Fr. Herman J. Lammers

Ordained: 1932
Status: Sued

Died: 08/11/1986
Diocese: Archdiocese of Louisville KY

Lammers was director of Catholic Charities 1939-1976. Named as an abuser in numerous suits filed 2002-2004.  Accused of abuse by at least 34, much of it at St. Thomas-St. Vincent Home, an orphanage in Anchorage, KY. Retired in 1982 and died in 1986. Victims of Lammers were included in a large settlement in 8/2006 between the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, who ran the orphanage, and numerous victims. Included on the archdiocese's list of accused in 2019.

Roadblocks, lack of funding hampered work of Southern Baptist Convention’s sex abuse task force, chairman says

A year ago in New Orleans, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force unveiled what they called their Ministry Check website prototype and assured members it would eventually list the names of clergy and other church workers who have preyed on children.

A year later, no names have been posted and the task force has disbanded, unable to complete the task after working on it for two years.

Victim advocates, who have been calling for creation of a database since 2007, are disappointed. Survivors are questioning whether the nation’s largest Protestant denomination can ever be trusted again to keep its promises.

“This idea of a database was first on the table back in 2007 and 2008 and (was) rejected. … In these intervening 16 or 17 years, countless more kids and congregants have had their lives decimated, not only by abuse, but also by the ugly, blind-eyed responses…

The Dark Role of Nuns in Child Sexual Abuse

Nuns Don’t Just Abuse. Some Enable Abuse

The issue of sexual abuse within the ranks of the Catholic Church has been a headline for many years now. However, a recent Associated Press article has brought to light an equally disturbing aspect of this crisis: the role of some nuns not only as perpetrators of abuse but also as enablers. Yes, tragically, some nuns abuse kids. Tragically, some also ignore or hide abuse by others. And tragically, some punish kids who speak up, thereby deepening their wounds and essentially helping their tormentors. This blog post aims to delve deeper into this grim reality, presenting instances of abuse, the enabling of such behavior by some nuns, and the implications thereof.

Instances of Nuns Enabling Abuse

The sexual victimization of boys and girls by Catholic nuns has sadly re-emerged in recent news, painting a grim picture of reality…

KY — Louisville area nuns who are or have been accused of child sexual abuse — SNAP FACT SHEET 3/15

KENTUCKY
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

We’re concerned about abuse by nuns because a disproportionately high number of accused child molesting nuns have worked and lived in Louisville. Abuse by women has gotten little attention and victims of women often get little compassion and considerable misunderstanding.

Nuns also change their names more often than priests so could more easily get access to more kids even after being publicly accused.

In very cursory Internet research, we found that the last nun on this list has been sent elsewhere and is teaching immigrants, a very vulnerable group.

This list

1) Sr. Joseph Anthony

Named in 7/04 suit by one woman alleging abuse by Msgr. Herman J. Lammers and 5 nuns at St. Thomas-St. Vincent Orphanage or at local schools. Woman alleges that one of her abusers was Sister Joseph Anthony at the orphanage. Order has confirmed that nun by…

Report: Archdiocese ‘stealth’ accounts paid out $11 million

MINNESOTA
Bring Me The News

January 23, 2014 By Tim Lammers

A new Minnesota Public Radio News investigation has revealed a “stealth financial system” in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis that allowed for payments for numerous infractions – including the removal of priests who committed child sex abuse – without attracting attention.

MPR says it analyzed thousands of private internal archdiocese documents, and found internal financial reports that showed the archdiocese used the stealth accounts to pay out nearly $11 million from 2002 to 2011 – which equated to about 3 percent of the archdiocese’s overall revenues during that time period.

The costs were tied to suspected priest misconduct under former Archbishop Harry Flynn and his successor, Archbishop John Nienstedt, MPR reports.

According to MPR, the secret account also provided financial support for children fathered by priests and other legal settlements. The secrecy, however, also left…

Sr. Stanislas Kotska Willett

Donate Photo
Order: SCN
Status: Sued

Diocese: Archdiocese of Louisville KY

In an addition to a lawsuit filed 8/3/04, Willett was accused of sexually abusing a girl at St. Vincent Orphanage in Louisville, beginning in 1938 when the girl was age 6 and continuing until she was removed from the orphanage in 1943. Willett was mother superior of the orphanage 1940-1944. The complainant also accused Rev. Herman J. Lammers and Sr. Frances Howard.

Sister Joseph Anthony

Donate Photo
Order: SCN
Status: Sued

Diocese: Archdiocese of Louisville KY

Named in a 7/2004 lawsuit by a woman alleging abuse as a child by Msgr. Herman J. Lammers and 5 nuns at St. Thomas-St. Vincent Orphanage or at local schools. The woman alleged that one of her abusers was Sister Joseph Anthony, at the orphanage. The order confirmed that a nun by this name worked at the orphanage in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Sister Joseph Anthony left the order in 1972.

Sr. Frances Howard

Donate Photo
Order: SCN
Status: Settled

Died: 03/7/1995
Diocese: Archdiocese of Louisville KY

Died in 1995. In an 8/3/2004 addition to a lawsuit, Howard was accused of sexually abusing a girl at St. Vincent Orphanage in Louisville, beginning in 1938 when the girl was age 6 and continuing until the girl was removed from the orphanage in 1943. The complainant also accused Rev. Herman J. Lammers and Sr. Stanislas Kotska Willett, who was mother superior of the orphanage 1940-1944. The Order settled in 8/2006 with almost all plaintiffs with claims.

Sister Charles

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Order: SCN
Status: Sued

Diocese: Archdiocese of Louisville KY

A woman filed suit in 7/04 alleging abuse as a child by Msgr. Herman J. Lammers and five nuns at St. Thomas-St. Vincent Orphanage or at local schools. The woman alleges that one of her abusers at the orphanage was Sister Charles. The order confirmed that a nun by this name worked at the orphanage in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Sister Charles is deceased.

Sr. James Patrick Cronin

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Order: SCN
Status: Sued

Died: 03/31/2001
Diocese: Archdiocese of Louisville KY

Named in a civil suit in 8/2004 by a woman who said she was abused as a child by Cronin, two other nuns, and Fr. Lammers at St. Thomas-St. Vincent Orphanage. Her order confirmed that Cronin was at the orphanage between 1958-1961. Per her obituary, Cronin was a teacher and child-care worker at St. Philip Neri School, Mackin Day Nursery and St. Thomas-St. Vincent Home for Children. She died 3/31/2001, age 98.

Sr. Anthony Louise Pereira

Donate Photo
Order: SCN
Status: Sued

Died: 06/18/1933
Diocese: Archdiocese of Louisville KY

In 8/2004 a man joined the multi-plaintiff lawsuit filed in summer 2004 against the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Fr. Herman Lammers, and several nuns. The plaintiffs alleged abuse as children at St. Thomas-St. Vincent Orphanage in Anchorage, KY. This plaintiff alleges he was sexually abused by Pereira and another nun. The Order confirmed that Pereira worked at the orphanage 1946-1965. Died in 1983.