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  Those Who Are Named in the Grand Jury Report

Philadelphia Inquirer
September 25, 2005

Edward V. Avery

Ordained: 1970

Allegations:He abused a 12-year-old boy in the late 1970s.

Post:St. Philip Neri Church, Montgomery County.

Church response:After receiving a complaint about the abuse in 1992, the church made Avery a chaplain at Nazareth Hospital for a decade.

In 2003, a new archdiocesan review board, which considers allegations of abuse, found that the accusation made against Avery 11 years earlier was credible.

Status:Avery, now 63, was placed on administrative leave in 2003 pending his removal from the priesthood.

Michael C. Bolesta

Ordained: 1989

Allegations:He abused 11 teenage boys, mostly 16 and 17, in 1990 and 1991.

Post:SS. Philip and James Church, Chester County.

Church response:After the church received a complaint in 1991, Bolesta was given a psychological evaluation in 1991 and reassigned to parishes in Philadelphia.

From 1992 to 1994, he was vicar at St. Agatha and St. James Church and a chaplain at Children's Hospital. He later was a hospital chaplain.

Status:Bolesta died at 62 last year.

Robert L. Brennan

Ordained: 1964

Allegations:The report said he engaged in inappropriate or suspicious behavior with more than 20 boys from 1988 to 2004.

Posts:St. Ignatius, Bucks County; St. Mary, Montgomery County, Resurrection of Our Lord, Philadelphia.

Church response:He was given repeated psychological evaluations and transferred from one parish to another. He was advised by archdiocesan leaders to "keep a low profile" - but he was not barred from contact with young people. Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua testified before the grand jury that he considered Brennan's problems "innocuous-sounding boundary issues."

Status:Brennan, now 67, was appointed a chaplain at Camilla Hall, a retirement home for nuns, last year.

Leonard W. Broughan

Ordained:1955

Allegations:Broughan, a member of the Carmelite order who worked in the Philadelphia Archdiocese, abused a male student at Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia beginning in 1972.

Posts:Roman Catholic High School and residence at St. Philip Neri.

Church response:When the former student disclosed the abuse in 1993, the archdiocese directed the man to take his complaint to the Carmelite order. The grand jury report has no information on how the order handled the matter.

Status:Broughan died at 69 in 1998.

Craig R. Brugger

Ordained:1973

Allegations:He abused a 15-year-old boy in 1974 and received pornographic material in 1989.

Posts:St. Ann Church, Chester County (1974 case; principal of St. James Catholic High School for Boys in Chester (1989 case).

Church response:When the national scandal broke in 2002, the church placed him on leave.

Status:Brugger, now 58, was removed from active ministry in 2004. Removal from the priesthood is pending, according to information on the archdiocese Web site.

James J. Brzyski

Ordained:1977

Allegations:He was described in the grand jury report as one of the archdiocese's "most brutal abusers - emotionally as well as physically." His confirmed victim count was 17, and the grand jury said it could have been far higher. In one case, he is alleged to have repeatedly anally raped a 12-year-old boy after falsely convincing the boy that his mother approved the sex acts.

Posts:St. John the Evangelist, Bucks County; St. Cecilia, Philadelphia.

Church response:After a complaint was filed in 1984, Brzyski admitted to a church official that he was a child molester. He was removed from his duties, but parishioners were told nothing. As a result, he kept visiting the family of one accuser, who says the abuse continued for four more years.

A priest who knew of the abuse told The Inquirer that he was instructed not to tell anyone. "This comes from the highest authority. You're to keep your mouth shut," he was told.

Brzyski left active ministry and took a teaching job in Metuchen, N.J. Later, he moved to Chesapeake, Va., where he remained a priest with restrictions on his ministry. He was arrested in Virginia in 2002 on charges of molesting a teenager, but the charge was dismissed.

Status:He was defrocked this year.

John A. Cannon

Ordained:1948

Allegations:He abused eight male teenagers in the 1950s and 1960s.

Posts:Roman Catholic High School and residence at St. Monica, Philadelphia.

Church response:He was ordered in 1964 to "desist" and transferred to St. Eugene, in Delaware County as an assistant pastor. He taught for two decades at Cardinal O'Hara High School, Delaware County. The church barred him from priestly duties in 2004.

Status:Cannon, now 83, agreed last year to accept church supervision.

Pasquale R. Catullo

Ordained:1963

Allegations:He abused a female student on a date not specified in the report.

Posts:Archbishop Kennedy High School and his residence at SS. Cosmas and Damian, both in Montgomery County.

