Austin’s Catholic Diocese says 22 clergy members have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors over the past seven decades.
In an announcement today, Austin Bishop Joe Vásquez apologized "to the victims and their families for the diocese's failures."
"It is my prayer and hope that publishing this list will help to bring healing from the hurt and anger caused by the lack of accountability and transparency on the part of church leadership," Vásquez said.
"We want to assure the victims that we’ve definitely heard them, listened to them, and we care about them," he said.
The diocese cautioned in its announcement that these allegations “have not been substantiated or proven” to the diocese or authorities. It hired independent legal counsel to search for allegations and determine whether they were credible under state law. However, that determination, the diocese says, doesn’t “establish that a crime was committed.”
Vásquez said the release of names was a step in the right direction and that the work to protect children from abuse was just beginning for the diocese.
"I’m going to do my part as the shepherd of this diocese to be able to do that. So let’s continue to take care of children, young people. They need to be protected from all harm, especially sexual abuse by clergy," he said. "Clergy are supposed to protect, take care of, defend, be concerned about young people, children and youth."
The diocese says victims were all under 17 at the time of the alleged abuse, and that the timeframe of the allegations stretches back 70 years. Only one of the 22 clergy members is still active in the church. All the credible allegations occurred within the Diocese of Austin, which covers 25 counties in the Central Texas area.
One of the people on the list is Brother Gerald Muller, who retired from teaching at St. Edward's University in 2014. Muller was accused of abusing a 17-year-old student in 1986. In a statement, the president of the university, George Martin, said St. Ed's investigated the incident after it found out about it in 2017. It concluded the allegation was credible and banned him from campus and campus events.
"I recognize that these egregious breaches of trust are difficult and sad news for our university community," Martin said. "All of us at the university grieve for the victims of sexual abuse. Maintaining the physical and emotional safety of our students is central to the mission of St. Edward’s."
The diocese says it will maintain the list and add to it if any other credible allegations surface. It also urged anyone who has experienced abuse to report it to law enforcement.
Fourteen other dioceses in Texas are expected to announce similar lists today.
Texas' dioceses announced their intention to release the names in October, along with a plan to revamp the process of documenting abuse allegations. It was spurred by revelations last year of massive cover-ups of abuse allegations in Catholic parishes across the world, including a case involving hundreds of abuse allegations in Pennsylvania.
You can read the list in its entirety below.
Aguilar, Ricardo Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Diocese of Austin
Current Status: Laicized
Birth: 1959
Ordination: 1995
Removal from Ministry: 2011
Laicization: 2017
Clogan, Paul M. Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Diocese of Portland, Maine
Current Status: Deceased
Birth: 1931
Ordination: 1999
Death: 2012
Delaney, Daniel Joseph Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Diocese of Austin
Current Status: Deceased
Birth: 1946
Ordination: 1973
Death: 2008
Drinan, Daniel Michael Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Congregation of Missionaries, Sons of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Current Status: Laicized
Birth: 1948
Ordination: 1977
Removal from Ministry: 2002
Expulsion: 2006
Laicization: 2014
Eggerling, Milton Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Diocese of Oakland, previously of the Diocese of Sioux Falls
Current Status: Deceased
Birth: 1921
Ordination: 1954
Death: 2008
Faust, Claude Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Diocese of Austin
Current Status: Deceased
Birth: 1914
Ordination: 1939
Death: 1973
Gallagher, James Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Diocese of Austin (Deacon)
Current Status: Deceased
Birth: 1932
Diaconate Ordination: 1984
Death: 2005
Garcia, Jim Castro (a/k/a Santiago) Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Archdiocese of Kingston, Jamaica
Current Status: Priest for the Archdiocese of Kingston, Jamaica
Birth: 1968
Ordination: 2017
Additional Information: Dismissed from seminary for the Diocese of Austin in 2011. Later ordained for the Archdiocese of Kingston, Jamaica.
Greenwell, James H. Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Third Order Regular of St. Francis, previously of the Order of Friars Minor
Current Status: Deceased
Birth: 1924
Ordination: 1954
Death: 2012
Hand, Jr., Chester Culver Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Diocese of Austin
Current Status: Deceased
Birth: 1920
Ordination: 1986
Death: 2002
Kinder, Conrad Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Society of the Divine Word
Current Status: Deceased
Birth: 1891
Ordination: 1921
Death: 1978
Krol, Michael Francis Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Diocese of Austin
Current Status: Deceased
Birth: 1919
Ordination: 1945
Death: 1996
Muller, Gerald Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Congregation of Holy Cross (Religious Brother)
Current Status: Restricted
Birth: 1927
Vows: 1946
Removal from Ministry: 2017
Restricted: 2017
Nowery, C. Richard Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Congregation of Holy Cross
Current Status: Deceased
Birth: 1938
Ordination: 1968
Death: 2018
O'Connor, James R. Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Diocese of Austin
Current Status: Laicized
Birth: 1942
Ordination: 1969
Removal from Ministry: 2004
Laicization: 2018
Ozuna, Rafael Rendon Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Diocese of Austin (Deacon)
Current Status: Laicized
Birth: 1944
Diaconate Ordination: 2007
Removal from Ministry: 2010
Laicization: 2013
Reyes, Longinus Juventius (a/k/a Lonnie) Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Diocese of Austin
Current Status: Removed from Ministry, Retired
Birth: 1942
Ordination: 1969
Removal from Ministry: 2004
Retirement: 2004
Robles, Victor G. Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Diocese of Austin, previously of the Society of Jesus
Current Status: Removed from Ministry, Retired
Birth: 1953
Ordination: 1986
Removal from Ministry: 2002
Retirement: 2009
Tijerina, Alberto Matta Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Diocese of Austin, previously of the Diocese of San Angelo
Current Status: Removed from Ministry
Birth: 1954
Ordination: 1980
Removal from Ministry: 1993
Waiches, Vincent Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Diocese of San Diego, previously of the Society of the Divine Word
Current Status: Deceased
Birth: 1919
Ordination: 1946
Death: 1995
Willemsen, Adrianus Johannes (a/k/a Andy, Andrew, Andre) Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Diocese of Austin, previously of the Congregation of the Mission of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Current Status: Deceased
Birth: 1928
Ordination: 1954
Death: 2012
Wozniak, Louis J. Assignment Information
Diocese or Religious Order: Diocese of Austin
Current Status: Removed from Ministry, Retired
Birth: 1926
Ordination: 1951
Removal from Ministry: 2015
Retirement: 1999
This post has been updated.
Jerry Quijano contributed to this report.
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