Tag: Diocese of Erie

Fr. Edward W. Jungquist – Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee

Posted by admin on February 5, 2021

Father Edward W. Jungquist

Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee

Ordained: 1980

Leave of absence: 1990 – 1992

Assignment History:

1980 – 1981: St. Paul’s (Erie, PA)
1981 – 1982: Beloved Disciple (Grove City, PA)
1982 – 1984: St. Stephen’s (Oil City, PA)
1984 – 1989: St. Titus (Titusville, PA)
1989 – 1990: Nativity of Our Lord (Pensacola, FL)

Summary of Allegations Against Father Edward W. Jungquist:

Father Edward W. Jungquist served the Diocese of Erie after his ordination in 1980. Between this time and 1984 Jungquist assisted in parishes across Pennsylvania including Erie, Grove City, and Oil City. The father also took on a five-year commitment to a congregation in Titusville. Jungquist left the Diocese in 1989 to serve in Pensacola, Florida. After this time, church documents hold no record of further assignments for Jungquist. The last known documentation of his whereabouts spotted Jungquist on a Leave of Absence in 1990.

In 1998, Jungquist was the subject of controversy when he authored a letter to the editor of a Tucson newspaper criticizing Pope John Paul II for “cracking down” on dissenters in the Church who advocated for changes, including eliminating the vow of chastity and ordaining women to the priesthood. According to one educated parishioner who responded to the letter with a criticism of Jungquist, he was not listed in the 1998 edition of the Official Catholic Directory, which is supposed to list all active and retired clergy in the country. A call to the Tucson chancery by the parishioner also revealed that there was no priest in the Diocese of Tucson by that name. These are certainly red flags that his removal from ministry was not voluntary, and they merit additional investigation.

Ironically, in 2001, he wrote another letter to the editor of the same Tucson newspaper calling for the criminal prosecution of the bishops who covered up allegations of child sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston and nationally.

Jungquist was not identified as an accused priest in the 2018 grand jury report. He was first identified as an accused priest in the Diocese of Erie’s April 2018 list of credibly accused priests. The Diocese of Erie provided no information about the allegation(s) against Jungquist.

The exact details of his alleged misconduct have not been released. According to the Diocese of Erie’s statement regarding priests identified on its list, “Every person named on this list was credibly accused of actions that, in the diocese’s judgment, disqualify that person from working with children. Such actions could include the use of child pornography, furnishing pornography to minors, corruption of minors, violating a child-protection policy, failure to prevent abuse that they knew to be happening, and — in some cases — direct physical sexual abuse or sexual assault of minors. Allegations were corroborated by secular legal proceedings, canon law proceedings, self-admission by the individual, or threshold evidence.”

Initially, the Diocese of Erie told media and the public that Junquist was deceased when it released its list of credibly accused priests in 2018. However, in April 2019, the Diocese of Erie amended that information. According to the Diocese of Erie’s April 2019 statement to media, “Fr. Edward W. Jungquist was thought to be deceased. He is now listed as “whereabouts unknown,” and is forbidden to function as a priest.” It is not clear that was due to allegations of sexual abuse (unlikely since it claims it had no allegations until after his death) or because of his criticism of Pope John Paul II and philosophical differences about celibacy.

Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee in Florida. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Florida, contact our office today. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Florida and nationwide. We can help.

Mr. David Geitner – Diocese of Erie

Posted by admin on May 8, 2020

Mister David Geitner (Lay Teacher)

Diocese of Erie

Ordained: N/A

Died: Unknown

Assigned as follows:

Elk County Catholic High School (St. Marys, PA)

Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Mr. David Geitner:

Mr. David Geitner was a teacher and football coach at Elk County Catholic High School during the early-to mid-1970s in the Diocese of Erie. He was held in such high regard that a major award was named after him. According to media reports, in September 2018, his name appeared on the Diocese of Erie’s list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors after an allegation of misconduct was reported to Diocesan officials following the release of the Attorney General’s report in August 2018. No information on the allegations including age/gender of the victims was released. The plaques on display at the school that honor past “Dave Geitner Memorial Award” winners were re-titled.

Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Erie. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Pennsylvania, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Erie may have legal options, but filing deadlines will apply so please do not delay in reaching out to us.

Fr. Jules “Raymond” Balko – Diocese of Erie

Posted by admin on May 8, 2020

Father Jules “Raymond” Balko

Diocese of Erie (Benedictine)

Ordained: 1920

Died: 1985

Assigned as follows:

1970-1985: St. Vincent’s (Erie, PA)

Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Fr. Jules “Raymond” Balko:

Fr. Jules “Raymond” Balko was ordained a priest of the Order of Saint Benedict in 1920, who served in the Diocese of Erie. According to media reports, in April 2019, his name appeared on its updated list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors who are now deceased. It noted that the allegation was reported after Balko’s death in February 1985. No further information on the allegations including age/gender of the victims, or the priest’s assignment at the time of the alleged abuse was released.

By providing the names of these deceased individuals, the diocese “wishes to acknowledge those victims/survivors who were harmed by their actions, to encourage any other victims/survivors to come forward who have not already done so, and to reaffirm the commitment of the diocese to offer support and assistance to victims/survivors of abuse.

Fr. Giles Nealen – Diocese of Erie

Posted by admin on May 8, 2020

Father Giles Nealen

Diocese of Erie

Ordained: 1951

Died: 1996

Assigned as follows:

1944-1951: St. Vincent ArchAbbey (Latrobe, PA)
1954-1963: St. Vincent ArchAbbey (Latrobe, PA)
1949-1951: St. Vincent Scholasticate Prefect
1951-1954: Sacred Heart (St. Mary’s, PA)
1956-1963: Master of Brothers
1964: St. James (Waynesburg, OH)
1964-1967: St. Benedictine Priory (Vinhedo, S. P. Brazil)
1967-1968: St. Benedict (Marguerite, PA)
1968-1971: Queen of the World (St. Mary’s, PA)
1971-1972: St. Bruno (South Greensburg, PA)
1972-1980: St. James (Waynesburg, OH)
1990-1992: Sacred Heart (St. Mary’s, PA )

Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Fr. Giles Nealen:

Fr. Giles Nealen became a Benedictine monk of St. Vincent Archabbey in 1945. He was ordained a priest in 1951, who served in multiple parishes in the Diocese of Erie. According to media reports, in 2018, his name was included on the Diocese of Erie April 2018 list of clergy credibly accused of child sexual abuse, as well as on the Diocese of Youngstown’s list. He was also named publicly as accused in the 2018 PA Grand Jury report.

According to the report, a letter dated July 1972 revealed that both the Order and Diocese of Greensburg knew that Father Nealen was “involved in an inappropriate incident” while he served as pastor of St. Bruno in South Greensburg. One significant sentence in the letter stated, “For reasons already known by you, it is wise and prudent to reassign the present Pastor, Father Giles Nealen, O.S.B., at this time.” Shortly after, he was transferred to the Diocese of Youngstown and served at St. James in Waynesburg, OH.

In 1992, Father Nealen retired to the Archabbey where he remained active as chaplain to the Latrobe Carmelite Monastery of Nuns and assistant to the Prior. In January 1993, a man reportedly wrote a letter to the Diocese alleging that Father Nealen sexually abused him in 1970 when he was 13 years old at Queen of the World in St. Mary’s, PA. He said his two friends were also abused by the priest, and begged the church to keep Father Nealen away from other young boys so they wouldn’t be sexually abused by him. Father Nealen was already confined to infirmary when the allegation was made. He died in December 1996.

In May 2002, a woman reported to the Diocese that she knew of at least three men who Father Nealen sexually abused as boys. One had just been arrested for sexually abusing young boys. Another woman alleged in a 2004 letter that her 11-year-old son was sexually abused by Father Nealen while he served as priest at Queen of the World 30 years earlier. She described the drastic change in her son’s behavior from a “happy go lucky child to a pensive and irritable child.”

Around the same time, Father Nealen was abruptly removed from the parish with no explanation given to the parishioners. She reportedly said it was a few years later when she found out the reason he left. Her son had never married, would not walk in to a Catholic church and was, after thirty years, still severely traumatized by the sexual abuse he endured from Father Nealen.

