Clergy Abuse Within the Archdiocese of Colorado

Fr. Abercrombie was ordained in the Archdiocese of Denver in 1946. At least 18 survivors have reported Abercrombie sexually abused them between 1946 and 1972. Abercrombie abused minor boys on overnight camping trips by taking them to his camping trailer parked in remote locations. One survivor reported the abuse to the Director of Catholic Youth Services at the Archdiocese of Denver after it happened. The Youth Director reported the abuse to another Archdiocese official and was told: “that was why [Abercrombie] was sent to the Veterans Hospital.” See the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” page 62. A copy of the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master Report, released on October 22, 2019, can be viewed here. Abercrombie died in 1994.

Fr. Abercrombie’s assignment history is as follows:

1946                Ordained; St. Joseph, Golden, CO

1946-1950       St. Francis de Sales, Denver, CO

1950-1953       Chaplain in Air Force

1953                St. Therese, Aurora, CO

1953-1956       St. Anthony, Hugo, CO

1956-1962       Sacred Heart, Roggen, CO

1962-1964       St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, Baker City, OR

1964-1966       All Saints, Denver, CO

1966-1969       St. Peter, Kremmling, CO

1969-1972       Chaplain at St. Anthony Hospital, Denver, CO

1972-1993       Chaplain at Veterans Affairs Research Hospital, Mission Hills, CA

Fr. Robert Banigan was ordained in 1941. In 2019, a survivor came forward reporting abuse he sustained from Fr. Banigan in approximately 1961 when the boy was just six years old. Banigan groomed and then sexually abused the altar boy after serving mass. The abuse continued for six to eight months until the survivor stopped showing up to the church. Fr. Banigan is named in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. He died in 1986.

 Fr. Banigan’s assignment history is as follows:

1942-1944       Annunciation, Leadville, CO

1945-1946       Chaplain in the U.S. Army

1947                Catholic University, Washington D.C.

1948-1953       St. Mary’s Church, Aspen, CO

1954-1958       Chaplain in the U.S. Army

1959-1965       St. Leo the Great, Denver, CO

1966-1970       Holy Ghost, Denver, CO

1968                The Mercy Hospital, Denver, CO

1971-1981       St. Anthony of Padua Church, Hugo, CO

1982                Sick Leave     

1983-1986       Retired

Fr. Barry was ordained in 1939.  He was accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl while he was assigned to St. Joseph’s Parish in Golden, CO during the early 1970s. The allegations were brought to the Archdiocese of Denver in 1973, but it appears the Archbishop either failed to document the abuse or ignored the allegation. The survivor later sued the Archdiocese in 2007, but the case was dismissed on statute of limitations grounds. Fr. Barry is named in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. He died in 2003.

Fr. Barry’s assignment history is as follows:

1940-1944       St. Patrick’s, Denver, CO

1945-1954       St. Peter, Kremmling, CO

1955-1970       Annunciation, Denver, CO

1971-1976       St. Joseph’s, Golden, CO

1977                Retired; St. Joan of Arc, Arvada, CO

1978-2003       Retired

Fr. Bosetti was ordained in 1918. In 2002, a survivor came forward describing abuse he sustained from Fr. Bosetti over a four to five-month period in the Archdiocese of Denver’s chancery offices. At the time, Bosetti was the Chancellor of the Denver Archdiocese and ran the Cathedral Boys Choir Director. Bosetti abused the 16-year-old boy at least ten times between 1949 and 1950. Fr. Bosetti is named in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. He died in 1954.

Fr. Bosetti’s assignment history is as follows:

1931-1954       Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Denver, CO; Vicar General, Denver, CO; Chancellor, Denver, CO

1954                Died

Fr. Charles Brown was ordained in 1958. The first reports of Fr. Brown’s sexual abuse of minors occurred in June 2005 and again in November 2005. The survivor was an altar boy. Fr. Brown abused him for approximately five years, from age thirteen to seventeen. The abuse occurred while Fr. Brown was an Assistant Pastor at St. Joseph’s Parish in Fort Collins, from approximately 1962 to 1966. The Archdiocese of Denver did not report the abuse to law enforcement and waited seven years before eventually reporting it to the Fort Collins Police Department. Fr. Brown is named in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. He retired in 2003 and his current whereabouts are unknown.

Fr. Brown’s assignment history is as follows:

            1959-1960        St. Joseph’s, Fort Collins, CO

            1961-1967        Newman Club Chaplain, Colorado A and M, Colorado Springs, CO

            1961-1970        St. Joseph’s, Fort Collins, CO

            1971-1978        Unknown

            1979-1987        Sangre de Cristo, Albuquerque, NM

            1988-2002        Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Alamos, NM

            2003                Retired

Fr. Rafael Jairo Calle was an extern priest from Ecuador. Fr. Calle was named in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019.” According to the Special Master’s Report, Fr. Calle arrived in the Archdiocese of Denver in 1997 and was temporarily assigned to St. Stephen Parish in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. That same year, the Archdiocese received a report that Fr. Calle sexually abused a minor boy at St. Stephen’s. Fr. Calle was reportedly confronted with the allegations by the Archdiocese and fled the state. Fr. Calle’s current status as a priest, his whereabouts, and whether he has access to children are unknown.

Fr. Calle has no assignment history.

Fr. Timothy Evans was ordained in 1993. Even prior to ordination, Fr. Evans showed issues with “relational dynamics” during seminary causing his ordination to be delayed until an evaluation indicated these “problems were fixed.” Fr. Evans served in multiple parishes in the Archdiocese of Denver, where he abused several teenage boys. Fr. Evans was charged with two counts of sexually abusing three teenage boys in 1995-97 and 1999. He was removed from active ministry in 2003. During his trial on these counts, the judge was going to allow other accusers to testify. Evans pled innocent to all charges. He was found guilty in the first trial against him in March 2007, and again, in another county, in a second trial conducted in April 2007.  Two judges sentenced Evans to 14 years to life in May 2007, with four more years added a day later in another case. Evans was named in his first civil suit in April 2007. This suit settled in April 2008. Evans was laicized (dismissed from the clerical state) in 2013. Evans was named in the Colorado Attorney General’s Report, published October 22, 2019. Evans was up for parole in December 2019; his parole was denied at that time. However, Evans was granted parole in July 2020. His current whereabouts are unknown.

