Priest accused of child sex abuse was allowed at Minnesota Catholic music camp

MINNEAPOLIS (MN)
Star Tribune

September 9, 2020

By Jean Hopfensperger

Fallout continues from abuse reports against renowned composer David Haas.

Isaac Henson was monitoring recent reports of sexual misconduct by Twin Cities Catholic music composer David Haas when he ran across disturbing information about an adult leader at the summer music program run by Haas at St. Catherine University.

A retired priest who was a regular at the weeklong program, George DeCosta, had been sued by at least six men for alleged child sexual abuse in his home state of Hawaii, Henson learned, with the first lawsuit filed in 2012. An attorney for the men said five of the cases have been settled.

“I distinctly remember [DeCosta] at morning prayer, evening prayer, sitting up front,” said Henson, who attended the Music Ministry Alive (MMA) program as a high school student from 2015 to 2017. “How was that allowed to happen?”

Henson is among 113 former MMA participants, parents and team leaders who have sent a petition to St. Catherine’s, seeking “transparency and accountability” for Haas’ alleged behavior and DeCosta’s presence in the program held on its campus in St. Paul. They’re also seeking explanations from Music Ministry Alive, which drew more than 2,200 students from 1999 to 2017.

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