Fr. Leonard R. Chambers
Bernard Law, then Bishop of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau diocese, responded to a 1981 allegation against Chambers by sending him for extended treatment and then reassigning him to two other parishes. Chambers was placed on restrictions in the mid-1990s by Bishop Leibrecht. Permanently removed from ministry in 1998 after violating the order forbidding him to be alone with any child. He had worked in a total of 22 parishes. Not indexed in the Official Catholic Directory after 2002, and is last known to have been living in Joplin. Per the diocese’s list in 11/18, Chambers was laicized in 2006. Its updated list in 4/21 shows his laicization to have been on 12/9/05.
- Boston Globe 03.18.02
- Springfield News Leader 03.18.02
- Associated Press 03.19.02
- Springfield News Leader 03.19.02
- Springfield News Leader 03.20.02
- Batesville Daily Guard 03.20.02
- Deposition of Cardinal Bernard Law 06.05.02
- Dallas Morning News 06.12.02
- The Mirror 03.22.03
- Springfield News Leader 01.01.08
- Joplin Globe 05.01.17
- Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau List 11.19.18
- Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau List updated 04.13.21
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