Fr. Evans’ assignment history is as follows:

1994-96           Spirit of Christ Parish, Arvada, CO

1997-98           Our Lady of Fatima Church, Lakewood, CO

1999-2003       St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton Church, Fort Collins, CO

2004-19           Unknown

Fr. Edward Fraczkowski was included in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019.” In 2015, a survivor reported to the Archdiocese of Denver that she was sexually abused as a minor child by Fr. Fraczkowski when he was assigned to St. Michael’s Parish in Craig, Colorado, from 1967 to 1969. Per the Special Master’s Report, Fr. Fraczkowski abruptly left his assignment at St. Michael’s in 1969 and retained his priestly faculties until his death in 1978. Fr. Fraczkowski’s whereabouts and whether he had access to children from 1974 until his death in 1978 are unknown.

Fr. Fraczkowski’s assignment history is as follows:

1939-44           Holy Family, Denver, CO

1945-48           St. Joseph’s, Denver, CO

1949                Glockner-Penrose Hospital, Colorado Springs, CO

1950-60           St. Mary’s, Rifle, CO

1961-69           St. Michael’s, Craig, CO

1970-73           St. Joseph’s, Denver, CO

1974-77           Unknown

1978                Died

Fr. Neil Hewitt was ordained in 1962. Before he left the priesthood in 1980, Fr. Hewitt sexually abused multiple boys. The Archdiocese of Denver reportedly knew of allegations against Fr. Hewitt in 1992. In 2002, a woman told the Archdiocese that Hewitt abused her cousin in the 1960s. She gave the archdiocese a letter her cousin had written to Hewitt about the abuse. Her cousin died by suicide in 1991. In December, 2017, a man told a news outlet that Hewitt abused him at age 14 during a trip to Expo ’67 in Montreal. He said another priest and two other boys were on the trip. The man came forward to the Archdiocese in December, 2017. When contacted by another news outlet in May, 2019, Hewitt acknowledged he did things that were “wrong,” involving “around eight, maybe nine” boys. Hewitt left the priesthood in 1979 and married. He was laicized (removed from the clerical state) in 2018. Hewitt was included in the Colorado Attorney General’s report, published October 22, 2019. Hewitt was reportedly living in AZ in 2019.

When Hewitt was a seminarian in 1958, he worked at Camp St. Malo where a deaf boy disappeared and was later found dead. Two other seminarians there at the time were also later found to be serial child sex abusers.

Fr. Hewitt’s assignment history is as follows:

1963-65           St. Anthony’s, Sterling, CO

1966-67           St. Therese, Aurora, CO

1968-69           Annunciation, Leadville, CO

1970-72           Unknown

1973-79           Annunciation, Leadville, CO

1981-2019       Unknown

Fr. Holloway has been named publicly as a credibly accused sexual abuser in the Colorado Attorney General’s Report, published October 22, 2019. The CO AG report noted that Holloway “appeared to” use his skills as a PhD psychologist to groom and rape six boys between 1962 and 1982. Further, Holloway’s behavior was “the most calculated, horrific, and predatory we saw in our entire review.” The Report strongly criticized the Archdiocese of Denver’s response to survivors of Holloway’s sexual abuse in the 1990s and early 2000s. Reportedly, the Archdiocese did not investigate or report any of the allegations to law enforcement, and in 2017, the Archdiocese told the Vatican that an allegation received then was not substantiated, despite not investigating it. Holloway died in 1982.

Fr. Halloway’s assignment history is as follows:

1956                St. John’s Church, Arcadia, IA

1957-60           Assumption Church, Emmetsburg, IA

1961                On duty outside of the Diocese

1962                Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Denver, CO

 1963-66          Sacred Heart Church, Roggen, CO

1967                The Mercy Hospital, Denver, CO

1968                St. Anthony Hospital, Denver, CO

1969                Holy Cross Chruch, Thornton, CO

1970-71           Little Sisters of the Poor, Denver, CO

1973                St. Mary’s, Brush, CO

1974-75           Martin de Porres Chruch, Boulder, CO

1976-78           Penrose Hospital, Colorado Springs, CO

1979-1982       Retried, Denver CO

1982                Died

Fr. McGinn served in multiple parishes in the Archdiocese of Denver where he sexually abused at least one woman, who at the time of the abuse was eight years old. Fr. McGinn is named publicly as an accused sexual abuser in the Colorado Attorney General’s Report, published October 22, 2019. In 1994, a woman reported to the Archdiocese of Denver that Fr. McGinn sexually abused her when she was eight years old in the late 1950s or early 1960s. Fr. McGinn denied the allegations and was kept in ministry. McGinn died in 2002. 

Fr. McGinn’s assignment history is as follows:

1953-61           St. James, Denver, CO

1962-66           St. John’s, Yuma, CO

1967-75           Guardian Angels, Denver, CO

1967-77           St. Mark at Lionhead, Westminster, CO

1978-80           Montbello Catholic Church, Denver, CO

1981-91           St. Louis, Lousiville, CO

1992-95           Holy Ghost, Denver, CO

1996-2002       Died

Fr. Francis Pettit was ordained in the Archdiocese of Denver in 1976. He served at multiple parishes within the Archdiocese. In 1989, a priest in the Archdiocese of Denver received a report from someone who said they witnessed Pettit sexually abuse a girl in about 1963. This witness reported seeing this child being taken from class and sexually abused by Fr. Pettit in the Rectory at St. Therese Parish Grade School, where she was a student. A second witness came forward in 2019 and reported the same abuse. The alleged victim of Fr. Pettit’s sexual abuse was deceased by the time of this second report in 2019. Pettit died in 1987.

