Oblates Settle Abuse Claims, by Sean O'sullivan and Beth Miller, News Journal , August 5, 2011

Oblates Settle Abuse Claims

By Sean O'Sullivan and Beth Miller
News Journal
August 5, 2011

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20110805/NEWS/108050360/Oblates-settle-abuse-claims?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Home|s

[Note: Below the article, the assignment records released for the 12 accused priests are provided:

The Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, the Catholic religious order that runs Salesianum School, on Thursday reached a $24.8 million settlement with survivors of sexual abuse by its priests.

As part of the settlement, the order released a list naming those 12 priests for the first time.

The settlement resolves 39 lawsuits against the Oblates, who were not part of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington's $77.4 million settlement with 154 survivors, a plan confirmed last week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

The suits were filed under Delaware's 2007 Child Victims Act, which gave survivors of child sexual abuse two years to file suit even if their cases would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations. That two-year window ended in 2009, and the diocese filed for Chapter 11 protection a few months later.

Most of the Oblates' settlement money -- $23.5 million -- will be paid into the trust fund for survivors set up during the diocese's bankruptcy proceedings, boosting it past $100 million.

Thirty-seven of the 39 survivors covered in the Oblates' agreement and all survivors included in the diocese settlement will receive payment from that fund according to a formula crafted by a committee of abuse survivors. The other two in Thursday's settlement, who sued the Oblates and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, will receive payment of $1.27 million from the Oblates, attorneys said.

As part of the settlement, the Oblates also released the names of 12 priests against whom there were admitted or otherwise substantiated allegations of sexual abuse. All served at Salesianum at least once during their ministries, but their assignments included schools and parishes in Delaware City, Philadelphia and other Pennsylvania towns, New York, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Uruguay, Ecuador and Mexico.

Bishop Michael Saltarelli had released a list of diocesan priests who had similar allegations against them in 2006. The Oblates had refused to release such a list until Thursday, though the names of their accused were revealed as lawsuits were filed.

The Very Rev. James J. Greenfield, provincial of the Oblates, announced the settlement with a video on YouTube and released a statement apologizing "for anything that an Oblate has done to violate a trust or harm a person."

"While I am pleased that these suits are settled, I recognize that to achieve our mission of healing and reconciliation, there is more work to be done," he said.

Greenfield said insurance policies will cover more than half of the Oblates' payments. The rest will come from Oblate funds.

"It's the price that we're paying for what we've learned over these past few years in this litigation," he said.

Attorney Bart Dalton, part of the team that represented 23 of the plaintiffs, said he was glad they were able to reach a resolution.

"None of this happens without the courage of the survivors," he said.

Dalton credited Delaware legislators for passing the Child Victims Act and the Oblates for "doing the right thing here." Terms of the settlement also include non-monetary requirements designed to prevent future abuse -- with survivors addressing candidates for the priesthood, appointment of an independent Child Protection Consultant, release of priests' records, formal apologies and other public acknowledgements.

"We can say that children in all of these [Oblate] schools will be safer because of it, that is very important to our clients," Dalton said.

Wilmington attorney Thomas Neuberger, whose firm represented 13 of the plaintiffs, was less satisfied, saying the protective measures apply only to Oblates in the Wilmington/Philadelphia province.

"I took half a loaf," Neuberger said. "The worldwide Oblates do not think enough about the safety of your children to adopt rigid policies to protect them, outside Delaware and Pennsylvania."

Oblates attorney Mark Reardon said the protective provisions will apply "wherever members of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales are in ministry."

Most of the Oblates on the list have died. Four are still alive, but are now removed from ministry. Two live in Washington, D.C., two at the Oblates' retirement facility in Childs, Md. Greenfield said the four are closely monitored.

But Neuberger noted that one of the Oblates was transferred from Maryland to India to work with children in an orphanage after allegations were made public.

"We haven't protected children in India," Neuberger said. Still, he said, the Wilmington/Philadelphia province includes about half of the order's 440 priests. "So, better to save some kids than none," he said.

Greenfield said the Oblates are "fully accredited" by the Praesidium, a Texas-based independent consultant in abuse risk management, whose standards include background screening.

"We are committed to the restoration of trust," he said.