Church response:Notified of the abuse in 1969, the church took no action for 15 years.

Status:Catullo, now 75, also agreed last year to church supervision.

Gerard W. Chambers

Ordained:1934

Allegations:He molested six altar boys in the 1950s, and anally and orally raped at least one victim. The jury said he was suspected of widespread sexual abuse in a 29-year career of active priesthood. One victim attempted suicide and was institutionalized at a state mental hospital.

Posts:Four victims described sexual abuse by Chambers at St. Gregory in West Philadelphia and Seven Dolors in Montgomery County.

Church response:The archdiocese repeatedly reassigned Chambers to parishes where he had access to children, making him, at one point, chaplain to an orphanage for boys. He repeatedly was placed on health leave between reassignments. In 1963, he was placed on permanent health leave.

Status:Chambers died in 1974 at 67.

Richard J. Cochrane

Ordained:1972

Allegations:He sexually assaulted a 14-year-old male student in 1991.

Post:Malvern Preparatory School, Chester County.

Church response:He was arrested in 1999 and charged with sexual assault after the victim filed a criminal complaint.

Status:Cochrane, now 60, was sentenced in 2003 to 11/2 to four years in prison.

John P. Connor

Ordained:1962

Allegations:He was arrested in 1984 on charges of molesting a 14-year-old male student while on a weekend trip to Cape May. Connor, who admitted the attack, was permitted to undergo treatment at a church-affiliated institution in Toronto.

Post:Theology teacher at Bishop Eustace Preparatory School, Camden County.

Church response:After Connor's arrest, Bevilacqua accepted his transfer to Pittsburgh, when Bevilacqua headed that diocese, and then to Philadelphia. This was done, the jury said, under a policy of "bishops helping bishops."

Bevilacqua told the pastor supervising Connor in Philadelphia that he had transferred there to be near his sick mother - saying nothing about his sex abuse. At the parish, Connor showered attention and gifts on one boy, the grand jury said.

The jury also said that Bevilacqua's testimony about his knowledge of Connor's sex abuse was "untruthful."

Status:Connor, now 73, retired in 2002.

James J. Coonan

Ordained:1965

Allegations:He was involved with a 14-year-old male and a 15-year-old male in 1966 or 1967.

Post:Queen of the Universe, Bucks County.

Church response:After the complaint was made in 2002, the church limited Coonan's duties to saying private Masses and further restricted him in 2004.

Status:Coonan, now 68, retired in 2002 and agreed last year to live under church supervision.

Nicholas V. Cudemo

Ordained:1963

Allegations:A church official called him "one of the sickest people I ever knew." He had a pattern of molesting and sexually assaulting grade-school and teenage girls in parishes and Catholic schools in the archdiocese from 1964 to 1985.

The grand jury said Cudemo raped an 11-year-old and later helped her get an abortion; molested a fifth grader in the confessional; invoked God to seduce and shame his victims; and maintained sexually abusive relationships with several girls simultaneously.

Posts:St. Stanislaus and Archbishop Kennedy High School in Montgomery County; Cardinal Dougherty High School and St. John Neumann High School in Philadelphia; and residences at SS. Cosmas and Damian and St. Titus, Montgomery County, and St. Helena, Center Square.

Church response:The diocese transferred him from residence to residence, parish to parish, and school to school. Cudemo refused to undergo inpatient hospitalization.

After the national scandal erupted, his duties as a priest were curtailed.

Status:Cudemo, now 69, was defrocked this year.

John J. Delli Carpini

Ordained:1976

Allegations:He molested a 13-year-old boy from the time the victim was an eighth grader in 1977 until 1983.

Posts:St. Luke the Evangelist, Montgomery County; St. John the Evangelist, Philadelphia; Roman Catholic High School, Philadelphia; and residence at St. Monica, Philadelphia.

Church response:He was placed on six-month leave in 1998. Therapists diagnosed him as having "a sexual disorder." He was reassigned as a chaplain to a home for retired nuns and then placed on administrative leave in 2002. He was removed from ministry in 2004.

Status:Delli Carpini, now 56, was defrocked this month.

Edward M. DePaoli

Ordained:1970

Allegations:While a teacher of morals and ethics at an archdiocese high school in 1985, he was arrested on child pornography charges when porn worth $15,000 was found in his room at Holy Martyrs rectory in Montgomery County. He was convicted in 1986 and sentenced to one year on probation. On three later occasions, child pornography and "inappropriate magazines" were found in his possession.

