Clergy Abuse Documents Released

The Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese released 6,000 pages of documents yesterday about clergy sex abuse cases in Wisconsin. The documents were released as part of a bankruptcy case. Alleged abuse by 45 clergy members is outlined. Two of those priests served in the Fond du Lac area. Father John O’Brien was with Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in North Fond du Lac. He admitted to molesting a 17-year-old boy and was convicted of 4th degree sexual assault. There were other accusations of abuse against him. He is no longer a priest. Father Jerome Wagner was with St. Louis Parish in Fond du Lac, a church in St. Peter and then Holy Family Parish in Fond du Lac from 2000 to 2002. He also is no longer in the priesthood. The Fond du Lac Police Department is investigating allegations of sexual abuse made against him. In a statement Archbishop Jerome Listecki said, “My hope in voluntarily making these documents public is that they will aid abuse survivors, families, and others in understanding the past, reviewing the present and allowing the Church in southeastern Wisconsin to continue moving forward.” To see the documents click here.