Sex Abuse In Diocese Of Joliet Far More Extensive Than Reported: AG

JOLIET, IL — On Tuesday, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul released the names of 451 Catholic priests, religious brothers and clerics that Raoul says abused 1,997 children across all six dioceses in Illinois. A large section of the report focuses on the Diocese of Joliet, notably under the leadership of the late Bishop Joseph Imesch, and 17 priests who have been credibly accused of abuse.

The report addresses the diocese's practice of allowing extern priests — those who were ordained for one diocese but are working in another — to serve despite previous abuse accusations.

"The diocese also has a distressing history of allowing extern priests ... and religious order priests to minister in the diocese despite knowing that the priests have sexually abused children in the past," the Attorney General announced. "Some were even convicted of child sex abuse, yet the diocese welcomed them and allowed them to minister without protecting children from them.

"Prior to the Attorney General’s investigation, the diocese disclosed only one extern priest as a credibly accused abuser who ministered in the diocese, and zero religious order priests as such. Today, the diocese’s list contains 13 extern or religious order priests, but omits 4 such priests whom the diocese knows have been credibly accused of child sex abuse," Raoul's office revealed.

According to the AG's findings surrounding the Diocese of Joliet, "When these errors came to light years later, the diocese often rejected opportunities for transparency and healing, refusing to publicly list extern or religious order priests who had ministered in the diocese and had been convicted or otherwise substantiated as a child sex abuser.

"With but one exception, the diocese did not make such disclosures until 2019 in response to the Attorney General’s investigation. In some cases, clear evidence that an extern or religious order priest sexually abused a child was sitting in the diocese’s files, but it took Attorney General investigators pointing it out in order for the diocese to publicly disclose the priest."

The Attorney General's Office listed all extern or religious order priests for the Diocese of Joliet who are credibly accused of sexually abusing children and ministered in the diocese. The date listed is the date they were disclosed by Diocese of Joliet as being credibly accused:

• John Beatty, C.S.V., 2/9/2021
  • ILLINOIS ASSIGNMENTS
    • 1951-1954: Cathedral Boys' High School, Springfield, IL
    • 1955: Peoria, IL
    • 1961-1962: Saint Patrick Central High School n/k/a Bishop McNamara High School, Kankakee, IL
    • REPORTED SURVIVORS: At least 1
    • DATE/LOCATION OF REPORTED ABUSE: 1961-1962, Saint Patrick Central High School n/k/a Bishop McNamara High School, Kankakee, IL
• Gary Berthiaume, Diocese of Cleveland, 12/13/2019
  • ILLINOIS ASSIGNMENTS
    • 1988-1990: Cenacle Retreat House, Warrenville, IL
    • 1990-2002: Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, IL
    REPORTED SURVIVORS: 4
    • DATE/LOCATION OF REPORTED ABUSE: 1977, Our Lady of Sorrows, Farmington, MI
• Robert Boley, O.Carm., 1/20/2021
  • ILLINOIS ASSIGNMENTS
    • 1970-1971: Joliet Catholic High School, Joliet, IL
    • 1971-1972: Carmel High School n/k/a Carmel Catholic High School, Mundelein, IL
    • 1987-1989: Saint Clara-Saint Cyril, Chicago, IL
    • 2002-2006: Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Darien, IL
    REPORTED SURVIVORS: At least 1
    • DATE/LOCATION OF REPORTED ABUSE: Early 1980s, Los Angeles, CA
• John Burke, C.S.V., Not yet disclosed
  • ORDER: Viatorian, C.S.V.
    ILLINOIS ASSIGNMENTS
    • Not reported by archdiocese/diocese/religious order
    REPORTED SURVIVORS: At least 8
    • DATE/LOCATION OF REPORTED ABUSE:
      • 1973: Saint George, Bourbonnais, IL
        
      • 1980s: Saint George, Bourbonnais, IL
• Lawrence Dudink, S.V.D., Not yet disclosed
  • Divine Word Missionary, S.V.D.
    ILLINOIS ASSIGNMENTS
    • Not reported by archdiocese/diocese/religious order
    • REPORTED SURVIVORS: At least 1
    • DATE/LOCATION OF REPORTED ABUSE: Unknown
    • 1960: Pleaded guilty to abduction of minor in WI and sentenced to three years in prison

