List Of Accused Clergy Includes Priests Who Served In Lemont

LEMONT, IL — A new list recently released by attorneys representing victims of sexual abuse by priests names roughly 400 accused priests — about twice as many as have been previously identified by Illinois' six Catholic dioceses. Called the Anderson Report, the document claims to "reveal the horrifying scale of priests sexually assaulting minors to the present day."

The list includes several priests from the area, including two who were assigned in Lemont at some point during their priesthoods. It also includes priests who were assigned to parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Diocese of Belleville, Diocese of Joliet, Diocese of Peoria, Diocese of Rockford and Diocese of Springfield, as well as religious clergy and lay persons accused of abuse.

Many of the priests named in the Anderson Report were previously identified in court cases, but some don't appear on dioceses' official lists. Diocese lists often do not include accusations against priests that were not substantiated or accusations made against priests that had died.

The report, from Jeff Anderson & Associates of St. Paul, Minnesota, claims "it is believed that the Dioceses in Illinois have not publicly made available the full histories and their knowledge of their sexually abusive agents and employees."

The information in the report comes from "publicly available sources, claims made by survivors to the dioceses and religious orders responsible for the offenders, and legal settlements made as a result of claims for child sexual abuse," according to the document. "While lawsuits were filed involving many of these alleged perpetrators, the vast majority of the claims against these individuals have been settled or have not been fully evaluated in a civil or criminal court" and "in most cases the allegations have not been proved or substantiated in a court of law."

The lists includes a synopsis of the allegations and timeline of where each priest served. The authors of the report note that most cases are allegations and have not necessarily been substantiated, and convictions are included.

The excerpt below shows when named priests served in the listed towns. It does not necessarily indicate that allegations stem from the time served at that church.

Priests who served in Lemont who were named on the list include:

Fr. John Edward Hefferan

2002-2003, St. Alphonsus

He was accused of sexually abusing a child from 1977 to 1978 in Northlake, but was allowed to remain in active ministry. Two more survivors came forward in 2002 and 2003, and reported abuse from 1964 to 1967 in Waukegan and in the 1960s in Flossmore. According to the Archdiocese, Hefferan was removed from public ministry in October 2003. Hefferan is included in the Archdiocese of Chicago’s list of “Archdiocesan Priests with Substantiated Allegations of Sexual Misconduct with Minors.” Hefferan died in 2018.

Fr. Richard L. Lause, C.M.

1978-1986, St. Vincent De Paul Seminary

A former seminarian filed a lawsuit in St. Louis against Lause and others. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff was brought to a seminary in Lemont, in 1985, where members of the Midwest Province of the Congregation of the Mission agreed to raise him. The plaintiff, at the time only 15 years old, wanted to become a priest and was transferred to a seminary in St. Louis, where he alleges he was sexually abused. The plaintiff alleges that while he was at the seminary, Lause took him under his wing and groomed him before the sexual abuse began. Lause was eventually removed from ministry and received therapy, but was allowed to return in 1989. The alleged victim sent another complaint in 2003, at which time Lause was placed on leave. The claim is believed to have been settled in 2005.

View the full Anderson Report here.

Patch Editor Shannon Antinori contributed to this report.