BATON ROUGE (LA)
The Advocate
November 2, 2018
By Andrea Gallo
A Catholic priest who ingratiated himself with the deaf community and who helped to open Catholic deaf centers in both Baton Rouge and New Orleans secretly preyed on children there during the 1960s and 1970s before he was removed as a priest, his victims recalled Friday as the Archdiocese of New Orleans released the names of 57 priests credibly accused of sexual abuse.
The Rev. Gerard “Jerry” Howell was assigned to St. Pius X in Baton Rouge as well as eight churches across the New Orleans area before he was removed from ministry in 1980, according to records the Archdiocese of New Orleans released Friday. Howell was appointed director of the New Orleans deaf apostolate in 1967 and moved in 1978 to help establish the St. Francis de Sales deaf center in Baton Rouge.
He was one of eight priests accused of sexual abuse on the list from the Archdiocese of New Orleans who had ministered in the Diocese of Baton Rouge over the last decade. Howell, who is still alive, could not be reached Friday.
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