On Monday, the Midwest Province of Jesuits released the names of every priest or clergy member who faced "established allegations" of sexually abusing children back to 1955.
The list includes local priests who were involved at St. Ignatius High School, Walsh Jesuit High School, and John Carroll University.
The list documented the years and locations of the alleged incidents as well as when the priests were dismissed from service or died.
Fr. Henry A. Brockman, S.J. St. Ignatius High School 1950s-1960s (deceased in 1973)
Fr. Ignatius M. Burrill, S.J. St. Ignatius High School 1950s (deceased 1987)
Fr. Thomas M. Gannon, S.J. St. Ignatius High School 1961-66 (deceased 2011)
Fr. Gerald B. Garvey, S.J. St. Ignatius High School 1950s (deceased 1960)
Br. Howard J. McDonough, S.J. Walsh Jesuit High School 1973 (dismissed 1975)
Fr. Thomas J. Powers, S.J. St. Ignatius High School 1970s; John Carroll University 1973-78; Walsh Jesuit High School 1985-86 (dismissed 2001)
Fr. Emmanuel Briffa, S.J. (of the Malta Province) Malta, visiting friends in Canton, Ohio 1957 (Dismissed in 1963)
Fr. Robert C. Broome, S.J. St. Ignatius High School 1956 (deceased 2000)
Fr. Roy A. Drake, S.J. (of the New York Province) John Carroll University 1980s (Deceased 2008)
Fr. Oscar Gumucio, S.J. (of the Bolivia Province) St. Patrick's Parish and Lincoln Junior High School Cleveland (Dismissed 1975)
St. Ignatius High School President Rev. Raymond P Guiao, S.J. issued the following letter to its alumni after the list became public:
Dear Alumnus,
Today, Rev. Brian Paulson, S.J., Provincial of the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus shared the names of credibly accused priests and brothers. That list includes names of Jesuit priests or brothers who were missioned for a time at Saint Ignatius High School and can be found in its entirety on the Province website.
Personally, and on behalf of Saint Ignatius High School, I extend my deepest apologies to anyone who has been hurt in this way. No one should have to suffer what victims of sexual abuse have been made to suffer. As a member of the Jesuit community, I am deeply saddened.
As President of Saint Ignatius High School, I can assure you we take the care and safety of our students very seriously. We encourage students to approach any adult at Saint Ignatius – priest, teacher, counselor, campus minister or staff member – to report any behavior that concerns them. Our policy requires any school representative who knows or suspects that a student has been subjected to any abuse to immediately notify the civil authorities, as well as the Midwest Province. Both entities would launch an appropriate investigation. We would immediately notify the parents or legal guardian, offer counseling and pastoral support, and keep the name of the accuser confidential. If the report were credible, we would suspend the accused person from his or her position, and cooperate fully with the investigating authorities. This policy is strictly enforced.
Thank you for your ongoing support of Saint Ignatius High School and for keeping us in your prayers. We continue to pray for healing graces for all victims of abuse in our Church, and for light to guide us forward as a church, the Body of Christ in our world.
Yours ever in Christ,
Rev. Raymond P. Guiao, S.J. '82
President
Saint Ignatius High School
In addition, the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland issued the following statement:
In keeping with their longstanding commitment to the education and wellbeing of the youth they have served and continue to serve in the Diocese of Cleveland and throughout the Midwestern United States, the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus (aka the Jesuits) has publically released the names of Jesuit clerics against whom there are substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of a minor dating back to 1955. The diocese supports the Jesuits in publishing this list and prays that it will contribute to the healing of those who have suffered abuse. The diocese itself has, since 2002, been publishing names of clerics removed from ministry as a result of sexual abuse of minors and is currently working on supplementing that information.
Since the list was first created by the Diocese of Cleveland in 2002, Gary Berthiaume and J. Brendan McNulty were removed from the clerical state in 2007. Donald P. Brickman was removed in 2008. Patrick Henry was removed in 2013. Patrick J. O’Connor was removed in 2014. Russell Banner and Richard Arko were removed in 2015, while David Weber was removed in 2016. Earlier this year, Rev. Theodore Lewis was placed on administrative leave.
The decision to make the list public comes as the church is under increasing scrutiny from lay Catholics, abuse survivors and criminal prosecutors to resolve a problem that has plagued it for years.
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"It's a step in the spirit of transparency and reconciliation," said Mike McGrath, a spokesman for the Midwest Jesuits said last week. "There's been a lot of discussion and debate in the church about this question."
Two of the Jesuits' five provinces in the United States released the names of accused priests earlier this month. The Maryland Province joined the Midwest Province in its release Monday. Only the Northeast Province has not yet published a list of names.
The Cincinnati Enquirer contributed to this report