Disclosures

Disclosures of Names of Priests Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse of a Minor

In March 2016, the Diocese of New Ulm, working in close cooperation with the law firm of Jeff Anderson & Associates, disclosed the names of men they mutually identified as being credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor while they were assigned as priests. Please see the joint statement released on March 29, 2016. Since then, additional names have been identified and have been included here in the interest of transparency and accountability.

You may see a man’s assignment history by clicking on his name.

These men have been identified as having credible accusations of abuse against them related to incidents reported to have occurred within the Diocese of New Ulm.

• Fr. Cletus Altermatt – deceased 1978
• Fr. Dennis Becker – removed from ministry in 2015
• Fr. Gordon Buckley – deceased 1985
• Fr. Robert Clark – removed from ministry in 2002
• Fr. John Gleason – deceased 1998
• Fr. Francis Markey – deceased 2012
• Fr. William Marks – deceased 1979
• Fr. John Murphy – deceased 2001
• Fr. David Roney – deceased 2003
• Douglas Schleisman – laicized 1994
• Fr. Michael Skoblik – deceased 1989
• Fr. Charles Stark – deceased 1991

These men have credible accusations of abuse against them related to incidents reported to have occurred in other dioceses. All of these men worked at some point in what is now the Diocese of New Ulm.

• Fr. J. Vincent Fitzgerald – deceased 2009
• Fr. Edward Graff – deceased 2002
• Fr. Joseph (Louis) Heitzer – deceased 1969
• Fr. Rudolph Henrich – deceased 1992
• Fr. Harry Majerus – deceased 1995
• Fr. William Sprigler – removed from ministry 2018

Additional Names

The following men have been named in lawsuits against the Diocese of New Ulm and/or parishes in the Diocese. These lawsuits allege sexual abuse of a minor and were served in advance of the May 25, 2016 deadline. That date marked the closure of the open window on the civil statute of limitations on historic claims. These claims will be analyzed through the litigation process.

• Fr. Edward Ardolf  –  deceased 2016
• Fr. Joseph Balent  – deceased 1986
• Fr. John Cooney  – deceased 1988

Investigation Pending

• Fr. Samuel Wagner  –  removed from ministry, pending investigation

Investigation Complete

• Fr. James Devorak –  returned to ministry
• Fr. Richard Gross  – removed from ministry 2016; returned to limited ministry 2018
• Fr. Bernard Steiner  –  removed from ministry 2016; returned to limited ministry 2018