St. Vincent's College in Cape Girardeau.
Both Farris and Ruhl were originally ‘outed’ as predators in 2004 by the Los Angeles archdiocese, where they also worked. Both are on that archdiocese’s list of accused’ abusive clerics who have been sued.
And both are on the Springfield-Cape diocese’s list of clergy who worked there but were reported as having abused elsewhere.
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/ca_la/LA_Times_Assignments_2.htm#Ruhl
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2013/09_10/2013_09_20_Priddy_PriestsAccused.htm
“We’d love to hear how the Vincentians explain these omissions,” said SNAP executive director Zach Hiner. “An archdiocese that’s the largest in the US, and headed by the president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, deems these two men as credibly accused and lists them on their website. So are the Vincentians saying Los Angeles church officials are somehow wrong here?.”
Of the 19, only one was charged and convicted but he apparently never spent time in Missouri. Besides Missouri, the credibly accused clerics also worked in California, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana and Illinois.
The list was apparently posted in June on the Vincentian website but no news releases were sent or published, no news conference was held and there’s been no media coverage of the names, as best SNAP can tell.
https://www.vincentian.org/about-us/environment/#1591729357116-b82a862e-6393
The Vincentians currently have about 150 priests and brothers in the US and Kenya. More than 60 retired Vincentian priest and brothers live at a church facility in Perryville.
https://www.vincentian.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/VN_2019_Fall_Province_Report.pdf
https://www.vincentian.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/VN-June-Newsletter.pdf
The Vincentians, formally called the Congregation of the Mission, are headquartered in Earth City. They are headed by Fr. Pat McDevitt who worked in Cape Girardeau and went to Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis. His predecessor was Fr. Raymond Van Dorpe. (McDevitt’s assistant is Pamela Grivett, 314 344 1184).
Other clerics in leadership positions include Fr. Joseph Namanda, Fr. James Osendorf, Fr. Richard Wehrmeyer, Fr. Jeremy Dixon and Fr. Derek Swanson.
http://www.bishopaccountability.org/assign/Lawbaugh_James_cm.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
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