Contact Sean O'Sullivan at 324-2777 or sosullivan@delawareonline.com

Contact Beth Miller at 324-2784 or bmiller@delawareonline.com

THE 12 PRIESTS

[Note from BishopAccountability.org: For assignments outside the Wilmington diocese, we have noted in purple the diocese where the assignment occurred. These notes are in square brackets. We have also spot-checked the assignments, and we have noted in square brackets additional information and apparent discrepancies between the assignments as listed and the Official Catholic Directory.

In addition to their assignments in the Wilmington diocese, all of the clerics on this list worked for significant periods in other dioceses. Assignments in 17 other dioceses are included on the list. Those dioceses are: Allentown PA, Arlington VA, Boston MA, Buffalo NY, Charlotte NC, Erie PA, Harrisburg PA, Lansing MI, New York NY, Palm Beach FL, Philadelphia PA, Raleigh NC, Richmond VA, Toledo OH, Trenton NJ, Venice FL, and Washington DC. One cleric, Rev. Harold J. McGovern OSFS, also worked in Uruguay, Mexico, and Ecuador.]

The Oblates of St. Francis de Sales released a list of 12 priests against whom they had received admitted or substantiated allegations of clergy sexual abuse. They are, with their assignments:

Robert Drelich

1979 Perpetual profession

1976 Salesianum School, Wilmington

1980 Villa Maria Retreat Center, Wernersville, Pa. [Allentown PA diocese]

1982 St. Francis de Sales Parish, Robesonia, Pa. [Allentown PA diocese]

1985 Nazareth Academy High School, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1994 St. Joachim Parish, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1996 Villa de Sales, Wyndmoor, Pa. [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

2010 Removed from ministry

Resides: De Sales Centre, Childs, Md.

Richard N. Grant (deceased)

1968 Ordained

1960 Novitiate, Childs, Md.

1961 Salesianum School, Wilmington

1962 Father Judge High School, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1963 De Chantal Hall, Lewiston, N.Y. [Buffalo NY diocese]

1964 De Sales Hall, Hyattsville, Md. [Washington DC archdiocese]

1969 Bishop Ireton High School, Alexandria, Va. [Richmond VA diocese]

1979 Salesianum School, Wilmington 1979

1992 St. Sebastian Parish, Sebastian, Fla. [Palm Beach FL diocese]

1993 Died

John X. Harvey (deceased)

1957 Ordained

1966 Villa Maria Retreat House, Wernersville, Pa. [Allentown PA diocese]

1966 Father Judge High School, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1968 St. Paul's Parish, Delaware City

1969 Salesianum School, Wilmington

1970 Villa Maria Retreat House, Wernersville, Pa. [Allentown PA diocese]

1971 Northeast Catholic High School, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1971 Died

John Heckle (deceased)

1944 Ordained

1935 Novitiate, Childs, Md.

1936 De Sales Hall, Washington, D.C. [Washington DC archdiocese]

1940 Northeast Catholic High School, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1942 De Sales Hall, Washington, D.C. [Washington DC archdiocese]

1945 Salesianum School, Wilmington

1950 De Chantal Hall, Lewiston, N.Y. [Buffalo NY diocese]

1959 St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Wilmington

1961 Salesianum School, Wilmington

1969 Provincial residence of the Wilmington/Philadelphia province, Wilmington

1975 Salesianum School, Wilmington

1993 Retired

2002 Died

Harold Hermley (deceased)

1957 Ordained

1949 Northeast Catholic High School, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1950, 1952, 1953 Camp de Sales, Brooklyn, Mich. [Lansing MI diocese]

1957 Father Judge High School, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1964 Bishop Ireton High School, Alexandria, Va. [Richmond VA diocese]

1966 Salesianum School, Wilmington

1972 Northeast Catholic High School, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1976 St. Theresa Parish, Tuckerton, N.J. [Trenton NJ diocese]

1982 Father Judge Community, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1983 Died

Robert J. Hermley (deceased)

1955 Ordained

1946 Catholic University, Washington, D.C. [Washington DC archdiocese]

1948 North Catholic High School, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1950 Catholic University, Washington, D.C. [Washington DC archdiocese]

1955 De Sales Hall, Washington, D.C. [Washington DC archdiocese]

1956 St. Francis de Sales, Toledo, OH [Toledo OH diocese]

1966 Father Judge High School, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1978 Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Seaside Heights, N.J. [Trenton NJ diocese]