• William Graham, Diocese of Duluth, 12/13/2019
  • ILLINOIS ASSIGNMENTS
    • 2000-2005: Lewis University, Romeoville, IL
    REPORTED SURVIVORS: At least 1
    • DATE/LOCATION OF REPORTED ABUSE: 1977-1978, Cathedral High School, Duluth, MN
• Joseph Jablonski, M.S.C., 2/17/2021
  • ORDER: Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, M.S.C.
    ILLINOIS ASSIGNMENTS
    • 2011-2019: Faculties to minister in Diocese of Joliet, IL
    • Saint Therese of Jesus, Aurora, IL
    REPORTED SURVIVORS: 2
    • DATE/LOCATION OF REPORTED ABUSE:
      
      • 2014: San Bernardino, CA
      • 2015: Unknown
• James Janssen, Diocese of Davenport, 12/13/2019
  • ILLINOIS ASSIGNMENTS
    • 1957-1958: Saint Isaac Jogues, Hinsdale, IL
    REPORTED SURVIVORS: At least 36
    • DATE/LOCATION OF REPORTED ABUSE:
      
      • 1953: Iowa
      • 1953-1962: Unknown
      • 1956-1958: Saint Isaac Jogues, Hinsdale, IL
• John Knoernschild, O.Carm., 1/20/2021
  • ILLINOIS ASSIGNMENTS
    • 1970-1974: Joliet Catholic High School, Joliet, IL
    • 1996-1998: Mount Carmel High School, Chicago, IL
    • 2001-2004: Mount Carmel High School, Chicago, IL
    • 2008-2009: National Shrine of Saint Therese, Darien, IL
    REPORTED SURVIVORS: 2
    • DATE/LOCATION OF REPORTED ABUSE: 1977-1978, Crespi Carmelite High School, Encino, CA
• Kevin (Dennis Kevin) McBrien, O.Carm., 2/9/2021
  • ILLINOIS ASSIGNMENTS
    • 1973-1981: Joliet Catholic High School, Joliet, IL
    • 1978-1981: Saint Elias Priory, Joliet, IL
    • 2007-2008: Saint Thomas the Apostle, Chicago, IL
    • 2008-2010: Saint Matthew, Glendale Heights, IL
    REPORTED SURVIVORS: At least 1
    • DATE/LOCATION OF REPORTED ABUSE: 1977-1978, Joliet Catholic High School, Joliet, IL
• Joseph (Salvatore) Mika, O.F.M., Not yet disclosed
  • no information available
• Samuel Pusateri, Benedictine, O.S.B., 12/13/2019
  • ILLINOIS ASSIGNMENTS
    • 1980-1991: Saint Bede, Peru, IL
    • 1995-2004: Wheaton Franciscan Motherhouse, Wheaton, IL
  • REPORTED SURVIVORS: At least 1
    • DATE/LOCATION OF REPORTED ABUSE: 1989-1990, Saint Bede, Peru, IL
• James Rapp, Oblatae O.S.F.S., 12/13/2019
  • ILLINOIS ASSIGNMENTS
    • 1987-1990: Saint Raphael, Naperville, IL
  • REPORTED SURVIVORS: At least 7
    • DATE/LOCATION OF REPORTED ABUSE:
      • 1980s: Lumen Christi High School, Jackson, MI
      • 1992-1999: Duncan, OK
• Louis Rogge, O.Carm., 2/9/2021
  • ILLINOIS ASSIGNMENTS
    • 1957-1962: Joliet Catholic High School, Joliet, IL
    • 1970-1971: Joliet Catholic High School, Joliet, IL
    • 1976-1980: Saint Cyril Priory, Chicago, IL
    • 1980-1984: Brandsma House, Chicago, IL
    • 1992: Saint Simon Stock Priory, Darien, IL
    • 1994-2007: Saint Elias Friary, Joliet, IL
    • DATE/LOCATION OF REPORTED ABUSE
      • 1974: Athens, GA
      • 1997-1998: Bolingbrook, IL
• Jeffrey Salwach, O.F.M., Not yet disclosed
  • ILLINOIS ASSIGNMENTS
    • Not reported by archdiocese/diocese/religious order
    • REPORTED SURVIVORS: At least 1
    • DATE/LOCATION OF REPORTED ABUSE: 1978, Unknown
• Michael (Matthew) Sprouffske, O.Carm., 2/9/2021
  • ILLINOIS ASSIGNMENTS
    • 2002: Carmelite Carefree Village, Darien, IL
  • REPORTED SURVIVORS: At least 1
    • 1955-1959: Los Angeles, CA
• William Wert, O.Carm., 2/9/2021
  • ILLINOIS ASSIGNMENTS
    • 1987-1993: Joliet Catholic High School, Joliet, IL
    • 1999-2001: Saint Cyril Priory, Chicago, IL
    • 2001-2004: Saint Elias Priory, Joliet, IL
    REPORTED SURVIVORS: 2
  • DATE/LOCATION OF REPORTED ABUSE:
    • 2007: Washington, D.C.
    • 2010-2011: Venice, FL