Fr. Petitit’s assignment history is as follows:

1938-39           Grand Junction, CO

1940-43           Annunciation, Denver, CO

1944                St. Leo the Great, Denver, CO

1945-47           Biessed Sacrament, Denver, CO

1948-53           St. Anthony of Padua, Hugo, CO

1954-57           Our Lady of Lordes, Denver, CO

1958-63           St. Therese, Denver, CO

1964-67           On sick leave – location unknown

1968                St. Joseph’s, Fort Collins, CO

1969                St. Jude, Denver, CO

1970-75           our Lady of Fatima, Denver, CO

1977-80           Notre Dame, Denver, CO

1981-86           Retired, Pueblo, CO

1987                Died

Fr. James Rasby was ordained in 1954 and during his career, was named Monsignor. Fr. Rasby served at many parishes in the Archdiocese of Devnver, with his longest assignment being at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception from 1970 to 1989. Fr. Rasby is named in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. In 1975, a 13-year-old boy told another priest at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception that Fr. Rasby fondled his genitals. Rasby wrote a note to the boy saying “You have every right to be mad at me.” Despite this allegation, Fr. Rasby was kept in ministry. In 1990, a 16-year-old boy told his parents – who informed the Archdiocese of Denver – that Fr. Rasby had been hugging him and kissing him on the cheeks, then later kissed him on the lips, despite the boy’s protest. Fr. Rasby denied these allegations. After an investigation, he was sent to outpatient treatment and was restricted access to boys. The Archdiocese kept Fr. Rasby as a pstor in good standing until his retirement in 1995. He died July 23, 2014.

Fr. Rasby’s assignment history is as follows:

1953-59           Christ the King, Denver, CO

1960-67           St. Anne’s Shrine, Avrada, CO

1968-69           St. Joan of Arc, Arvada, CO

1970-89           Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Denver, CO

1990-95           St. Vincent De Paul, Denver, CO

1996-2004       Retired, 1011 S. Valencia, Villa 3, Denver, CO

2005-2014       Retired, 460 S. Marion, Pkw #1206-C, 80209

2014                Died

Fr. Leonard Scezney was ordained in the Archdiocese of Denver in 1985. Fr. Scezney is named in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. In March 2007, the Archdiocese received a report that Scezney had sexually abused a 16-year-old girl in about 1985. The girl was a member of the parish youth group at Spirit of Christ in Arvada, where Scezney was assigned. Scezney allegedly took the girl to dinner, was increasingly affectionate toward her, then fondled her breasts under her shirt on multiple occasions. Scezney’s faculties were removed by the Archdiocese in 1992.

Fr. Scezney’s assignment history is as follows:

1986                Spirit of Christ, Catholic Community, Arvada, CO

1987-88           Blessed Sacrament, Denver, CO

1998-90           Notre Dame, Denver, CO

1991-92           Unknown

1993-2002       Absent on Leave

2003-2019       Unknown

Fr. John Harley Schmitt was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Denver in 1940. Fr. Schmitt has been accused of sexually abusing multiple boys, and at least one girl. In 2010, a woman reported to the Archdiocese that Fr. Schmitt sexually abused her when she was between eight and nine years old, during 1963 and 1964. She was a student at All Saints in Denver, CO, where Schmitt was assigned. The Archdiocese’s Conduct Response Team reportedly deemed the allegation not credible. However, Fr. Schmitt is named in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. In this Report, the Colorado AG noted the Archdiocese’s “flawed” process and asserted the Archdiocese reached the wrong decision in this woman’s case. In 1993, a man came forward to the Archdiocese reporting that Schmitt molested him in 1963, when he was 13 years. This abuse occurred at All Saints in Denver. Schmitt denied these allegations. He died in 2003.

Fr. Schmitt’s assignment history is as follows:

1941-46           Blessed Sacrament, Denver, CO

1947-48           St. Francis Hospital and Sanatorium, Colorado Springs, CO

1949-50           Appolonare University, Rome, Italy

1951                On duty ouside the Diocese, Appolonare University, Rome, Italy

1952-1970       All Saints, Denver, CO

1971-74           Our Lady of Fatima, Denver, CO

1975-89           Our Lady of Fatima, Lakewood, CO

1990-96           Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged, Denver, CO

1990-2003       Retired, Mullen Home, 3629 W. 29th Ave, Denver, CO

2003                Died

Fr. Lawrence St. Peter was ordained in the Archdiocese of Denver in 1959. Throughout his career, he served as a Monsignor, a Superintendent of Catholic schools, a Vicar of Priests, and a parish priest. He served at many parishes in the Archdiocese of Denver. One complainant settled with the Archdiocese in July 1, 2008, as part of  $5.5M settlement involving eighteen people alleging abuse by three priests, including Fr. St. Peter. Fr. St. Peter is named in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. Per CO A.G.’s report, the Archdiocese received allegations against St. Peter as early as 1970. Church files show reports he abused children, including rape, from the 1960s through the 1990s. Fr. St. Peter was absent on leave 1993 to 2002. He died August 18, 2003. Fr. St. Peter was reportedly living and working at Queen of Peace parish in Denver at the time of his death. In February, 2019, a man stated publicly that St. Peter sexually abused him for years, including raping him twice at age eight, in 1982. St. Peter was the boy’s father’s best friend.

Fr. St. Peter’s assignment history is as follows:

1959-70           St. John the Evangelist, Denver, CO

1970-72           Mother of God, Denver, CO

1972-82           Holy Family, Denver, CO

1978-80           East Denver Deanery, Denver, CO

1982-85           Immaculate Heart of Mary, Northglenn, CO

1982-88           Vicar for Priests, Denver, CO

1985-89           Mother of God, Denver, CO

1989-93           Church of the Risen Christ, Denver, CO

1993-2002       Absent of Leave

2003                Died

Fr. Cletus Stein was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Dodge City. He also reportedly worked with the Archdiocese of Denver from 1973 to 1976. In approximately 1987, Fr. Stein began working in the Diocese of Amarillo, Texas, where he was incardinated in 1993. Fr. Stein was included in the 2019 Dodge City “Diocese releases names of priests, seminarians with substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of children” in the subsection “Priests with Allegations Arising in the Dodge City Diocese.” According to this list, Fr. Stein no longer works as a priest. All allegations against him to date have been deemed credible. Fr. Stein’s current whereabouts and whether he has access to children are unknown.