1980 Padua Academy, Wilmington

1982 Our Lady of Good Counsel, Vienna, Va. [Arlington VA diocese]

1991 St. Mary's Parish, Fredericksburg, Va. [Arlington VA diocese]

1992 Seton Home Study (chaplain) [Arlington VA diocese]

2001 Little Sisters of the Poor, Newark [DE]

2003 Retired

2009 Died

Dennis W. Killion

1980 Ordained

1980 Salesianum School

1986 Archbishop Wood High School, Warminster, Pa. [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1990 Bishop Ireton High School, Alexandria, Va. [Richmond VA diocese]

1991 Father Judge High School, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

2006 Bishop Verot High School, Fort Myers, Fla. [Venice FL diocese]

2008 Removed from ministry

Resides at De Sales Hall, Washington, D.C. [Washington DC archdiocese]

Jack McDevitt (deceased)

1966 Ordained

1967 Salesianum School, Wilmington

1968 Northeast Catholic High School, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1980 Bishop McDevitt High School, Harrisburg, Pa. [Harrisburg PA diocese]

1982 Salesianum School, Wilmington

1989 Father Judge High School, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1994 Retired to De Sales Centre, Childs, Md.

1999 Died

Harold J. McGovern

1970 Ordained

1959 Novitiate, Childs, Md.

1961 De Sales Hall, Washington, D.C. [Washington DC archdiocese]

1962 Salesianum School, Wilmington

1964 North Catholic High School, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1967 De Sales Hall, Washington, D.C. [Washington DC archdiocese]

1971 Holy Infant Parish, Durham, N.C. [Raleigh NC diocese]

1972 Father Judge High School, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1979 Bishop McGuiness High School, Winston-Salem, N.C. [Charlotte NC diocese]

1980 Holy Cross Parish, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1988 Mission Training Program, Uruguay and Mexico

1990 Holy Child Parish, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

2001 St. Mary and Edward Parish, Roxboro, N.C. [Raleigh NC diocese]

2006 Missions in Ecuador

2008 Removed from ministry

Resides at De Sales Hall, Washington, D.C. [Washington DC archdiocese]

Francis L. Norris (deceased)

1956 Ordained

1956 Father Judge High School, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1957 De Sales Catholic High School, Lockport N.Y. [Buffalo NY diocese]

1960 Salesianum School, Wilmington

1968 Father Judge High School, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1977 Salesianum School, Wilmington

1985 Died

James W. O'Neill

1967 Ordained

1959 Bishop Duffy High School, Niagara Falls, N.Y. [Buffalo NY diocese]

1968 Bishop Ireton High School, Alexandria, Va. [Richmond VA diocese]

1973 Salesianum School, Wilmington

1986 Archbishop Wood High School, Warminster, Pa. [principal] [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1990 Weston School of Theology, Cambridge, Mass. [Boston MA archdiocese]

1991 St. Paul the Apostle Parish, Greensboro, N.C. [Charlotte NC diocese]

2003 Removed from ministry

Resides at De Sales Centre, Childs, Md.

Henry [A.] Paul (deceased)

1941 Ordained

1941 Northeast Catholic High School, Philadelphia  [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1942 Salesianum School, Wilmington

1946 Cathedral Prep, Erie, Pa. [1948 OCD lists Paul here, not Gannon College] [Erie PA diocese]

1947 Gannon College, Erie, Pa. [Erie PA diocese]

1949 Bishop Duffy High School, Niagara Falls, N.Y. [Buffalo NY diocese]

1952 Archbishop Stepinac High School, White Plains, N.Y. [New York NY archdiocese]

1955 Salesianum School, Wilmington

1961 LaSalle College, Philadelphia  [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1959 Blessed Sacrament College, Cornwells Heights, Pa.  [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

[The 1960 and 1961 OCDs index and list Paul at the Salesianum in Wilmington.]

1965 Allentown College, Center Valley, Pa. [Allentown PA diocese]

1965 Alvernia College, Reading, Pa. [Allentown PA diocese]

1970 St. Charles Seminary, Overbrook, Pa. [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

[The 1971-1978 OCDs continue to index and list Paul at Allentown College, not St. Charles Seminary. He is the Registrar at Allentown College, and the Director of Admissions through the 1976 OCD.]

1979 Sacred Heart Parish, [New] Philadelphia [Allentown PA diocese]

1979 St. Joachim Parish, Philadelphia [Philadelphia PA archdiocese]

1982 Died