The following statements are contained in Tuesday's report from the Attorney General:

"As much as the Diocese of Joliet wants to paint child sex abuse by clerics as a remedied problem of the past, its community is still suffering from wrongs committed during the tenure of Bishop Imesch. Imesch orchestrated systemic cover-up of child sex abuse and squandered the opportunity in 2002 to rise to the moment and reckon with his diocese’s history of child sex abuse by clerics."

"Bishop Imesch treated public outcry and pain during the post-2002 reckoning with the clerical child sex abuse crisis as affronts to him personally, deflected any blame onto mental health professionals, publicly defended known abusers, and had to be pushed by dogged advocates before he would enact changes."

"Facing backlash after his 2005 deposition testimony in a child sex abuse case was made public, Imesch apologized to his flock in a February 2006 letter for 'the pain and embarrassment you have experienced from the media reports,' but not for his decision-making. He did not take responsibility for enabling abusers and putting children in harm’s way—despite admitting to just that in his deposition—and instead placed the blame on psychologists and therapists."

"Under Imesch, the diocese covered up abuse committed by Joliet priests by shipping them off to new parishes without relaying their history of abuse. When these failures came to light in 2002 and its aftermath, Imesch caused further harm by casting blame on others and mistreating abuse survivors."

"The diocese’s current approach to abuse allegations against a religious order priest who ministered in the diocese are particularly opaque and ill formed. When allegations of abuse are made against such an order priest, the diocese does not investigate or present them to the review board, but rather forwards them to the priest’s order. The diocese will only add a religious order priest to its list of credibly accused child sex abusers if the order itself finds allegations credible and publicly discloses the priest."

"These problems came into stark relief in the case of Father Joseph (Salvatore) Mika, a Franciscan Friar of the Assumption B.V.M. Province who ministered in the Diocese of Joliet. According to documents produced to the diocese by the Franciscans, Mika admitted to the Franciscans that he sexually abused a child. Despite the confession of guilt, the diocese continues to refuse to disclose Mika as an abuser on its list because the Franciscans’ review board never formally considered his case and has not publicly disclosed him as credibly accused. Thus, the diocese knows of an admitted abuser who ministered within its boundaries, yet will not publicly acknowledge him as a substantiated child sex abuser."

On May 18, the Diocese of Joliet posted a long statement on its website in preparation for Tuesday's Attorney General's Office.

"Over the past four years, the Illinois dioceses have worked with the Office of the Illinois Attorney General to improve the transparency and effectiveness of their policies," part of the statement read. "Prompted by the Attorney General’s investigation, the dioceses have critically reviewed current policies and implemented certain recommended changes to their existing reporting to the public to further increase transparency."

On Tuesday, the SNAP Network also posted a lengthy statement on its website, reacting to the news from the Attorney General's Office.

"According to the report, a remarkable number of children in Illinois were actively put in danger and exposed to abusers by the named bishops. It enrages us that most of these men cannot be brought to justice due to archaic and predator-friendly statutes of limitations. So instead, we call for Illinoisans to join us in demanding public rebuke and recrimination.

"Any building that bears the name of any of these men, or the officials who enabled them, should be renamed. Any mention of them should not be done in an honorable way, but in a cautionary way that demonstrates the danger of arrogance and self-policing. Catholic schools across the state are named for many of these bishops. Instead of placards joyfully talking about their titles, they should be replaced with memorials to survivors and apologies for the cover-ups committed by their namesakes."

For more, you can review the entire list compiled by the Illinois Attorney General's Office of Abusive Clerics and Religious Brothers.

Related Patch coverage:

451 Sex Abuser Clergy ID'd By IL Attorney General Investigation: Raoul

Bishop Joseph Imesch and the Handling of Molester Priests

Pedophile Priest Alejandro Flores, Joliet Diocese Face Sex Abuse Suit

35 Joliet Area Priests Had 'Credible' Child Sex Abuse Allegations

Former Joliet Bishop Joseph Imesch Dies at Age 84