Another victim’s father told the hosts of the radio show “Erie in the Morning” that Father Nealen, who was “part of their family” and would stay entire weekends at their home, sexually abused his son for years between the ages of nine and fourteen. When he confronted the priest, who had recently left the parish, Father Nealen told him the reason he did it was because “his son needed love.”

No information on the status of these victims or if any were offered counseling was not disclosed. Additionally, the Grand Jury investigation found no records that the Diocese of Erie notified police or the District Attorney’s office about Father Nealen’s long history of sexually abusing so many young boys.

Fr. Jerome Kucan – Diocese of Erie

Posted by admin on May 7, 2020

Father Jerome Kucan

Diocese of Erie

Ordained: 1951

Died: 2010

Assigned as follows:

1952-1954: St. Anthony’s (Sharon, PA)
1954-1961: St. Joseph’s (Bethlehem, PA)
1961-1972: St. Mary’s (Steelton, PA)
1972-1973: Our Lady of Peace Friary (Beaver Falls, PA)
1973-1977: St. Anthony’s (Sharon, PA)
1977-1978: Sacred Heart (Milwaukee, WI)
1978-1979: Beaver Falls Friary (Beaver Falls, PA)
1979-1982: St. Mary’s (Steelton, PA)
1982-1985: St. Jerome’s (Chicago, IL)
1985-1986: Sacred Heart (Milwaukee, WI)
1986-1988: St. Anthony’s (Chicago, IL)
1988-1994: St. Augustine’s (West Allis, WI)
1994-1995: Sacred Heart (Chicago, IL)
1995-2005: St. Anthony’s Friary (Chicago, IL)

Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Fr. Jerome Kucan:

Fr. Jerome Kucan joined the Croatian Franciscans in 1944. He was ordained a priest in 1951, and served in multiple parishes in the Diocese of Erie. According to media reports, in March 2005, a 39-year-old man wrote a letter to the Diocese of Erie which stated that Fr. Kucan, also known as Father Jerry, had repeatedly sexually abused him beginning at the age of 8 in 1974. The boy had just started serving midnight mass at St. Anthony’s Croatian Church in Sharon.

The letter explained that he would be called out of class to meet with Father Kucan and another religious Brother. They met in a room on the second floor of the gym where the men performed oral sex on the boy. Father Kucan told the boy that if he ever told anyone about their relationship, his mother would lose her job in the school kitchen and he would be thrown out of school. Father Kucan was removed from ministry. The Diocese offered the man counseling assistance and informed the Franciscans. In June 2005, the victim filed a complaint and received a settlement from the Order.

In January 2007, the Diocese received a letter from a woman detailing how Father Kucan sexually abused her husband when he was an altar boy in the mid-1950s at St. Anthony’s. Her husband committed suicide in 1993 after a long struggle with depression. When she spoke to his therapist after his death, she was told that her husband’s severe depression was directly related to being molested at St. Anthony’s as a child. The woman said Father Kucan also abused her husband’s cousins, who died by suicide in 1993, and had heard that other men who were molested at St. Anthony’s had also committed suicide.

Father Kucan died in December 2010. In April 2018, his name appeared on the Diocese of Erie’s list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors. In August 2018, his name was included on the Diocese of Harrisburg’s list, as well as the PA Grand Jury Report.

Fr. Fidelis Lazar – Diocese of Erie

Posted by admin on May 7, 2020

Father Fidelis Lazar

Diocese of Erie (Benedictine)

Ordained: 1963

Withdrew from ministry: 1989

Died: 2018

Assigned as follows:

1966-1969: St. Vincent (Latrobe, PA)
1970-1975: St. Bede (Bovard, PA)
1975-1976: Sacred Heart (St. Marys, PA)
1976-1981: St. Clare (Clairton, PA)
1981-1982: St. Joan of Arc (Library, PA)
1982-1984: St. Mary (New Castle, PA)
1984-1986: St. Joseph (Bloomfield, PA)
1984-1987: St. Teresa (Koppel, PA)
1987-1989: Leave of Absence

Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Fr. Fidelis Lazar:

Fr. Fidelis Lazar was ordained a Benedictine priest of the in 1963, who served in multiple parishes in the Diocese of Erie. According to media reports, in October 1986, the Diocese of Pittsburgh received a report from a male teen that he had been sexually abused by Father Lazar in June 1986. The alleged victim said that Father Lazar took him on overnight trips and slept together in the same bed. He said the priest kissed him and began touching the boy’s genitals. While in bed, he pulled the boy so close to him, that the victim felt his erect penis.

