Ogdensburg Diocese Releases Names of Priests Implicated in Abuse
By Larry Robinson
The Diocese of Ogdensburg has released a statement and a list of priests implicated in the church’s sexual abuse scandal on the diocesan website. The posting comes following a Sunday statement from Bishop Terry R. LaValley promising to make the names public. “Diocesan Priests removed from ministry and those who were deceased or left ministry prior to a finding of reasonable grounds by the Diocesan Review Board and/or the Diocesan Bishop due to sexual misconduct with a minor or vulnerable adult,” the statement reads. Eight of the 28 priests on the list, John Fallon, Theodore Gillette, John Hunt, Liam O’Doherty, Robert Shurtleff, Clark White, David Wisniewski and Paul Worczak were named by a Minnesota-based law firm representing victims of child abuse in March. “The Diocese of Ogdensburg can be viewed as a microcosm of the national problem of priests sexually assaulting minors because the diocese fails to fully disclose its knowledge of sexually abusive priests,” the law firm’s report stated. During a news conference in March, Anderson & Associates attorney Mike Reck called on the diocese to make public the names of all priests who have been accused of abuse. “We hope the diocese will view this as being on the cusp of doing the right thing,” Mr. Reck said. “They have this information. They could disclose it and we hope they do.” However, in a statement, James Crowley, Chancellor and spokesman for the Diocese of Ogdensburg, said there will be no such list of priests published on behalf of his diocese. At the time, Crowley said the diocese was concerned with the privacy of victims and was urging them to come forward to participate in a Reconciliation and Compensation Program. Earlier in March, church officials in Ogdensburg had announced the formation of an independent two-person panel to determine whether financial compensation will be given to those alleging sexual abuse as children at the hands of Catholic clergy across the north country. The Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program was to determine whether compensation will be given to alleged sexual abuse victims in exchange for dropping current and future lawsuits against the diocese or the church. On Sunday, a letter from Bishop Terry LaValley was read at Mass to parishioners. “I am writing to address an important matter; the release of the names of priests removed from ministry according to the provisions of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” Bishop LaValley wrote. “In the past, we have declined to publicize the names of these individuals for many reasons, including due process questions. While there are strong arguments for releasing the names and strong arguments for not releasing the names, recent controversies in the Church make it necessary for us to now release the names.” In October, the Diocese of Ogdensburg announced that it has paid a total of $5.5 million in compensation to 37 victims through the church’s Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program. ¦ Fay Ager ¦ Joseph Conti (deceased) ¦ Joseph Degen (deceased) ¦ Robert Duford (deceased) ¦ John Fallon (deceased) ¦ Ronald Farchette ¦ Bruce Favreau ¦ Edward Franklin (deceased) ¦ Theodore Gillette (deceased) ¦ John Hunt (deceased) ¦ Edwin Kennedy (deceased) ¦ John Kennedy (deceased) ¦ Emile Lalonde (deceased) ¦ James Larche ¦ Roger Martin (deceased) ¦ Gerald McGrath (deceased) ¦ Roland Menard ¦ Liam O’Doherty ¦ Albert Plante (deceased) ¦ Gerald Sharland (deceased) ¦ Robert Shurtleff ¦ Thomas Squires ¦ George Tobin (deceased) ¦ Michael Toth ¦ Clark White ¦ John Wiley (deceased) ¦ David Wisniewski ¦ Paul Worczak
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