ILLINOIS
WLS
[with video]
Ron Magers
March 20, 2013 (JOLIET, Ill.) (WLS) — The man who forced the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet to release its archived files on pedophile and predatory priests was sexually abused by a priest as a child and as an adult, has fought hard to shed light on the secrets of the church.
STORY: Secret archive contains alleged sex abuse records
DOCUMENTS: (WARNING: Some viewers may find parts of this material offensive.)
• Diocese of Joliet’s new victim outreach campaign
• Father Burnett: Review Committee Allegations
• Joliet Diocese Files of Fr. Donald O’Connor
The Full Secret Archive File of Fr. Donald O’Connor
• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
“If other people can see that I did it, then it might empower them to do the same thing,” said David Rudofski.
At the tender age of 8, Rudofski’s life changed. While giving his first confession at St. Mary’s parish in Mokena, he says Father James Burnett sexually molested him. Rudofski says he told his mother, but she didn’t believe him.
“What happened to me was not her fault,” he said. “She has struggled with this a lot and me as a parent, I can imagine that.”
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