Fr. Stein’s assignment history is as follows:

1967                Unknown

1968-69           Sacred Heart, Pratt, KS

1971                St. John the Evangelist, Hoisington, KS

1972                Absent on leave

1973-74           On duty outside the Diocese, John XXIII University Parish, Fort Collins, CO

1974-76           Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

1975                On duty outside the Diocese 1505 Fairview, Wichita, KS

1976                St. Rose of Lima, Great Bend, KS

1977-83           St. Joseph, Greensburg, KS

1984    Special assignment: Vicar for Peace and Justice Affairs, Res. 804 5th St. St. Garden City, KS 67846

1985    St. Alphonsus, Santana, KS

1986-87           St. Mary of the Plains College, Dodge City, KS

1988-93           On duty outside the Diocese

1989-95           St. Francis, Amarillo, TX

1993    West Texas State Catholic Student Center, Canyon, TX

1994-96           Holy Name, Happy, TX

1994-95           Catholic Student Center West Texas A&M, Canyon, TX

1997-1999       Holy Name of Jesus, Happy, TX

1997-99           Holy Family, Nazareth, TX

2000-04           Retired P.O. Box 159 Nazareth, TX 79063

2005-2019       Unknown

Fr. George Weibel was ordained in the Archdiocese of Denver in 1948. Fr. Weibel is named in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. Weibel allegedly fondled a girl at a swimming pool between 1969 and 1972; this abuse was reported in 1988. Fr. Weibel reportedly abused her and her friends on ice-skating trips as well. In 2014, the Archdiocese also received a report that Fr. Weibel groped a girl and her friend at a swimming pool when they were age 12 in 1966. In October 2019, a woman told a news outlet that Weibel groped her breasts over her swim suit when she was age 10 in 1959. He died 11/1/08.

Fr. Weibel’s assignment history is as follows:

1948-49           Unknown

1950-57           St. Vincent de Paul, Denver, CO

1957-1958       Chaplain, University of Denver, Denver, CO

1958-67           Nativity of Our Lord, Broomfield, Boulder, CO

1967-68           Unknown

1968-69           Nativity of Our Lord, Broomfield, Boulder, CO

1969-72           Holy Family, Denver, CO

1972-76           Colombia Catholic Parish, Littleton, CO

1976-85           Columbine Catholich Parish, Littleton, CO

1985-92           Our Lady of Lourdes, Denver, CO

1992-2000       Sacred Heart of Jesus, Boulder, CO

2000-07           Retired

2008    Died

Fr. Robert Whipkey was ordained in the Archdiocese of Denver in 1983. Fr. Whipkey is named in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. In 1998, during a four-day field trip to a camp in Florissant CO, Whipkey, as chaperone, shared a cabin with four sixth-grade boys. Their parents complained to the Archdiocese that Whipkey was naked much of the time in the cabin and put shaving cream on the boys’ faces while naked to wake them up at least one morning. Fr. Whipkey was pastor of St. Anthony’s in Sterling, Sacred Heart in Peetz, and St. Catherine in Iliff during that time. The Archdiocese required Fr. Whipkey to receive therapy, and he was sent to St. Louis for a 3-day evaluation. He first denied, then later admitted to a sexual motivation for his behavior. After a year and five months, and despite his therapist’s warning, Fr. Whipkey was reassigned without restrictions to Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Denver. He was arrested in June 2007, for walking down a street nude. He was placed on leave in August 2007 after this arrest became public. Fr. Whipkey was convicted in June 2008 of indecent exposure and sentenced to five-years probation and community service, and required to register as a sex offender.

Fr. Whipkey’s assignment history is as follows:

1983-84           St. John the Baptist, Boulder, CO

1984-87           Notre Dame, Denver, CO

1988    Unknown

1989-90           St. Jude, Lakewood, CO

1990-95           St. Andrew’s, Yuma, CO

1995-99           St. Catherine of Siena, Denver CO; Sacred Heart, Peetz, CO; Northeastern Junior College, Sterling, CO; St. Anthony, Denver, CO

1999-2000       Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Denver CO; Catherine of Siena, Denver, CO; Sacred Heart, Peetz, CO; Northeastern Junior College, Sterling, CO

2000-03           St. Scholastica, Erie, CO; St. Theresa, Fredrick, CO; St. Catherine of Siena, Denver, CO; Sacred Heart, Peetz, CO; Northeastern Junior College, Sterling, CO

2007-2019       Unknown

Fr. Harold White was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Denver in 1960. Prior to his ordination, Fr. White worked as Deacon at Holy Family in Denver, Colorado, where he allegedly sexually abused a young boy. The minor boy reported the abuse to a nun at the time, but was assaulted by the nun and told to never speak of the abuse again. Archdiocese internal documents reveal officials received reports in 1960 of Fr. White sexually abusing four boys. Purportedly, the Archdiocese was made aware of another allegation of child sexual abuse against Fr. White in 1961. Since 1961, multiple reports of Fr. White sexually abusing children have been submitted to the Archdiocese. In 1993, Fr. White reportedly left active ministry. At least 30 men and woman have filed civil lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse by Fr. White. Lawsuits filed in 2005 and 2006 resulted in a 2008 settlement, which included the release of Archdiocesan secret documents regarding Fr. White’s sexual abuse. Fr. White was included in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019.” Fr. White’s status as a priest, his whereabouts, and whether he had access to children from 1993 until his death in 2006 are unknown.