When confronted, Father Lazar initially denied the allegation, stating the family was “troubled” and was singling him out. He was sent for treatment in November 1987. According to the summaries provided by his doctors, Father Lazar admitted to being sexually active with children after his ordination. Citing health reasons, he took a personal leave of absence from ministry.

By September 1989, Father Lazar was removed from active ministry as a result of the allegation and his diagnosis of Ephebophilia, the primary sexual interest in mid -to -late adolescents. In September 1994, another man alleged that he had been sexually abused by Father Lazar when he was 15 or 16 years old when the priest was assigned at St. Joan of Arc.

In March 2002, a man sent an email to the Diocese asking of Father Lazar’s status. He reported that Father Lazar had abused him while he was at St. Vincent’s Preparatory School in Latrobe when he was a Benedictine monk in the 1960’s.

Father Lazar died in Connecticut in March 2018. Later that year in May 2018, his name was added to the Diocese of Erie’s updated list of clergy and staff credibly accused of child sexual abuse. In August 2018, his name was included in the PA Grand Jury report.

Fr. Gregory Furjanic – Diocese of Erie

Posted by admin on May 6, 2020

Father Gregory Furjanic

Diocese of Erie

Ordained: 1981

Removed: 1996

Laicized: Unknown

Assigned as follows:

Kennedy Catholic High School (Hermitage, PA)
St. Anthony of Padua (Sharon, PA)
Convent (Erie, PA)
Croatian Franciscan Friars (Chicago, IL)
Lutheran Social Services (St. Petersburg, FL)
St. Catherine of Siena (Mobile, AL)
St. Monica Parish (Mobile, AL)
Immaculate Conception (Orrville, AL)
Sacred Heart (Grove Hill, AL)

Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Fr. Gregory Furjanic:

Fr. Gregory Furjanic was ordained a priest of the Croatian Franciscan Friars in Chicago, Illinois in 1981, who served in multiple parishes in the Diocese of Erie. He served at St. Anthony of Padua in Sharon, Pennsylvania. At that time, the Diocese of Erie allowed an outside religious order priest to handle the ministry in one of their parishes. Since he was technically not one of their priests, there is very little paperwork on him.

According to media reports, in 2005, an allegation was reported to the Diocese of Erie that Father Furjanic sexually abused a child in the early 1970s. A second incident occurred in the mid-1980s. Records also show that in the 1990s another accusation against Father Furjanic was reported. He was sent to the Erie Ecclesia Center for counseling and then to the St. Luke’s Institute in Maryland for more advanced treatment. In July 1996, the Congregation for Institutions of Consecrated Life and of Societies of Apostolic Life removed him from ministry.

In 2005, an inquiry was made from the Lutheran Social Services in St. Petersburg, Florida to investigate Father Furjanic’ s history. He had allegedly tried to get religious credentials in Mobile, Alabama and in St. Petersburg, but was denied based on his history. According to records, he represented himself as a clergy member associated with Lutheran Ministry and had the title “Reverend” on his business cards.

Father Furjanic was subsequently laicized. His current whereabouts are unknown.

In 2018, he was named publicly as accused in the PA Grand Jury report. The PA Grand Jury investigation learned that one of Father Furjanic’s alleged victims died by suicide. His name appeared publicly on the Diocese of Erie’s 2018 list of clergy credibly accused of sex abuse of minors. In April 2019, his name was included on the Archdiocese of Mobile’s list.

