ILLINOIS
My Suburban Life
By BOB OKON – bokon@shawmedia.com
Note to readers: The following story contains graphic descriptions of allegations of abuse by priests and may be offensive to some readers.
Steven Janik said he was an altar boy in the early 1980s being urged to consider the priesthood when the abuse began.
Janik was 13 or 14 at the time and was being interviewed by a priest who would determine whether he would be recommended for the seminary.
“When I was doing my one-on-one interview with him, one of the first questions he asked was, did I know what testicles were,” Janik said.
The next question was even stranger.
“He asked me if I knew what masturbation was. I did not. He took out a book and showed me,” Janik said.
Janik, who now lives in Wheaton, was among 14 men whose claims of sexual abuse against five priests in the Diocese of Joliet have been settled since July. Two law firms representing the men announced the settlements totaling $4.14 million last week.
Lawsuits filed on behalf of four of the plaintiffs tell similar stories of priests taking advantage of teenagers who were altar boys or interested in the priesthood.
One lawsuit alleges the abuse took place at the former St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Romeoville, a high school for boys interested in the priesthood.
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