Fr. White’s assignment history is as follows:

1960-63           St. Catherine’s, Denver, CO

1963-65           St. Mary’s, Colorado Springs, CO

1965-68           St. Anthony’s, Sterling, CO

1968-70           St. John the Evangelist, Loveland, CO

1970-78           St. Patrick, Minturn, CO: St. Mary’s Eagle, CO; Our Lady of Mt. Camel. Red Cliff, CO; The Interfaith Chapel, Vail, CO

1978-81           St. Mary’s, Aspen, CO

1981-83           Church of the Good Shepherd, Denver, CO

1983-86           SS. Peter and Paul, Wheat Ridge, CO

1986-89           St. Anne’s, Grand Lake, CO

1987-89           Our Lady of the Snow, Granby, CO; St. Bernard, Fraser-Winter Park, CO

1989-90           Holy Names, Steamboat Springs, CO

1990-92           St. Mary’s, Eagle, CO

1990-93           St. Patrick, Minturn, CO: Our Lady of Mt. Camel, Red Cliff, CO; The Interfaith Chapel, Vail, CO, Avon Catholic Community, Beaver Creek, CO

1993-2002       Absent on leave

2003-05           Unknown

2006    Died

Fr. Thomas Woerth was ordained in 1966. Fr. Woerth is named in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. The Archdiocese received an allegation in March, 2019 that Woerth sexually abused a male high school student in 1971, 1972 and 1973, while Woerth was assigned to Holy Trinity parish in Colorado Springs and St. Mary’s High School. Woerth denied the allegation. The Archdiocese removed his faculties. He retired in 2008 and moved out of state.

Fr. Woerth’s assignment history is as follows:

1996-68           St. Mary’s, Colorado Springs, CO

1968-76           Holy Trinity, Colorado Springs, CO

1976-78           Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Denver, CO

1978-81           St. James, Denver, CO

1981-84           St. Joseph’s Church, Fort Collins, CO

1984-85           Holy Family, Denver, CO

1985-90           Sacred Heart of Jesus, Boulder, CO

1990-91           Unknown

1991-92           Christ the King, Denver, CO

1992-2002       Veterans Hospital, Denver, CO

2002-03           St. John the Baptist, Johnston, CO

2003-08           St. Joseph’s Hospital, Denver, CO

2008-17           Retired

2018-19           Unknown

Diocese of Pueblo

Fr. John Beno was ordained in the Diocese of Pueblo in 1959. He has had at least two credible accusations of sexual abuse against him. In the fall of 1996, he was accused of sexually abusing a 5-year-old girl in approximately the fall of 1961 while at St. Francis Xavier Parochial School in Pueblo, Colorado. In December 2005, another survivor came forward accusing Fr. Beno of sexually abusing her in the late 1960s (approximately 1968-69) at Seton High School in Pueblo, Colorado, during her junior year. In approximately 1985-86, the second survivor had written Beno regarding the abuse, and he asked her to meet with him. When she arrived, he was accompanied by three lawyers. While he did not deny sexually abusing her, he allegedly intimidated and threated her with eternal damnation if she reported the abuse. Fr. Beno is listed in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here.  He retired in the late 90s and died in 2000.

Fr. Beno’s assignment history is:

1960                Sacred Heart Cathedral, Pueblo, CO

1961-1964       St. Francis Xavier, Pueblo, CO

1965-1967       St. Peter’s, Rocky Ford, CO

1968-1969       Our Lady of the Assumption, Pueblo, CO

1970-1983       St Anne, Pueblo, CO

1984-1999       Absent on Leave, Unknown or Retired

Msgr. Delbert Blong has had several allegations of sexual abuse against him, which began right out of seminary in his first assignment as an Assistant Pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Junta, CO.

In September 1993, a survivor reported that Blong sexually abused him sometime between 1952 and 1967. When asked about the abuse, Blong did not deny abusing the survivor and instead stated, “I may have fondled him.” Around the same time, another two survivors reported sexual abuse by Blong, in approximately 1965 and between the fall of 1970 and the fall or 1974. Blong acknowledged that he “may have” sexually abused the survivor in 1965 and confirmed that he had sexually abused the other survivor in the early 70s. In December 1993, another survivor reported abuse by Blong during an overnight trip to Denver to shop for “church supplies.” Blong admitted that he “may have” abused the boy and that “anything that happened, I was asleep.”  In June 1994, another survivor reported abuse by Blong between approximately 1970 and 1975. In May 2002, a survivor came forward and accused Blong of molesting him when he was a 13-year-old boy in 1953.

The Parish Administrator at Our Lady of Guadalupe was aware Blong was grooming minors in 1952. Just seven months into Blong’s first assignment, the Parish Administrator at Our Lady of Guadalupe sent a letter to the Bishop of the Diocese of Pueblo stating that Blong was engaging in grooming behavior with a group of young boys who attended the parish school. The letter characterized Blong as “actually love crazy” for the parish teenage boys. The Parish Administrator wrote a letter to Blong directing him to refrain from being around teenage male parishioners alone and the Bishop purportedly summoned Blong to Pueblo and admonished him for his grooming.  The reprimand was not documented, law enforcement was never contacted, and no further action was taken to restrict Blong in any way. In 1994, Blong admitted to sexually abusing “less than ten” adolescent boys between 1953 and 1957 during his assignment in La Junta. 

Msgr. Blong is listed in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here.  He retired in 1991 and died in 1999.

Msgr. Blong’s assignment history is as follows:

1953-1967       Our Lady of Guadalupe, La Junta, CO     

1968-1976       Sacred Heart, Alamosa, CO

1972-1973       Liturgical Commission

1977-1982       Newman Center of Southern Colorado, Pueblo, CO

1977-1985       Christ the King, Pueblo, CO

1986                Newman Apostolate of Fort Lewis, Durango, CO

1987-1990       Durango Deanery, Durango, CO

1986-1991       St. Columba, Durango, CO

1991                Retired

1991-1994       Defensores Vinculi, Diocesan Tribunal; Pro-Synodal Judges, Diocesan Tribunal

Fr. Leo Bonfadini was ordained in 1974 in the Diocese of Pueblo. In 1994, a survivor came forward and accused Bonfadini of kissing, fondling, and raping him when he was a 17-year-old boy in the parish rectory of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. Bonfadini did not directly admit to the abuse but stated that he had “made regrettable decisions… with permanent consequences.” Fr. Bonfadini is listed in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here.  He went absent on leave in 1996 and his current whereabouts are unknown.

