PENNSYLVANIA
WPXI
After more than three decades of silence, a man who says he was sexually abused by a priest and a nun in Beaver is speaking out and working with state investigators.
Johnny Hewko was an elementary student in the 1970s at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, in Beaver, which is where he said the abuse happened. Hewko said he was abused once a week for nearly three years.
Hewko said it had a devastating impact on his life. He did poorly in school, turned to alcohol and drugs and had difficulty holding down a job. He credited the support around him for keeping him together.
“I’ve been blessed to have a good group around me that when my faith gets small they help me bring it back,” said Hewko.
In 2009, Hewko approached the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese and told it his story. In a letter to him, the diocese wrote, “After extensive interviews …we are unable to confirm independently the allegation of sexual abuse by either the principal or the pastor who is deceased.”
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