Diocese of St Cloud Releases a List of Sex Offenders.

By Mike Bryant
Legal Examiner
January 4, 2014

http://stcloud.legalexaminer.com/property-owners-liability-slip-fall/diocese-of-st-cloud-releases-a-list-of-sex-offenders/

The Diocese of St Cloud has released a list of 33 names of priests that have been accused of sexual abuse. This list contains, the names, birthdates and year which each priest was ordained. It also provides information on whether the priest is still alive, all parishes they served within the Diocese of St Cloud, and their current status within the ministry. The Star Tribune reports that of these 33 names 21 of them are still living. While it is a step in the right direction, we still have a long way to go. As more of these lists begin to surface it will paint a better picture of where and when these offenses have taken place.

The Tribune also reported that there are questions about who isn’t on the list:

Victims’ advocates immediately questioned whether the list was complete, pointing out that it contains the name of only one member of the Crosier religious order, which ran a prep school in the town of Onamia in the diocese. In 2002, the Crosiers publicly identified eight members who have sexually abused minors, according to news reports.

“There’s more to this list,” said Bob Schwiderski, Minnesota director of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

(Update) Behind the Pine Curtain has added the following information:

At least one name is missing:

Rev. Angelo Zankl, OSB Rev. Angelo Zankl was recently named as a perpetrator by the Diocese of Duluth [ View ]. Zankl was assistant pastor in St. Joseph, Minnesota from 1940-1943. Rev. Killian Heid was lead priest at the time.

Several others should be considered for inclusion, including:

Rev. Jonathan Licari, OSB According to an October 22, 2013 email from Abbot John Klassen, “Fr. Jonathan voluntarily submitted to an evaluation by a qualified, highly-regarded therapist. This evaluation was thorough and covered all relevant issues.” The “evaluation” came after Fr. Jonathan Licari’s removal from the External Review Board in September of 2003, following an allegation of misconduct involving a minor. Rev. Licari served in Albany (MN) and is currently the headmaster at Saint John’s Prep School.

Rev. Mel Taylor, OSB An investigation into sexual misconduct by Rev. Mel Taylor began in October of 2012 [ View ]. In January of 2013, the abbey’s investigator claimed (following a phone conversation with Taylor’s victim) that the victim’s account was credible. Rev. Taylor served in Cold Spring, MN.

Rev. Dan Ward, OSB An investigation into sexual misconduct by Rev. Dan Ward began in October of 2012 [ View ]. In January of 2013, the abbey’s investigator claimed (following a phone conversation with three of Ward’s victims) that the victims’ accounts were credible. Rev. Dan Ward served in the Diocese of Saint Cloud in 1996 [ View ].

Others credibly accused… Here

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With the amount of time that has passed since some of these accusations have first been brought to attention, what other information has slipped through the cracks? What needs to happen now is fast action. Continuing to allow time to lapse on these cases means we risk losing vital information about them. The dioceses have been given too much freedom to cover their tracks. It’s no secret that they have been consistent in moving pieces to the puzzles around in order to avoid exposure. This should not be allowed to go on any longer. The survivors are who we should be concerned with and getting them the help they deserve, not protecting the offenders.

As the facts keep slowly coming out what we really need to focus on is not only revealing the truth but getting help to the survivors of these crimes. They all have a long road of recovery ahead of them and the more support as a society we can give them the better. The more pressure that is put on the Catholic Leaders to stop hiding vital information the better off these survivors will be.

The names are now disclosed, there are more lists that exist in Minnesota, and there are many more names to find.

Abuse of children and the continued silence by the offenders needs to be prevented. If you suffered, saw, or suspected such events, it is important to know that there is help out there.