Many reports about priest preceded boy’s suicide, parents say
Local Catholic officials received numerous reports alleging inappropriate behavior by a priest before a 14-year-old boy took his life in 1983, a motion filed this week by the boy’s parents says.
But the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese failed to act on the reports about Monsignor Thomas O’Brien, the motion alleges, and Brian Teeman committed suicide after suffering repeated sexual abuse by the priest.
The motion, filed in Jackson County Circuit Court, is packed with excerpts from depositions of dozens of witnesses — including priests and nuns — and an affidavit from a former school board president at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary School, who said she complained about O’Brien to a former bishop, then resigned and pulled her son from the school in the 1980s because nothing was done about it.
Brian died of a gunshot wound to the head in November 1983 at the family’s home in Independence.
The motion is part of a wrongful-death lawsuit filed against the diocese and O’Brien by Don and Rosemary Teeman. The Teemans filed the suit in September 2011 after a man who had served as an altar boy with their son told them of the alleged abuse. The lawsuit says the diocese shares responsibility for Brian’s death because church officials knew that O’Brien was sexually abusing boys but covered it up.
“They had, by the time Brian Teeman committed suicide, received no less than 17 reports of serious danger to children by this priest but chose to hide that information and ignore its responsibility to report his illegal behavior to the authorities,” the motion says.
After Brian’s de...
To read the rest of the article: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/16/4240197/many-reports-about-priest-preceded.html#storylink=cpy
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.
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Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
Showing 5 comments
With no oversight, this is where unscrupulous bishops and cardinals skim money for their own personal pleasures.
Pew sheep may be the dumbest form of humans. So happy to give their money to dysfunctional sex freaks.
Thanks Kay.
Wellinger also sexually assaulted an 11-year-old altar boy in 1989, again while he was pastor at Holy Spirit Church. According to Bishop David Zubik, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, formerly bishop of the Pittsburgh Diocese, their records indicate that no one stepped forward until 1995 to complain about Wellinger’s dysfunctional sex behavior. My records indicate taht as early as 1987, the Pittsburgh Diocese was warned about Wellinger’s sexual shenanigans.
Who do you believe? Mike Ference or Zubik or Wuerl?