Posts:Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Bucks County; Bishop McDevitt High School, Montgomery County; St. John the Baptist, Philadelphia; and St. Gabriel Rectory, Montgomery County.

Church response:After the conviction, Bevilacqua advised in the memo that "for the present time, it might to more advisable for [Father DePaoli] to return to the active ministry in another diocese."

This would "put a sufficient period between the publicity and the reinstatement in the active ministry of the archdiocese," Bevilacqua wrote.

The report said a New Jersey diocese then took in DePaoli, just as Bevilacqua had accepted Connor after his conviction.

After his stay in New Jersey, DePaoli returned to a Philadelphia parish. A nun then complained that his behavior there made her worry about the safety of children. She was fired from her position, the jury said.

Status:DePaoli, now 60, was defrocked this year.

Michael J. Donofrio

Ordained:1976

Allegations:He abused a male teenage parish worker in 1982 and 1983, the report said. In a separate filing with the grand jury, Donofrio said there was "absolutely no truth" to the allegation.

Post:St. Thomas Aquinas, Philadelphia.

Church response:The archdiocese sought in 2003 to have him relieved of his duties.

Status:Despite archdiocese efforts, Donofrio, now 55, is working as a missionary in Peru.

William J. Dougherty

Ordained:1969

Allegations:He abused a female high school student at a time and place not specified in the report.

Church response:Restrictions were imposed on his ministry in 2004.

Status:Dougherty, now 62, requested the permission of the Vatican last year to leave the priesthood.

Philip J. Dowling

Ordained:1956

Allegations:He abused two sisters, 10 and 11, in the 1960s, the grand jury said.

Posts:Corpus Christi, Philadelphia; and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Montgomery County.

Church response:The church barred Dowling from ministry this year after The Inquirer published an article in which he admitted abusing one of the sisters.

Status:Dowling, now 76, is retired and living under church supervision according to information on the archdiocese Web site.

Peter J. Dunne

Ordained:1954

Allegations:He sexually abused a 14-year-old male beginning in 1958 and at least three others over an unspecified period. He was diagnosed as an "untreatable pedophile."

Posts:Cardinal Dougherty High School, Philadelphia; residence, St. Bartholomew, Philadelphia. He was assistant director of the archdiocese scouting program.

Church response:The church permitted him to remain an active priest for seven years after receiving information in 1986 about his sexual abuse of an altar boy.

Status:Dunne, now 79, retired in 1995 to Kintnersville, Pa., where, according to the grand jury, he "was known to take boys for sleepovers" at his rural cabin. He agreed last year to live under church supervision.

Thomas J. Durkin

Ordained:1964

Allegations:He molested eight boys, most between 11 and 14, from 1964 to 1966.

Posts:St. Charles Borromeo, Bucks County; Holy Savior, Linwood; and Holy Spirit, Delaware County.

Church response:The diocese transferred him from parish to parish. Durkin left active ministry in 1968.

Status:Durkin, now 67, was defrocked this year.

James M. Dux

Ordained:1948

Allegations:He abused at least 13 boys and girls from the 1960s to the 1980s. Among other acts, he is accused of molesting a 9-year-old boy while a summer guest at the boy's family home in Michigan.

Posts:St. Anthony of Padua, Montgomery County; St. John the Baptist, Philadelphia; St. Philip Neri and St. Eugene, Delaware County.

Church response:The church, after transferring him among parishes, directed him in 1995 to have no contact with children.

Status:Dux, now 82, retired in 1994. He agreed last year to live under church supervision.

Leonard A. Furmanski

Ordained:1959

Allegations:Furmanski abused children throughout his 44 years as a teacher, principal and pastor.

Among other offenses, he molested a Catholic high school student in Delaware County after the student came to him for help after being raped by another teacher there. He lay on top of a 12-year-old girl, rubbing his penis against her on the pretense of sex education. He arranged for sexual encounters between this girl and an altar boy, asking about their sex later.

Posts:Cardinal O'Hara High School in Delaware County; St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Bucks County; Sacred Heart, Bridgeport.

Church response:In part by providing therapists with inadequate information about Furmanski's conduct, the archdiocese twice cleared the priest of being an abuser, the grand jury said. It also bullied one victim, accusing him of seeking money and telling his wife she might lose her job if her husband persisted with his complaint.

In 2003, in a new round of interrogation by church officials, Furmanski admitted to "fondling boys" and was removed from any church assignments.

Status:Furmanski, now 73, lives under supervision at a church retirement home in Darby.

