MADISON (WI)
WKOW [Madison, WI]
September 4, 2025
By Ryan Lynch
A woman has come forward accusing Andrew Showers, the Madison priest who has been charged with three child sex crimes in Waupaca County, of more sexual misconduct.
“I share my story not just for myself, but for everyone who is still carrying their pain in silence, like I once did,” Patricia Moriarty said.
Moriarty accused Showers of sexually assaulting her in 2024.
She said she met Showers in Chicago last year, where he introduced himself as a priest. Moriarty claimed that while they were in public, Showers groped her under her clothes and made sexually inappropriate comments.
Representatives from the Survivors’ Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said Moriarty’s father contacted Madison Bishop Donald Hying. They received forms to fill out but were never spoken to directly by the bishop.
Peter Isely with SNAP believes another incident involving Showers and a middle school boy in Lodi violated both canon and criminal law.
“If he was a teacher, if he was a school counselor, or camp counselor, anything like that, and he had the exact same conversation…kept the kid after class to talk to him about pornography and masturbation, that is a felony, that’s a felony act in the state of Wisconsin,” said Isely.
Lodi police investigated and said they could not find evidence that a crime had been committed.
Moriarty expressed her feelings about the recent charges against Showers after a news conference.
“It’s a step in the right direction. I would say that, yes, he’s been charged, but I believe he’s out on bail. That doesn’t make me feel any better,” said Moriarty.
Showers has not been charged in Moriarty’s case. He is set to appear in court for the charges against him in Waupaca County on September 30.