33 Priests Who Worked in Dupage County Accused of Child Sexual Abuse

By Sherri Dauskurdas
Suburban Life
March 20, 2019

https://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2019/03/20/33-priests-who-worked-in-dupage-county-accused-of-child-sexual-abuse/a8ijhm4/?fbclid=IwAR31q1thy25DQN1wOWcJXeEh6u18cIC3X1Z__-SgUnUQ-NGVefESBqPHdKY

Three hundred ninety-five Catholic members of clergy, publicly accused of childhood sexual abuse, have been named this week in a report that highlights their Illinois service histories, allegations of abuse, history of their subsequent transfers and any disciplinary action taken by both church and authorities.

A Bannockburn-based law firm specializing in cases involving clergy abuse released the list March 20. Within it are the names and photos of the nearly 400 members of clergy who have been publicly accused in the State of Illinois of abusing one or more children. All were either accused in a public forum or a settlement was reached between the church and the victims/families, according to representatives from the firm of Jeff Anderson & Associates.

Names, photos and locations where clergy served through the years of their duties all are included in the report. They are associated or were associated with the Diocese of Chicago, Joliet, Belleville, Peoria, Springfield and Rockford.

The Diocese of Joliet listing includes 43 alleged child abusers, 33 of whom worked for periods of time in DuPage County churches and schools.

Among them are:

Fr. John F. Barret, who served 1960-2011 at St. Peter and Paul in Naperville, Notre Dame in Clarendon Hills, St. Alexander in Villa Park, and Mary Queen of Heaven in Elmhurst.

Fr. Richard L. Bennett who served from 1976-1986 at St. Pius X in Lombard, St. Raphael in Naperville, St. Mary in Downers Grove, Catholic Community of Wheatland, and Holy Spirit Catholic Community Church in Naperville

Fr. Gary D. Berthiaume (Berthiame) who served Congregation of our Lady of the Retreat in Warrenville from 1991-96, and at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove in 1991

Fr. Andrew L. Buczyna who served at St. Joseph Church in Downers Grove from 1988-92 and at Holy Trinity in Westmont from 1993-97

Fr. James Burnett who served at St. Charles Borremeo in Bensenville from 1969-74 and Sts. Peter and Paul in Naperville from 1990-2002

Fr. Thomas Corbino who served at Immaculate Conception, Elmhurst from 1973-83, St. Irene Church in Warrenville from 1988-1999 and St. Pius X in Lombard from 2009-2012

Fr. Phillip Dedera who served from 1972-1985 at St. Andrew in Romeoville, St. Pius X in Lombard, Visitation in Elmhurst, St. Walter in Roselle and St. Scholastica in Woodridge; and at Edward Hospital and St. Thomas the Apostle from 1998-2002

Fr. Arno Dennerlien who served at Notre Dame in Clarendon Hills in 1970-71, St. John the Baptist in Winfield from 1977-78, and Sacred Heart in Lombard from 1991-2004

Fr. William Dugal who worked at Driscoll Catholic High School in Addison from 1985-1997

Fr. Lowell Fischer who served from 1963-1975 at St. John the Apostle in Villa Park, Holy Ghost in Wood Dale and St. Scholastica in Woodridge

Fr. Salvatore Formusa who served at Immaculate Conception from 1950-52, Holy Trinity in Westmont from 1958-62, St. John the Baptist in Winfield from 1964-66, Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield and St. Luke's Parish in Carol Stream in 1967, and St. Mark's in Wheaton in 1985

Fr. James Frederick who served at Notre Dame in Clarendon Hills from 1962-1965 and again in 1968.