Francis J. Gallagher

Ordained:1973

Allegations:Gallagher was arrested in 1989 on charges of soliciting sex in Sea Isle City, N.J., from two young men, age 18 and 20. Shortly after the arrest, he admitted to church officials that he had abused two teenage brothers at an unspecified time and place.

Post:Cardinal Dougherty High School, Philadelphia, at time of arrest.

Church response:After Gallagher received therapy, he was assigned to Immaculate Conception Church in Jenkintown. He worked there for nine years, with no restrictions on access to children, then at another parish with a school.

Status:After the national clergy scandal broke in 2002, the church fired Gallagher as a priest, but told him his education degree might help him find a new job. Gallagher, now 60, became a teacher of students at colleges left unidentified in the grand jury report. Removal from the priesthood is pending, according to information on the archdiocese Web site.

Joseph P. Gallagher

Ordained:1973

Allegations:While assigned to the large St. Monica's parish in South Philadelphia, he abused a 12-year-old boy at an unspecified location.

Post:St. Monica's, Philadelphia.

Church response:After the church received the complaint about the boy in 1974, Gallagher underwent therapy, then was sent to a new parish.

Status:In 2002, he was put on leave. Gallagher, now 58, was barred last year from any priestly service, but was left in a church facility to live under supervision.

Stanley M. Gana

Ordained:1970

Allegations:Gana sexually abused "countless" boys, the grand jury report said, some for years.

Posts:Our Lady of Calvary and Ascension parishes, Philadelphia.

Church response:When a seminarian came forward in 1991 to say Gana had abused him, the report says, the archdiocese launched an investigation of the seminarian, kicking him out.

Mgsr. William J. Lynn, the chief investigator of abuse, told the seminarian that Gana had not only abused children, but slept with women, stolen church money and abused alcohol. "You see," Lynn was quoted as saying, "he's not a pure pedophile."

Status:Gana, now 63, was removed from ministry in 2002, after the scandal broke. He is now living under church supervision in Philadelphia, according to information on the archdiocese Web site.

Joseph P. Gausch

Ordained:1945

Allegations:Gausch abused young boys - continuing to do so even after victims had come forward. The abuse included fondling, masturbation, oral sex and attempted anal rape. He told one victim no one would believe him because he was black.

Posts:St Joseph, Carbon County; Our Lady of Peace, Delaware County; Queen of the Universe, Bucks County; Good Shepherd, Philadelphia; St. Stanislaus, Montgomery County; and St. Bridget, Philadelphia.

Church response:In 1974, after Gausch admitted he was a molester, the church's chancellor wrote: "because of the possible future scandal, we will transfer him in the near future."

Status:Gausch died in 1999 at 83.

Francis A. Giliberti

Ordained:1970

Allegations:In the 1970s, Giliberti was said by students to run a so-called anti-masturbation "boot camp" and would walk in on students while they were masturbating.

One victim was so traumatized by sexual acts with Giliberti that he later set his penis on fire with lighter fluid.

Posts:He taught at Cardinal O'Hara High School and lived at Nativity B.V.M., both in Delaware County.

Church response:After two victims came forward in 2002, the church obtained a psychological evaluation that found Giliberti no threat. Two years later, a third victim surfaced. That year, the church deemed charges against him credible and removed him from ministry.

Status:Giliberti, now 68, is living under church supervision.

John E. Gillespie

Ordained:1953

Allegations:In 1994, two brothers alleged abuse by Gillespie. In 1997, the mother of another boy complained that Gillespie had asked in the confessional, "Do you touch yourself? Did you ever sexually hurt yourself?" The church said the seal of the confessional barred any investigation. After another complaint, in 2000, Gillespie admitted being a molester.

Posts:Immaculate Conception, Bucks County; Our Lady of Calvary, Philadelphia; Mother of Divine Providence, Montgomery County.

Church response:Therapists warned the church in 2000 that Gillespie wanted to apologize to victims, warning: "If he pursues making amends, he could bring forth more difficulty for himself and legal jeopardy."

Status:After his admission, Gillespie was ordered to resign as pastor of Our Lady of Calvary, but was named emeritus pastor. In 2004, Gillespie, now 77, was ordered to be in a supervised church facility.

Thomas J. Grumm

Ordained:1975

Allegations:Grumm abused a 15-year-old boy in about 1976 and another teenage boy in the late 1980s.

Post:Cardinal Dougherty High School, Philadelphia.

Church response:After complaints were made in 2001, Grumm was told to retire.

Status:Grumm, now 56, was barred from priestly service in 2004 and told to live under church supervision.

 
 

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