Victims blast Madison bishop

Victims blast Madison bishop

SNAP: “He’s endangering kids”

Name some predators are NOW, group insists

“Delays put children in harm’s way,” victims say

They ‘out’ 4 credibly accused clerics in Madison area

Those alleged molesters ‘are still under the radar today’

SNAP begs those who “saw, suspected or suffered abuse” to speak up

It specifically urges victims, witnesses & whistleblowers to call law enforcement

WHAT

Using chalk, clergy sex abuse victims will write names of four credibly accused predator priests on the sidewalk. They have been criminally convicted or deemed “credibly accused” abusers by Catholic officials elsewhere but have attracted virtually no attention in the Madison area.

Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, they will also prod local Catholic officials to

--stop hiding names of predator priests,

--post some predators’ name NOW & add _­­more later,

--provide their photos, whereabouts and work histories on all of them, and

--include abusive nuns, seminarians, monks, brothers and teachers.

The victims will also

--urge those who “saw suspected or suffered” abuse to “call police and get help” and

--blast the Madison church hierarchy for their secrecy about abuse and cover ups.

WHEN

Friday, Sept. 13 at 1:00 p.m.

WHERE

On the sidewalk outside the Madison Catholic diocese HQ/’chancery office’, 702 South High Point Road (corner of Watts) in Madison

WHO

Two-three abuse victims who belong to a support group called SNAP (the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) including the organization's former long time executive director, who is a victim himself and whose brother is a predator priest

WHY

---1) Over the past 17 years, most Catholic bishops have released lists of ‘credibly accused’ child molesting clerics in their dioceses. Madison Bishop Donald J. Hying has not done so.

Every day Catholic officials keep hiding the identity of a known or suspected child molester, kids are at risk, SNAP says. “Slowly looking at church records and disclosing names of potentially dangerous men in one fell swoop benefits the bishop but endangers the flock,” SNAP charges. “It’s comfortable and convenient and smart public relations for Catholic officials, but it’s reckless and callous for families, kids and victims.”

In June, Bishop Hying finally agreed to have lawyers ‘review’ his files to supposedly produce a ‘credibly accused’ list. But SNAP has discovered and is disclosing the identities of four credibly accused predator priests who are/were in Madison but have attracted little or no public attention here. They are:

--Fr. Jesus P. Garza, who is included in the Chicago archdiocese’s list of priests with “substantiated allegations of sexual misconduct with minors.” As of 2018, he is believed to be living in Kenosha WI. In 1996, he was at Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart in Madison.

In 1983, Fr. Garza was reported to church officials by a mom who was concerned about his interactions with her son. However, he remained active in the priesthood until his resignation in 2000. In 2005, an internal investigation by the Chicago archdiocese found that Fr. Garza had sexually abused a child multiple times throughout 1984.

https://www.andersonadvocates.com/Documents/posts/Child%20Sexual%20Abuse%20in%20the%20Archdiocese%20and%20dioceses%20in%20Illinois.pdf

--Fr. Charles A. Saalfeld, who was included last year on a list of ‘credibly accused’ abusers put out by the San Jose California diocese. In 2012, he was exposed as an accused molester in court in Alaska.

Fr. Saalfeld is a Jesuit who studied at the University of Wisconsin (and other schools) and worked mostly as a teacher in California, Washington, Alaska and Madison (St. Joseph’s parish from 1956-1957).

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/diocesan_lists/San_Jose/2019_04_05_San_Jose_Disclosure_List_Updated_UpdateR2.pdf

http://www.bishopaccountability.org/assign/Saalfeld_Charles_A_sj.htm

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news5/2009_12_21_Kettler_ThirdAmendedReorganizationPlan/Fairbanks_3_Ex_C_and_03_searchable.pdf

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news13/1999_12_15_NorthCountry_DiocesanAnnouncements.pdf

--Fr. Philip C. Keyes, who as convicted of first degree sexual assault of a ten year old boy and was sentenced to a year in jail in 1993. He worked in five Wisconsin towns (Oregon, Evansville, Jefferson, Mukwonago and Madison (at a chapel for the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1958-1963).

He had originally been part of Madison Diocese but left in 1976 and became a priest in an independent church for Catholics.

1994, Fr. Keyes was sued afor abuse and the case settled that same year (with both Fr. Keyes and his church supervisors paying some). He died in 1998. http://www.bishopaccountability.org/assign/Keyes_Philip_C.htm

--Fr. Oswald G. Krusing, whose name appeared on a list released by the Milwaukee archdiocese in 2004 of 43 priests who were fully restricted from ministry (or would have been if they were alive) because of credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors against them. He worked or lived in Rhode Island and at least 16 Wisconsin towns (Sun Prairie, Monroe, Milwaukee, Waukesha, Kenosha, Clyman, Lyons, New Coeln, Washburn, New Berlin, St. Francis, Racine, Elm Grove, West Allis, Greenfield and Madison (at Holy Redeemer Parish in the 1930s). He died in 1995.

http://www.bishopaccountability.org/assign/Krusing_Oswald_G.htm

https://www.andersonadvocates.com/Documents/timelines/Krusing.pdf

--2) Using parish bulletins, church websites and pulpit announcements, SNAP says Bishop ­­­­Hying should “aggressively seek out others who may have seen, suspected or suffered” crimes by these clerics,” share that information with law enforcement and offer help to the wounded.” Instead, he will likely do what other bishops do, SNAP predicts: passively sit back, saying and doing little until pressured to act by police, prosecutors, lawmakers or lawsuits.

“Hying has a chance to chart a new course or continue the hurtful and self-destructive inaction of the present and the past,” SNAP says. “We hope he’ll find the courage to chart a new course.”

BACKGROUND

Years ago, some names of Madison diocesan clerics were deemed ‘credibly accused’ abusers. They include: Archie H. Adams, Curtiss Alvarez, J. (Joseph) Gibbs Clauder, Kenneth Klubertanz, Michael G. Trainor, Lawrence M. Trainor, Gerald P. Vosen, and John Eberhardy,” according to one news account a week ago. 

But according to an independent, on-line archive called BishopAccountability.org, there are at least four other publicly accused Madison diocesan child molesting clerics NOT on the Madison dioese’s list. They are: Peter Claver Arnoue, Robert DeCock, Jude Clarence Francis Hahn and William A. Nolan, who’s in trial now. (These are in addition to SNAP’s four names.)

Info on all of them – and photos of some - can be found at BishopAccountability.org

Wisconsin has five Catholic dioceses; two have released accused priests lists (Green Bay and Milwaukee) and three (Superior, LaCrosse and Madison) have not.

Additional information about them can be found at AndersonAdvocates.com and SNAPnetwork.org

CONTACT

David Clohessy 314 566 9790, [email protected], Zach Hiner 517 974 9009, [email protected], Pat Clohessy 715 409 0963