Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Diocese Publishes Lists of Priests "Credibly Accused" of Sexual Abuse.

The Catholic Diocese of Jackson provided a list of priests "credibly accused of sexual abuse in the Diocese.  The Diocese stated on its website:


This report contains the names of all clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of which the Diocese of Jackson is aware. An accusation is considered credible when it has been investigated, presented to our Independent Fitness Review Board and deemed to be specific and believable. Civil authorities determine if an accusation is a crime. Not everyone on this list was charged or convicted of a crime.

None of these men are still in active ministry.

The list includes the names of the priests, a list of locations where they served, when the abuse is reported to have happened and when it was reported to the diocese. You may notice a gap between the abuse date and the reporting date. The diocese may not have been aware of the abuse before a priest was moved to another parish. Not all victims report their abuse right away. This is why the work the church is doing to remove the stigma of reporting is so critical. The sooner we know about an allegation, the sooner we can take action to protect those vulnerable to abuse.

In a few cases, psychologists of that time treated a priest and deemed him safe to go back into ministry. While the science of that time believed such treatment could be effective, we now know this is not the case; and every priest, deacon, lay employee or volunteer who abuses a minor today will be permanently removed from ministry.

The Diocese of Jackson presented all of its cases to the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office in 2002 and again in 2019 in an effort to ensure transparency and a spirit of cooperation. When the diocese receives new credible reports, those are presented to the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services, law enforcement or the district attorney in the place where the abuse is alleged to have taken place.

You may also notice reports from what is now the Diocese of Biloxi. Look here for information on why and definitions of the different kinds of clergy and ministers as well as information on our current Safe Environment Program.

The Diocese of Jackson has records for close to 1,000 priests who served here during its 180-year history. This investigation examined the files dating back to 1924.

All new credible reports of abuse will be added to this list.


Posted below is a list of the priests "credibly accused" of sexual abuse in the Diocese.  The Diocese also provided additional information about extern priests, permanent deacons,  and religious order members similarly accused.

Thomas Boyce
Born: 1941 Ordained: 1966
Current Status: Removed 2002; Deceased 2002
Assignments: St. Mary, Batesville; St. Jude, Pearl; All Saints, Belzoni; St. Michael, Vicksburg; St. Peter, Jackson; St. Alphonsus, Ocean Springs
Date(s) of alleged abuse: 1972-1973 – Jackson
Date(s) abuse was reported: 2002

George Broussard
Born: 1935 Ordained: 1966
Current Status: Left Ministry 1975; Deceased 2007
Assignments: St. Clare, Waveland; St. Peter, Jackson; Diocesan Chancellor; St. John, Gulfport
Date(s) of alleged abuse: 1969-1974 – multiple locations
Date(s) abuse was reported: 2002

Paul Canonici
Born: 1927 Ordained: 1957
Current Status: Retired 1998; removed from ministry – 2002
Assignments: St. Joseph School, Jackson/Madison; St. Francis, Madison; Superintendent of Education; St. Joseph, Starkville; St. Joseph, Gluckstadt
Date(s) of alleged abuse: 1983 – Madison area
Date(s) abuse was reported: 1997

Nelius Downing
Born: 1883 Ordained: 1914
Current Status: Deceased prior to accusation
Assignments: Sacred Heart, Canton; St. Patrick, Meridian; St. Mary, Natchez; Our Lady of the Gulf, Bay St. Louis; St. Elizabeth, Clarksdale; St. Michael, Biloxi;
Date(s) of alleged abuse: 1939 – Meridian
Date(s) abuse was reported: 2002

Bernard Haddican
Born: 1933 Ordained: 1960
Current Status: Retired 1991; Deceased 1996
Assignments: Sacred Heart, Rosedale; Our Lady of Victories, Cleveland; St. Elizabeth, Clarksdale; St. Michael, Vicksburg; St. Mary, Shelby; St. John, Oxford; St. Joseph, Greenville; St. Richard, Jackson; Sacred Heart, Hattiesburg; Our Lady of the Gulf, Bay St. Louis; St. Mary, Natchez
Date(s) of alleged abuse: 1964-84 – multiple locations
Date(s) abuse was reported: 1998/2002

