Former Liberty Priest Under Investigation

BERWYN, IL, January 29, 2010 - According to My Suburban Life Berwyn, The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is calling for the City of Berwyn, IL. to investigate an employee after the network learned he allegedly sexually abused five boys in the 1980s.

Barbara Blaine, SNAP’s founder and president, submitted a letter to the Berwyn City Hall Thursday asking for an investigation into Senior Advocate Frank Paduch’s past and why he failed to disclose the information about his past when he was hired.

A civil lawsuit was filed in Cook County Circuit Court against Paduch in 1997 alleging Brother Frank Paduch sexually abused a student while at St. Rita High School in Chicago during the 1980-81 school year. The lawsuit claims the victim, a freshman at St. Rita during the 1980-81 school year, was sexually assaulted by Paduch.

The lawsuit settled for an undisclosed amount two years later. Blaine said two of the additional four alleged victims have come forward through an attorney, but none have filed a lawsuit against Paduch.

Paduch works at the Berwyn Cultural Center at 6420 W. 16th St., which sits across the street from Lincoln Middle School.

Blaine also alleges Paduch, who has worked for the city since July of 2005, lives with Josh Hamilton, a registered sexual offender. Hamilton, who shares the same address as Paduch, was charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Tennessee, according to the Illinois Sex Offender Information registry.

Paduch was appointed pastor of Immaculate Conception Church, Liberty, Texas In September, 1999 and served the church for two years.

In response to recent local media reports and inquiries, the Catholic Diocese of Beaumont released a statement saying it knew of no allegations against a former priest of the diocese when he was accepted for ordination in the diocese. When complaints of sexual misconduct were received in the Diocese of Beaumont against Fr. Frank Paduch, an investigation was initiated that resulted initially in the removal of his priestly faculties and ultimately in his removal from the priesthood (a.k.a. “defrocked”).

In a formal statement, Bishop Curtis J. Guillory, S.V.D., D.D., Bishop of Beaumont, said, “We were not aware of the complaints of abuse that allegedly occurred in the 1980’s in Chicago until a lawsuit was filed there in 1997 against the Augustinian Order. That lawsuit was filed eight years after Fr. Paduch was ordained. When we received a complaint against him here in the Diocese of Beaumont in 2001, we initiated an investigation that eventually led to his removal. I also personally contacted the complainants and offered them pastoral assistance and counseling at the diocese’s expense.”

Since Fr. Paduch’s departure from the Diocese of Beaumont, no secular employer has ever contacted the diocese for a pre-employment reference check.

For the sake of clarity and transparency, we are providing the following chronology:

• Brother Frank Paduch, OSA, came to the Diocese of Beaumont in Sept., 1987, on an approved leave of absence from the Augustinians. There were no indications from the Augustinians of any complaints or allegations against Bro. Paduch. He was initially assigned to St. Charles Church in Nederland, Texas.

• After receiving a dispensation from vows as an Augustinian Brother in January, 1989, Frank Paduch was accepted into the Diocese of Beaumont by Bishop Bernard Ganter and, with no negative indications, he was ordained to the priesthood in July, 1989. He was appointed to Our Lady of Victory parish in Sour Lake and assigned as Chaplain & religion teacher at Msgr. Kelly Catholic High School.

• In January, 1991, a signed complaint letter was sent to Bishop Ganter about Fr. Paduch’s alleged unbecoming behavior with students of our Catholic high school. The letter was given to the school Principal, who addressed the complaints with Fr. Paduch.

• In April, 1996, a second signed complaint letter from parents was sent to Bishop Joseph Galante, then Bishop of Beaumont, alleging verbal and emotional abusive treatment of their son by Fr. Paduch, also stating that he allegedly served alcohol in the rectory to their son and other high school students. With the disciplinary procedures in place at that time, Bishop Galante confronted Fr. Paduch, who subsequently resigned from our Catholic high school.

• In February, 1997, (after Fr. Paduch had resigned from the Catholic high school) the Augustinians in Chicago and Fr. Paduch were sued in Cook County, Illinois, for an alleged incident of sexual abuse of a High School freshman in 1980. The Augustinians immediately notified the Diocese of Beaumont, where Fr. Paduch was assigned. Fr. Paduch denied the allegations, and he was never served with a summons. The Augustinians settled out of court in April, 1999.

• In September, 1999, Fr. Paduch was appointed pastor of Immaculate Conception Church, Liberty, Texas.

• In August, 2001, a 25 yr. old man living outside of the diocese filed a complaint against Fr. Paduch for a single incident of inappropriate touching in 1993, when the man was a16 yr. old student at our Catholic high school. Bishop Curtis Guillory, then Bishop of Beaumont, investigated according to the procedures in effect at that time and arranged to send Fr. Paduch for psychological evaluation and treatment. In October, 2001, Fr. Paduch decided instead to take a 3-yr. leave of absence from priestly ministry. Bishop Guillory revoked his priestly faculties and prohibited Fr. Paduch from functioning as a priest or wearing clerical attire. He later left Texas for the Chicago area, where he had family. Since Fr. Paduch’s departure from this diocese, no secular employer has ever contacted the diocese for a pre-employment reference check.

• With the implementation of the USCCB Charter, Bishop Guillory wrote a letter to Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago, in September, 2003, notifying him that Frank Paduch was living in his Archdiocese in Berwyn, IL, and that there was a recent complaint of sexual abuse of a minor in 1993. Bishop Guillory conducted additional follow-up of the complaint of the 25 yr. old man, according to our post-Charter procedures. Assistance by the diocese’s Victim Assistance Coordinator was offered, and provision for counseling at the diocese’s expense was made to the complainant. The Bishop personally contacted the young man.

• In December, 2003, the Diocese of Beaumont received a second allegation against Fr. Paduch from a 26 yr. old man living in another State. The allegation was about incidents of inappropriate touching between 1990-1992 when the man was 14-16 yrs. old and a student at our Catholic high school. Assistance by the diocese’s Victim Assistance Coordinator was offered, and provision for counseling at the diocese’s expense was made to the complainant. The Bishop personally contacted the young man. Bishop Guillory initiated a canonical preliminary investigation and followed the Charter procedures.

• In March, 2004, Bishop Guillory wrote Frank Paduch to notify him of the two allegations that were to be reviewed by the Diocesan Review Board, in accord with the Charter. [The Diocesan Review Board is a consultative body, consisting mainly of lay men and women, to assist the Bishop in discharging his responsibilities of assessing allegations of sexual abuse of a minor by church personnel and determining suitability for ministry or service.] The Review Board reviewed the complaints and made their recommendations to the Bishop. Frank Paduch also wrote a letter requesting laicization. In accord with the Charter and the directives of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the acts of the case and Frank Paduch’s letter were transmitted to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in May, 2004.

• In January, 2005, Bishop Guillory received confirmation from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that Frank Paduch had been laicized (a.k.a. “defrocked”). Letters of notification were sent by Bishop Guillory to the two former Catholic high school students to inform them of this end result, as well as Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, and the Major Superior of the Augustinians in Illinois.

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