Fr. Bonfadini’s assignment history is as follows:

1975                St. Francis Xavier, Pueblo, CO

1976-1977       St. Columba Church, Durango, CO

1978-1979       On Duty Outside the Diocese

1980                Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pueblo, CO

1981-1983       Sacred Heart, Pueblo, CO

1984                Special Assignment (assignment unknown)

1985-1995       St. Pius X Church, Pueblo, CO

1996-               Absent on Leave, or Unknown

Fr. Walter Buetzler was ordained a priest in the Dioese of Pueblo in 1942. In 1990, a survivor came forward reporting that Fr. Buetzler abused him in approximately 1953 when he was a fifth-grade student at St. Joseph’s School in Monte Vista. The survivor told his father soon after the abuse occurred, and his father and parish council members then met with the Pueblo Bishop. The Bishop told the father that they believed Buetzler was molesting boys in the parish. Buetzler then moved to California in approximately 1955.  Fr. Buetzler is listed in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. He died in 1988.

Fr. Buetzler’s assignment history is as follows:

1943-1947       Currently unknown

1948-1952       St. Patrick’s, Crested Butte, CO

1953                Our Lady of Guadalupe, La Junta, CO

1954                St. Joseph’s, Monte Vista, CO

1955-1956       University of San Diego, Alcala Park, CA

1955-1958       St. Joseph’s Cathedral, San Diego, CA

1956-1968       San Diego College for Men, San Diego, CA

1969-1987       Retired

1988                Died

Fr. Burke was ordained in 1969. In 2004, he was accused of sexually molesting an altar server from 1971 to 1973. The boy was 11 to 13 years old when the abuse occurred. Burke groomed the boy by establishing a counseling relationship with him and paying him to be a “guinea pig” in “psychology experiments about what the human body can endure.” During this time, Burke was the Chaplain at Parkview Hospital and a part-time Assistant Pastor and resident at St. Pius X Parish in Pueblo. He was laicized (removed from the clerical state) and left the priesthood in December 1973 for “psychosexual behavior disorder.” Fr. Burke is listed in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. He died in 2005.

Fr. Burke’s assignment history is as follows:

1969-1971       St. Joseph’s, Grand Junction, CO

1972-1973       St. Pius X, Pueblo, CO

1974-2004       Unknown

Fr. Michael C. DeScoise was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Pueblo in 1975. Thereafter, he served in multiple parishes in the Diocese of Pueblo. Fr. DeScoise is listed in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. In 2018 the Diocese of Pueblo received an allegation that DeScoise sexually abused a 14-year-old boy in 1986 or 1987, while assigned to St. Joseph’s in Grand Junction. His accuser said the abuse occurred during what was supposed to be confession and spiritual counseling on a walk in a rural area. DeScoise denied the allegation. The Diocese suspended his priestly faculties suspended and sent his case to the Vatican. In 2016, DeScoise’s faculties had been suspended after he admitted to sexual activity with adult men; they were restored in 2017 after counseling.

Fr. DeScoise’s assignment history is as follows:

1976-78           St. Joseph Church, Salida, CO

1979                Unknown

1980-81           St. Columba Church, Durango, CO

1982-83           Immaculate Heart of Mary Chruch, Grand Junction, CO

1984-86           Unknown

1987                St. Joseph Church, Grand Junction, CO

1988                Absent on Leave

1989-90           Unknown

1991-1994       St. Mary, Pueblo, CO

1995                St. Pius X Church, Pueblo, CO

1998-2000       Unknown

2001-2012       Parkview Hospital, Pueblo, CO

2014-2019       Unknown

Fr. William Gleeson was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Pueblo in 1966 and served in multiple parishes within the Diocese. Fr. Gleeson is listed in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. According to this report, Gleeson sexually molested a thirteen year old boy at St. Pius X in Pueblo in approximately 1969. The survivor of this abuse came forward in 1993, describing to the Diocese of Pueblo that Gleeson got him drunk, brought him into the priest’s bedroom at the rectory, and masturbated himself as he touched the child. Gleeson denied this allegation. The Diocese sent him for two psychological evaluations, but determined the allegation against Gleeson was “inconclusive.” Gleeson remained in ministry unrestricted thereafter. He died in 2018.

Fr Gleeson’s assignment history is as follows:

1967-68           St. Mary’s, Montrose, CO

1969-70           St. Pius X, Pueblo, CO

1971-80           St. Mary, Las Animas, CO

1981-85           ST. Mary Church, Walsenburg, CO

1986-95           Christ the King Church, Pueblo, CO

1996-01           St. Joseph Church, Capulin, CO

2002-12           Sacred Heart Church, Alamosa, CO

2008-12           St. Joseph, Pueblo, CO; St. Therese, Pueblo, CO

2018                Died

Fr. William Groves was ordained a priest in 1980. Fr. Groves is listed in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here.  Fr. Groves targeted runaway Native American and Hispanic children; he gave them drugs and alcohol. Fr. Groves also previously worked in Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas. He pled guilty in 1990 to the 1989 sexual assault of a 14-year-old boy, which occurred when Fr. Groves was pastor of St. Ignatius in Ignacio. Groves was sentenced to 90 days jail and 4 years probation. He was sent to treatment and left the priesthood. Groves admitted in1992 to abusing 4 “Ute boys.” From 1992 to 2002, Groves worked in Oklahoma as a counselor and chaplain at a drug and alcohol rehab center. He was fired in 2002 when his past criminal history and sexual abuse of minors was discovered. In 2004, another boy reported abuse by Groves when the boy was aged 8-15, in 1982 to 1989; Groves denied it. He was again accused in 2009 of sexually abusing a boy, aged 12-13, between 1987-88, and giving him alcohol and marijuana. Groves was named in a2009 civil suit by two men in Colorado. Groves became a minister at “Spiritual Light Center” in Franklin, NC; he is still active there in 2019.