Fr. John Furdek who served from 1985-2000 at Sts. Peter and Paul in Naperville, St. Philip the Apostle in Addison and St. Alexander in Villa Park

Fr. Michael Gibbney who served from 1976-1988 at Immaculate Conception, Visitation, St. Mary and Mary Queen of Heaven, all in Elmhurst as well as St. Francia of Assissi in Bolingbrook and St. Charles Borromeo in Bensenville

Fr. Lawrence Gibbs who served at St. James in Glen Ellyn from 1975-77, Christ the King in Lombard from 1978-80, and Sts. Peter and Paul from 1992-93

Fr. James Janssen who worked at St. Isaac Jogues in Hinsdale from 1956-58

Fr. Mark Jendrysik (Jendersyk) who served 1986-2013 at St. Alexis in Bensenville, St. Walter in Roselle, St. Elizabeth Seton in Naperville, St. Dominic in Bolingbrook, St. Phillip the Apostle in Addison, and St. Raphael in Naperville

Fr. Frederick Lenczycki who served from 1973-1984 at Sts. Peter and Paul in Naperville, St. Charles Borremeo Seminary High School in Bensenville, and St. Isaac Jogues in Hinsdale

Fr. John Malzone who served from 1960-65 at Visitation in Elmhurst

Fr. Leonard Mateo who served at Immaculate Conception in Elmhurst from 1978-82

Fr. Lawrence W. Mullins who served at Immaculate Conception in Elmhurst from 1984-88 and St. Margaret Mary in Naperville from 1989-93

Fr. James Nowak who served at Sacred Heart in Lombard from 1968-71, ST. Andrew in Romeoville from 1972-74, St. dominic in Bolingbrook from 1977-88, HOly Trinity in WEstmont from 1994-2002 and Sts. Peter and Paul in Naperville from 2003-2008

Fr. Donald G. O'Connor who served in 1967 at Sacred Heart in Lombard

Fr. Donald Pock who served at Divine Savior in Downers Grove from 1969-1976 and St Peter the Apostle in Itasca from 1988-2001

Fr. Edward Poff who served at St. Joseph in Downers Grove from 1965-70 and St. Andrew the Apostle in Romeoville from 1991-94

Fr. Lee Ryan (Francis Lee) who served at St. Joeseph in Addison in 1974 and St. Francis of Assis in Bolingbrook in 1991 and who also worked at Providence Catholic High School in New lenox in the 1970s

Fr. Gerald Simonelli who seved from 1991-2010 at St. Mary in West Chicago, St. Dominic in Bolingbrook, St. Petronilla in Glen Ellyn, St. Andrew the Apostle in Romeoville, St. Joseph in Addison and St. Isidore in Bloomingdale

Fr. Henry Slade who served from 1985-89 at St. Isidore in Bloomingdale

Fr. John Slown who served from 1960-1972 at St. Michael's in Wheaton, St. John the Baptist in Winfield, St. Scholastica in Woodridge,and from 1982-1983 at Divine Savior in Dowers Grove and St. Irene in Warrenville.

Fr. David Stalzer who served at Holy Trinity in Westmont in 1975 and St. John the Baptist in Winfield from 1979-80

Fr. Edward Stefanich who served from 1966-1987 at St. Joseph in Addison, Christ the King in Lombard, Visitation in Elmhurst,, and St. Scholasticia in Woodridge

Fr. William D. Virtue who worked at St. Dominic in Bolingbrook from 1978-80

Fr. Myles P. White who served from 1969- 1978 at St. Isaac Jogues in Hinsdale, Sacred Heart in Lombard and Notre Dame n Clarendon Hills, as well as from 1990-91 at St. Martin of Tours in Itasca.

Calling the disclosures “underreported” by Catholic bishops, firm owner Jeff Anderson said such underreporting does not adequately illustrate the breadth of the crisis within the church to parishioners or the public.

“It’s a system that works to preserve the reputation of that system,” Anderson said. “They make the choice to conceal rather than reveal.”

Many of these members of clergy have not been arrested, adjudicated or otherwise prosecuted, Anderson said. In some instances, the statute of limitations for prosecution has run out. Some are deceased.

As to the purpose behind the release of this information, Anderson stated his support of the victims.

“Let survivors who are suffering in secrecy and silence, who perhaps weren’t believed, know that they were not alone,” he said, adding that all the information provided is a result of a thorough vetting by his firm.

“It is there as a result of a settlement made with a diocese or archdiocese,” he said. “This is not a random assortment of individuals.”

Anderson said that as far as the firm can tell, only one member of clergy named of the 395 remains in active ministry – Fr. Michael W. O’Connell who currently is assigned to St. Alphonsus in Chicago, where he has access to children.

Many others still serving “under restriction,” a diocese term for which the meaning was not clear at the time of the report.