MI - Just-ousted priest was accused before
He allegedly sexually harassed someone 15 years ago
Victims’ group says archbishop breaks pledge of “openness”
And group wants archbishop to “come clean” about other predator priests
In sharply worded letter, SNAP blasts “recklessness, callousness and deceit”
For immediate release: Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013
For more information: David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP Director 314-566-9790 cell, [email protected], Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP Outreach Director 314-862-7688, [email protected]
A support group for clergy sex abuse victims is releasing a private archdiocesan memo showing that a Detroit priest who was ousted last week because of credible child sex abuse allegations was also accused of sexual harassment 15 years ago.
In a one page memo, dated September of 1997, a high ranking Detroit archdiocesan official writes to two colleagues that “we have lost the mediation process” arising from accusations that Fr. Louis Grandpre sexually harassed an individual. The memo indicates the mediator “recommended (a) settlement of about $160,000.00”
The memo is written to then-Bishop Kevin Britt and Msgr. John Zenz by then-auxiliary Bishop Bernard J. Harrington and carries this subject line: “Sexual Harassment Case/Fr. Lou Grandpre/St. Paul of Tarsus.”
Leaders of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, want Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron to “explain why this secret was kept from parishioners and the public” and “discipline the staffers who are responsible for this deceit.”
“Vigneron’s public relations team gave a list of Fr. Grandpre’s assignments and other details last week,” said David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP’s director. “So why did the church hierarchy keep silent about another accusation against Fr. Grandpre? And what other wrongdoing – by Fr. Grandpre and other priests – are Vigneron and his staff they keeping secret?”
SNAP is not disclosing how it obtained the memo but Clohessy is “extremely confident” it’s authentic.
“In clergy sex cases, bishops pledge ‘openness’ but practice secrecy,” said Barbara Dorris, SNAP’s outreach director. “As a result, they deliberately mislead parishioners and the public into thinking a cleric has only been accused once when in fact that’s rarely the case.”
Clohessy urged the archbishop to make Fr. Grandpre’s personnel records public and punish those responsible for what he called “the deceitful news release and website posting” about Fr. Grandpre.
“The official - and supposedly binding - US bishops’ abuse policy mandates transparency,” Clohessy said. “But when bishops break that promise, no one is ever disciplined. So others in the church continue to act deceptively.”
Clohessy cited a similar case disclosed just yesterday in Minnesota.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2013/09/clergy-abuse/
“If Vigneron wants people to believe he’s serious about stopping church abuse cover ups, he’s got to take action against those who wrote and approved these announcements that hid serious allegations against Fr. Grandpre 15 years ago,” said Dorris.
Church records show that from 1990-2008, Msgr. Zenz was the archdiocesan vicar general, a high-ranking post. He now pastors Holy Name parish in Birmingham MI (248-646-2244, [email protected]).
http://home.catholicweb.com/hnchurch/index.cfm/NewsItem?ID=35172
Bishop Harrington went on to head the Diocese of Winona and is now retired. Bishop Britt was named Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit in 1993, and promoted to Bishop of Grand Rapids in 2002. He died in 2004.
When he was suspended, Fr. Granpre was the retired pastor of St. Paul of Tarsus Parish in Clinton Township and also worked at Epiphany Parish in Detroit, St. Alphonsus Parish in Dearborn, St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish in Algonac in 1966, and at St. Ives Parish in Southfield and was part of the faculty at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit.
Fr. Grandpre was ordained in 1961 was named pastor at St. Paul of Tarsus in 1990 and retired in 2003.
http://www.macombdaily.com/general-news/20130918/ex-clinton-township-pastor-accused-in-sex-complaint
A copy of the 1997 memo is here: http://www.snapnetwork.org/to_bishop_kevin_britt_and_msgr_john_zenz
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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