Fr. Groves’ assignment history is as follows:

1981-82           St. Mary Church, Walsenburg, CO

1983                St. Leander, Pueblo, CO

1984-86           St. Columba Church, Durango, CO

1986-89           St. Ignatius Mission, Ignacio, CO

1990-2002       Absent on leave

2003-2019       Unknown

Fr. John A. Haberthier was ordained a priest in 1948. He worked in various dioceses throughout the United States, including as an extern priest for the Diocese of Pueblo. Fr. Haberthier is listed in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. Per the Colorado Attorney General’s Report, Fr. Habertheir abused at least four boys in the Diocese of Pueblo, and the Bishop knew in at least 1977. Fr. Haberthier has been named in other clergy reports including: the Diocese of San Bernadino’s list of “Clergy Credibly Accused of Child Sexual Abuse;” the Dicoese of Wichita’s “Diocesan Disclosure of Clergy;” and the Diocese of Dodge City’s list of “priests, seminarians with substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of children.”

Fr. Haberthier’s assignment history is as follows:

1949-50           St. Patrick, Wichita, KS

1951-52           Catherdral of the Sacred Heard, Dodge City, KS

1953                St. Rose Hospital, Great Bend, KS

1954-60           St. Theresa’s, Drighton, KS

1961-65           St. Michael’s, La Crosse, KS

1966                Wilson Memorial Hospital, Ulysses, KS

1967                Unknown

1968-71           Immaculate Heart of Mary, Windhorst, KS

1972-74           St. Patricks, Plains, KS

1975                On leave of absence

1976-79           St. Francis Xavier, Pueblo, CO

1976-94           On duty outside the Diocese

1995-98           Retired, San Jacinto, CA

1999-2008       Unknown

2009                Died

Fr. Gary Kennedy was ordained a priest in 1968. Fr. Kennedy is listed in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. According to this report, an allegation that Kennedy sexually abused a boy, ages 13-15, during 1967-69 was received in September, 2019. The priest was assigned to St. Mary’s in Montrose at the time of the alleged abuse. He is said to have wrestled with altar boys, one at a time, on a mattress behind a curtain in the church basement. His accuser said that Kennedy would grab him and grind his genitals against him. Kennedy retired in 2011. He was assisting at a Pueblo parish when accused. Fr. Kennedy’s faculties were suspended pending the Diocese’s internal investigation.

Fr. Kennedy’s assignment history is as follows:

1969                St. Mary’s, Montrose CO

1970                St. Peter’s, Ordway, CO

1971-73           Sacred Heart, Walsenburg, CO

1974-80           St. Peter Church, Rocky Ford, CO

1981-85           Holy Family, Pueblo, CO

1986-93           St. Mary Church, Montrose, CO

1994                Sabbatical

1995-96           St. Joseph Church, Monte Vista, CO

1997-2001       Sacred Heart Church, Alamosa, CO

2002-2011       Centrua Health – St. Mary Corwin Medical Center, Pueblo, CO

2012                Unknown

2013-19           Retired

Fr. Michael J. Krol was ordained a priest in 1945 for the Diocese of Austin in Texas. Fr. Krol is listed in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. He is also named publicly as accused on the Diocese of Austin’s list, published January 31, 2019., and on the Diocese of Norwich’s list, published February 22, 2019. Fr. Krol also worked or lived in Brooklyn NY, Chicago IL, Jacarezinho Brazil, London, UK, Runge TX, Enid OK, Sayre OK, Lamar CO, New London CT. He died in 1996.

The Colorado Attorney General’s report details sexual abuse by Krol in the Pueblo diocese of three teenage boys in 1962, each reported the same year to the Diocese. Pueblo had accepted Krol in 1961, despite information from Brooklyn diocese about his abuse of boys.

Fr Krol’s assignment history is as follows:

1946-49           Unknown

1950-51           St. Francis Xavier, Enid, OK

1952-53           Sacred Heart, Sayre, OK

1954-60           Unknown

1961                St. Finbar’s, Brooklyn, NY

1962                St. Francis de Sales, Lamar, CO

1963-64           Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New London, CT

1965-69           Unknown

1970-71           St. Thomas, Hamilton, TX

1972-73           St. Mary’s, San Saba, TX

1974-76           St. Mary’s, Bremond, TX

1977-90           Guardian Angels, Wallis, TX

1991                Unknown

1992-96           Retired: St. Anthony’s, Runge TX

1992-96           Retired: Kopernick Shores, Brownsville, TX

1996                Died

Fr. Daniel C. Maio was ordained a priest in 1960. He served in multiple parishes in the Diocese of Pueblo before leaving active priesthood in 1974.Fr. Maio died June 9, 2006.Fr. Maio is listed in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. A civil suit was filed against the Diocese of Pueblo in March, 2010 alleging sexual abuse by Maio of a 15-year-old boy between 1968-69 while Maio was Diocesan Youth Director, leading a “SEARCH” program, and assigned to St. Patrick’s. Maio allegedly gave the boy and other youths alcohol and marijuana and had them play strip poker. He then fondled the boys and simulated sexual intercourse, progressing to oral sex and sodomy. A second suit filed in April 2010 contained similar allegations, also in 1968. Both suits settled in May, 2011.

Fr. Maio’s assignment history is as follows:

 1967               Christ the King, Pueblo, CO

1968-70           St. Patrick’s Church, Pueblo, CO

1971-74           Propagation of the Faith, Pueblo, CO

1975-80           Leave of Absence

1981                On duty outside the Diocese

1982-2005       Unknown

2006                Died

Fr. Marin was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Pueblo and served in at least one parish within the Diocese of Pueblo, Our Lady of Assumption. Fr. Marin is listed in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here.  According to a report in 2009, Fr. Marin sexually abused a girl, age 5 or 6, in 1956 or 1957. His accuser said the abuse occurred in the rectory basement, that Marin turned out the lights, put his hand over her mouth and said, “It’s okay, I love you.” She said he also groomed her with presents. Marin was assigned at the time of the alleged abuse to Our Lady of the Assumption. Fr. Marin died in 1976.

