SALEM (MA)
Salem News
July 16, 2019
By Ethan Forman
Twelve men who were at one time associated with St. John’s Preparatory School are on a list released Friday of current or former Xaverian Brothers members with “a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor against them.”
The Xaverian Brothers, a Baltimore-based Roman Catholic order that sponsors 13 schools including St. John’s Prep, released 34 names, dating back decades. The 12 associated with St. John’s Prep were in Danvers at some point between 1922 and 1978.
Among them is Thomas Morrissey, also known as Brother Gabriel, who worked at the school from 1965 to 1967. Morrissey is listed as a current Xaverian Brother “with a credible or established offense against a minor” and has been “placed on a safety plan with no contact with minors,” according to the order.
Safety plans are described as “restrictions on behavior, including the use of technology, travel, and access by visitors.”
The allegations of abuse and attempted abuse against Morrissey were first reported in 2002 and date back to his time at both St. John’s Prep and at the Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, where he worked from 1967 to 1979.
“We understand that the information we are releasing today cannot undo the damage caused by some of our brothers, but we hope this confession, our repentance and our apology will provide some peace for survivors of abuse and allow our community to begin to heal,” said General Superior Brother Edward Driscoll, in a letter provided by the Xaverian Brothers. “We humbly ask forgiveness for this unspeakable violation of trust.”
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