NORTHBROOK (IL)
Northbrook Tower
March 25, 2019
By Eric DeGrechie
Catholic clergy members from across Illinois, including Northbrook religious institutions, were accused of sexual misconduct in a 182-page report published Wednesday, March 20, by the Minnesota-based law firm Jeff Anderson and Associates.
According to The Anderson Report on Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese and Dioceses in Illinois, the release of the report, which includes nearly 400 names of Catholic clergy in the state, is intended to “raise awareness about the important issues of sexual abuse, provide the public with vital information including assignment histories, and provide awareness and healing to survivors of sexual abuse.” The law firm claims that the dioceses in Illinois have not publicly made available the full histories and their knowledge of their sexually abusive agents and employees.
The clergy named in the report worked in the Archdiocese of Chicago and the dioceses of Belleville, Joliet, Peoria, Rockford and Springfield.
The former priests named with connections to Northbrook were: Rev. Robert Louis Kealy, Rev. Robert Joseph McDonald and Rev. Robert J. Lutz.
Some of the allegations previously have been reported by 22nd Century Media, parent company of The Tower, and other publications in some cases predating this company. Some of the allegations also have been publicly reported by various dioceses or archdioceses.
There were also priests from other North Shore communities in 22nd Century Media’s coverage area named including Highland Park, Lake Forest, Winnetka and Northfield.
In the wake of the release of the Anderson Report, the Archdiocese of Chicago released a statement.
It noted that the Archdiocese of Chicago does not “police itself” and reports all allegations to the civil authorities, “regardless of the date of the alleged abuse, whether the priest is a diocesan priest or religious order priest, and whether the priest is alive or dead.”
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