4 priests formerly missioned at Brebeuf accused of sexually abusing minors
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Four priests formerly employed by Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis are included on a list of Jesuits with at least one credible allegation of child sexual abuse since 1955.
The alleged incidents involving three of them occurred during their service at Brebeuf: Michael E. Dorrler, Bernard P. Knoth and Donald J. O’Shaughnessy.
The fourth, Gerald A. Streeter, was accused of child sexual abuse at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Ill. before he was missioned at Brebeuf.
The Chicago-based Midwest Jesuits Province released the names Monday “in the spirit of transparency and reconciliation,” Rev. Brian Paulson said in a letter published alongside the list.
“As we look back at our history, the failures of the Society of Jesus and the church to protect those entrusted to its care fill our hearts with outrage, sorrow and shame,” he wrote. “We recognize that our feelings on this day are nothing compared to the depth of suffering endured by those have been abused, especially by one as trusted as a priest.”
The Midwest Jesuits encompass an area comprised of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, most of northern and eastern Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota and Wyoming.
Sixty-five Jesuits across the region were included on the list released Monday, including 43 deceased priests.
The accused all faced “established allegations” of sexual abuse of a minor “where there is reasonable certainty that the accusation is true,” the Midwest Jesuits said.
The alleged incident involving Dorrler occurred in 1990. He was permanently removed from public ministry, according to the report.
The alleged incident involving Knoth occurred from 1986 to 1988, during his tenure as principal at Brebeuf. He resigned from his post as president of Loyola University in New Orleans when the allegation became public in 2003. He was dismissed and laicized in 2009.
Knoth was also accused of child sexual abuse in 1978, according to the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
The alleged incident involving O’Shaughnessy occurred in the 1960s, according to the Midwest Jesuits. The report lists a second credible allegation against him in the 1970s, during his service at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Ill.
Brebeuf administrators called the publication of the list an “effort to be transparent” in a letter to parents, adding the intent to protect children is “unmistakable.”
The private college preparatory school has a “zero-tolerance policy” regarding incidents of inappropriate conduct with minors or vulnerable adults, according to administrators.
The list of accused priests published by the Midwest Jesuits will be updated, the organization said.