Regis HS Priests Sex Abuse Complaints: Jesuits Release List

DENVER, CO — A list of priests with credible sexual abuse claims released Friday by the Catholic church's Jesuit order's Central and Southern Province has the names of 13 priests who worked in Colorado. Of those, eight worked at Regis Jesuit High School, the order said.

Two of the priests, Mark A. Clark, SJ and Paul C. Pilgram, SJ, had allegations involving Regis Jesuit students, the school said. Seven of the priests who worked in Colorado are now dead. The others have either left the order or been removed from ministry.

Clark was assigned to Regis Jesuit from 1985-87 and left the Jesuits in 1989, a letter from the school President David Card said. In 2008, Regis Jesuit settled a claim filed against him by a former student.

In 1991, four students filed a complaint against Pilgram, the letter said. “Civil authorities were notified, and Pilgram was immediately removed from the classroom. Pilgram was sent for evaluation and treatment. Following treatment, he was restricted from ministry with minors. In 2003, Pilgram was removed from all ministry,” Card said.

No Jesuit with a credible accusation currently serves in public ministry, the province said. Of the 42 names on the list, four men are still members of the province, the order said.

The priests with Colorado connections named in the list include:

• Michael O. Barry, SJ (deceased) was assigned to Regis High School, as well as a high school in St. Louis and hospital. The estimated timeframe of abuse was 1983-85. Barry died in 1987, and allegations were received after his death.
• Mark A. Clark, SJ (left Society of Jesus 1989) was assigned to Regis High School. The estimated timeframe of abuse was in the 1980s. Clark left the ministry before allegations were filed against him. A student settled with the high school and province in 2008.
• Philip D. Kraus, SJ (Removed from ministry and lives under supervision). Was assigned to Regis, as well as high schools and agencies in St. Louis, and a social services agency in Peoria, Illinois. The estimated time of abuse was the 1970s. Kraus was restricted from ministry with minors 1996 and Removed from ministry 2003.
• Gerhardt B. Lehmkuhl, SJ (deceased) was assigned to Regis HS, as well as Jesuit communities in St. Louis. The estimated timeframe of abuse was in the 1990s. He was removed from ministry in 2002 and died in 2012.
• Eugene A. Maio, SJ (Left Society of Jesus 1970; Left Priesthood 1971). Maio was assigned to Regis HS, as well as Loyola University in Los Angeles and St. Louis University. The timeframe of abuse was determined to be the 1960s. Maio had left the ministry when the abuse was reported.
• James L. McShane (deceased) was assigned at Sacred Heart Parish in Denver and Mt. Carmel, in Pueblo, as well as other assignments in two high schools in St. Louis, and parishes in Honduras and St. Louis. The estimated timeframe of abuse was in the 1950s. McShane died in 1993, and the allegations were made after his death.
• Edward P. Murphy, SJ (deceased) was assigned to St. St. Ignatius Loyola Parish, Denver. The alleged abuse incidents occurred in the 1940s-1950s. He died in 1975 and allegations were received after his death.
• Patrick H. O’Liddy, SJ (Removed from Ministry in 1999, Left Society of Jesus 2000) was assigned to Regis High School and St. Louis University High School. The timeframe of abuse was in the 1990s.
• Anthony J. Short, SJ (removed from ministry, in skilled nursing facility under supervision) was assigned to Regis High School, Centennial; St. Stephen's Mission St. Stephen's Wyoming; Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat House Community, Sedalia and Xavier Jesuit Center, Denver as well as a high school and college in St. Louis. The estimated timeframe of abuse was in the 1960s and 70s. He was removed from ministry in 2008.
• Arthur O. Verdieck, SJ (deceased) served at Regis High School in Centennial, and Regis College in Denver. He also served in high schools in Wisconsin and at a cathedral in Salt Lake City. the timeframe of abuse was in the 1950s. Allegations surfaced after his death in 1980.

Priests with a Colorado connection and more than one credible allegation include:

• John Campbell, SJ (deceased) was assigned to Regis High School and the Xavier Jesuit Center in Denver, as well as high schools, service organizations and a college in St. Louis and Wisconsin. the timeframe of abuse was from the 1960s - 1980s. He was restricted from working with minors in 1985 and removed from the ministry in 1987. He died in 2009.
• Paul C. Pilgram, SJ (removed from ministry and lives under supervision) was assigned at Regis Jesuit High School and St. Stephen's Mission, St. Stephen's, Wyoming, as well as other high schools in St. Louis. He was restricted from ministry with minors in 1991 and removed from ministry in 2003. Four Regis HS students filed complaints against Pilgram in 1991.
• Burton J. Fraser, SJ (deceased) was assigned to Sacred Heart Parish, Denver and Mt. Carmel, Pueblo, as well as colleges and high schools in Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. The estimated timeframe of abuse was the 1950s. He died in 1971 and was dead when allegations were received.

“The storm that the Church experiences today calls forth from us an unprecedented and yet needed response,” Provincial Ronald Mercier said in a statement released Friday. “Silence in the face of the events of recent months cannot be an option.”

“Words cannot possibly suffice to express our sorrow and shame for what occurred, our promise of prayers for healing, and our commitment to work with them," Mercier said in the statement. "Caring for these survivors – and preventing any such future events – must be our focus as we move forward.”

the order said Friday they had hired an outside agency, Kinsale Management Consulting, Inc., to review nearly 3,000 personnel files of Jesuits who are or were members of the U.S. Central and Southern Province or its predecessors as of Jan. 1, 1955.

"If Kinsale discovers any additional men with credible accusations, their names will be added to this list. That review will happen in Spring 2019," the order said.

The province urges anyone who experienced sexual abuse as a minor to report the offense to the law enforcement or child protective services in the locale where the abuse happened.

Survivors are also encouraged to advise the Jesuits by calling Carol Zarinelli Brescia, Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She can be reached confidentially by phone at 314-915-7168 or email at ucsoutreach@jesuits.org.

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this article.

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