Br. Edmundus Murphy – Diocese of Erie

Posted by admin on May 6, 2020

Brother Edmundus Murphy

Diocese of Erie

Ordained: 1953

Died: 2014

Assigned as follows:

Sacred Heart High School

Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Br. Edmundus Murphy:

Br. Edmundus Murphy was ordained a priest in 1953, who served in multiple parishes in the Diocese of Erie. According to media reports, in December 2007, the Diocese of Erie received a report from the Society of the Divine Word that Brother Edmundus Murphy sexually abused a male student at Sacred Heart High School in Girard in 1964. The victim alleged that Brother Murphy, the wrestling coach at the school, encouraged him to join the team during the summer between his freshman and sophomore years. While teaching him some moves, the two wrestled naked “as the ancient Greeks and Romans did.” It was during these “wrestling” sessions the victim said he was sodomized by Brother Murphy.

Brother Murphy subsequently left the ministry. He died in October 2014.

In August 2018, he was first named publicly as accused in the PA Grand Jury Report. The Grand Jury investigation found no documentation that the Diocese of Erie notified local law enforcement or the District Attorney’s Office about Murphy’s behavior. His name was included on the Diocese of Erie April 2019 updated list of clergy credibly accused of child sexual abuse

Sr. Mary Carmel Skeabeck (Charlotte Skeabeck) – Diocese of Erie

Posted by admin on May 5, 2020

Sister Mary Carmel Skeabeck

Diocese of Erie

Ordained: N/A

Died: 2015

Assigned as follows:

1942-1943 St. Agatha School (Meadville, PA)
1943-1944 St. Joseph Home for Children (Erie, PA)
1944-1946 Holy Rosary School (Erie, PA)
1946-1950 St. Leo School (Ridgway, PA)
1950-1952 Cathedral Grade School (Erie, PA)
1952-1955 St. Agatha High School (Meadville, PA)
1955-1957 St. Bernard High School (Bradford, PA)
1957-1958 St. Leo High School (Ridgway, PA)
1958-1959 Villa Maria Academy (Erie, PA)
1959-1964 St. Agatha High School (Meadville, PA)
1964-1971 Elk County Christian High School (St. Mary’s, PA)
1971-1972 Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse (Erie, PA)
1972-1974 Elk County Christian High School (St. Marys, PA)
1974-1976 St. Joseph School (Erie, PA)
1976-1978 Villa Maria College (Erie, PA)
1978-1979 Saint Vincent Health Center
1979-2001 Villa Maria Academy (Erie, PA)

Summary of Abuse Allegations against Sister Mary Carmel Skeabeck:

Sister Mary Carmel Skeabeck, (aka Charlotte Skeabeck), was a Sister of Saint Joseph since 1942. According to media reports, the order said it received a report in May 2018, that Sister Skeabeck sexually abused a student multiple times in the late 1950s when she was a teacher at Villa Maria Academy in the Diocese of Erie.

The order was reportedly aware of child sexual abuse allegations against Sister Skeabeck at the time the abuse occurred. However, she was allowed to remain in ministry in schools and other institutions throughout the 13-county Catholic Diocese of Erie until she retired in 2001. She died in 2015 at age 91.

According to media reports, in October 2018, her name appeared publicly on the Diocese of Erie updated list of clergy credibly accused of sex abuse of minors. She was the first nun to be placed on the list.

Fr. Kevin Cray – Diocese of Erie

Posted by admin on May 5, 2020

Father Kevin Cray

Diocese of Erie

Ordained: 1949

Died: 1999

Assigned as follows:

Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Fr. Kevin Cray:

Fr. Kevin Cray was ordained a Society of the Divine Savior (Salvatorian) priest in 1949, who served in the Diocese of Erie. He was a former chaplain at the Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Milwaukee. According to media reports, his name was one of six priests added to the Diocese of Erie’s updated 2018 list of clergy and staff credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor. He was able to function as a priest because the abuse was reported after his death. He died at the age of 76 in 1999, in Milwaukee.

“It’s accountability,” Bishop Lawrence Persico said when asked further about the release of the names. “We have to make the public aware. Secondly, I think it’s important for healing. There’s a lot of victims and survivors whose alleged abusers their names have never come to light. This is an opportunity for them to hopefully experience some healing.”