MINNESOTA
Wanseca County News
By NANCY MADSEN nmadsen@stpeterherald.com
Waseca’s Church of the Sacred Heart parish and school were named in two lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by two church leaders.
“The claims being brought forward do not involve anyone currently at our parish or anyone active in ministry in the Diocese of Winona,” an April 15 letter to parishioners from the church’s current priest, Father Gregory Leif said.
In one lawsuit, Sister Benen Kent was accused of abusing possibly two minors from 1958-61, when she was at Sacred Heart parish. Kent died in 2003. Abuse by her involving at least two girls was publicized and the subject of a lawsuit against the Sisters of St. Francis in Rochester. That order was responsible for the administration of Sacred Heart School beginning in 1905.
In the other, Father Joseph Mountain was accused of abuse from 1988-95. He was priest at the church then. Mountain is now retired.
The diocese has not yet included the two on a list of those credibly accused of child sexual abuse.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.