Fr. Marin’s assignment history is as follows:

1957                Our Lady of the Assumption, Pueblo, CO

1958-64           Holy Name of Mary, Chicago, IL

1965-73           St. Thaddeus, Chicago, IL

1974-75           Unknown

1976                Died

Fr. John F. Martin served in many parishes within the Diocese of Pueblo. Fr. Martin is listed in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. In 2006 a man reported to the Diocese of Pueblo that Fr. Martin and another priest, Fr. Andrew Burke, sexually assaulted him on multiple occasions in the early 1970s, when the man worked as a janitor at St. Pius X Parish. Some of the abuse allegedly occurred prior to his 18th birthday. Fr. Martin died in1974. Martin’s accuser filed suit in October 2009; this case subsequently settled. The Colorado Attorney General’s Report noted that there was no indication in Martin’s file that the Diocese investigated Fr. Martin after the man came forward in 2006, nor that officials reported it to law enforcement.

Fr Martin’s assignment history is as follows:

1953-59           St. Mary’s, Walsenburg, CO

1960-61           St. Patrick, Telluride, CO

1962-64           Sacred Heart, Paonia, CO

1965-66           Sacred Heart, Avondale, CO

1967-70           St. Anthony of Padua, Pueblo, CO

1971-73           St. Pius X, Pueblo, CO

1974                St. Dsimas Chapen, Canon City, CO

1974                Died

Fr. Clifford A. Norman was ordained in 1960 and served in multiple parishes in the Diocese of Pueblo. Fr. Norman is listed in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. An allegation accusing Fr. Norman of sexually abusing an altar boy came to light in 1998. The survivor told the Diocese of Pueblo that Norman repeatedly sexually abused him at age 12, in 1968, while he was pastor of Sacred Heart in Avondale. Norman denied the abuse. He left the Diocese of Pueblo in 1975 and moved to Central Mexico, where he founded a home for abused and neglected children. He died May, 2013 in Colon, Queretaro, Mexico.

Fr Norman’s assignment history is as follows:

1961-63           Our Lady of Guadalupe, La Junta, CO

1964                St. Mary’s, Walsenburg, CO

1965-67           St. Michael’s, Delta, CO

1968-71           Sacred Heart, Avondale, CO

1972                Unknown

1973-74           St. Joseph, Capulin, CO

1975                Leave of Absence – Location Unknown

1976-2001       On duty outside Diocese

2011-2019       Unknown

Fr. Joseph Reade was ordained in 1954 and thereafter worked at many parishes within the Diocese of Pueblo. Fr. Reade is listed in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. The Diocese of Pueblo received a report in 1994 that Fr. Reade sexually abused a boy, aged 10-12, between 1969-71, while assigned as chaplain to two Grand Junction hospitals. The Diocese settled with the alleged victim, who told investigators there may have been other victims. In 2016 the Diocese reported to Pueblo police an allegation of abuse by Fr. Reade in the mid-1950s. In 1986 a psychiatrist informed the Diocese of a recent allegation that Reade kissed and fondled an 11-year-old boy at a social gathering. Fr. Reade was suspended, then reinstated after the allegation was deemed unsubstantiated. Reade denied the allegation. He died in 1990.

Fr Reade’s assignment history is as follows:

1955                St. Patrick’s, Pueblo, CO

1956                St. Patrick’s, La Junta, CO

1957-58           Shrine of St. Therese, Pueblo, CO

1959-63           St. Patrick’s, Pueblo, CO

1964                St. Rose of Lima, Buena Vista, CO

1965                Sacred Heart Cathedral, Pueblo, CO

1966-71           St. Mary’s Hospital, Grand Junction, CO

1968-71           Colo. Vetrans’ Administration Hospital, Grand Junction, CO

1972-73           On duty outside the Diocese, Halifax, N.S.

1974                Newman Center of Southern Colorado State College, Pueblo, CO

1975-80           Parkview Episcopal Hospital, Pueblo, CO

1980                St. Mary, Pueblo, CO

1981-83           Retired St. Peter the Apostle Church, Provincetown, MA

1984-85           Retired 21 Cambridge, No. D, Pueblo 81005

1987-88           Retired 2025 Acero, No 16, Pueblo 81004

1989-90           Retired 1416 Lakeview, No. 109, Pueblo, 81004

1990                Died

Fr. Lawrence Sievers was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Pueblo in 1935. Fr. Sievers is listed in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019,” which was released on October 22, 2019, and can be viewed here. Sievers left the priesthood in 1973 and was laicized (removed from the clerical state). In 2014, a woman told a diocesan employee that Sievers sexually abused her in 1969, when she was age 17. In 2018, she reported her alleged abuse to the Archdiocese of Denver. In 1969, Sievers was assigned to St. Joseph’s in Grand Junction, temporary chaplain at St. Mary’s Hospital and the Diocese’s Youth Moderator of the Grand Junction District.

Fr Sievers’ assignment history is as follows:

1970-71           St. Francis Xavier, Pueblo, CO

1972                St. Joseph, Grand Junction, CO; Veterans Administration Hospital, Grand Junction, CO

1972-73           St. Mary Hospital, Grand Junction, CO

1974-2019       Unknown

Diocese of Colorado Springs

Fr. William Martinez was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Denver. Fr. Martinez was included in the Colorado Attorney General’s Special Master’s Report on “Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019.” Reportedly, Fr. Martinez sexually abused two minors between 1980 and 1986. The Diocese of Colorado Springs was allegedly made aware of Fr. Martinez sexually abusing minor children in the 1980s. Fr. Martinez supposedly admitted to abusing one of the survivors. Fr. Martinez’s current status as a priest, his whereabouts, and whether he has access to children are unknown.

Fr. Martinez’s assignment history is as follows:

1981-82           Holy Apostles, Colorado Springs, CO

1983-84           Presentation of Our Lady, Denver, CO

1985                Annunciation, Leadville, CO

1986                St. Joseph’s, Leadville, CO

1987                St. Patrick’s, Colorado Springs, CO

1988                Unknown

1989-92           On duty ouside the Diocese

1993-94           St. Joesph’s, Colorado Springs, CO

1995-96           Absent on leave

1997-2019       Unknown