Kenneth Harris
Born: 1912 Ordained: 1940
Current Status: Excardinated to Steubenville Diocese 1955; Deceased prior to accusation 1964
Assignments: St. Joseph, Greenville; St. James, Leland; St. Bernardine, San Berardino, CA; St. Mary, Natchez, Sacred Heart, Hattiesburg; St. Paul, Vicksburg; St. Teresa, Chatawa
Date(s) of alleged abuse: 1951 – Steubenville, Ohio
Date(s) abuse was reported: 1998/2003

Michael Irwin
Born: 1943 Ordained: 1970
Current Status: Deceased prior to accusation 1993
Assignments: St. Mary, Natchez; St. Paul, Vicksburg
Date(s) of alleged abuse: 1975 – Vicksburg
Date(s) abuse was reported: 2005

James Kircher
Born: 1931 Ordained: 1963
Current Status: Removed from ministry 1987; Deceased 2007
Assignments: St. Benedict/ Immaculate Conception, Indianola; Sacred Heart, Canton; St. Mary, Shelby; St. Therese, Jackson; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Lumberton (Seneca); Immaculate Heart of Mary, Greenwood; St. Paul, Vicksburg
Date(s) of alleged abuse: 1978-82 – multiple locations
Date(s) abuse was reported: 1986/2002

John Leonard
Born: 1920 Ordained: 1948
Current Status: Deceased prior to accusation 2003
Assignments: St. Paul, Vicksburg; St. Francis, Shaw; St. Mary, Batesville; St. John, Sardis; Our Lady of Victories, Cleveland; All Saints, Belzoni; St. Mary, Yazoo City; Our Lady of the Gulf, Bay St. Louis
Date(s) of alleged abuse: 1952-56 – Bay St. Louis
Date(s) abuse was reported: 2004

Paul Madden
Born: 1946 Ordained: 1970
Current Status: Retired; Incardinated in diocese in Peru
Assignments: Society of St. James, Peru; St. John, Crystal Springs; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Saltillo, Mexico; St. Mary, Natchez; Holy Family, Jackson; St. Alphonsus, Ocean Springs
Date(s) of alleged abuse: 1973 – Ireland
Date(s) abuse was reported: 1993

Robert Olivier
Born: 1930 Ordained: 1957
Current Status: removed from ministry 2006
Assignments:St. Joseph, Gluckstadt; St. Peter, Jackson; St. Therese, Jackson; St. Joseph, Greenville; Sacred Heart, Hattiesburg
Date(s) of alleged abuse: 1957-59 – Hattiesburg
Date(s) abuse was reported: 2006

Francis Reid
Born: 1925 Ordained: 1948
Current Status: Left ministry in 1970s; Deceased 1993
Assignments: St. Peter, Jackson; St. Joseph, Greenville; Assistant Chancellor; St. Jude, Pearl; St. James, Leland
Date(s) of alleged abuse:1963-65 – Leland
Date(s) abuse was reported: 2014

Kevin Reid
Born: 1934 Ordained: 1958
Current Status: Left ministry in 1976; Deceased
Assignments: Holy Trinity, Columbia; Our Lady of Fatima, Biloxi; Immaculate Heart of Mary, Greenwood; Our Lady of the Gulf, Bay St. Louis
Date(s) of alleged abuse:1961-66 – Bay St. Louis
Date(s) abuse was reported: 2002

Ivan Siekman
Born: 1946 Ordained: 1975
Current Status: Left ministry 1990; Faculties removed 2003
Assignments: Sacred Heart, Biloxi
Date(s) of alleged abuse:1972-73 – Bay St. Louis
Date(s) abuse was reported: 2003

Jack Smith
Born: 1941 Ordained: 1970
Current Status: Deceased prior to accusations
Assignments: St. Michael, Vicksburg; Our Lady of the Gulf, Bay St. Louis; St. Joseph, Starkville; St. Alphonsus, Ocean Springs; St. Joseph, Greenville
Date(s) of alleged abuse: 1972 – 1980 multiple sites
Date(s) abuse was reported: 2003

James Taylor
Born: 1927 Ordained: 1954
Current Status: Retired prior to accusation; Deceased
Assignments: St. Mary, Woolmarket; St. Peter, Bassfield; Immaculate Conception, Laurel; St. Michael, Forest; St. Joseph, Woodville; St. Joseph, Greenville; St. Therese, Jackson; St. Paul, Vicksburg; Our Lady of the Gulf, Bay St. Louis; St. Mary, Yazoo City; Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Biloxi; St. Mary, Jackson
Date(s) of alleged abuse: 1962 – Woodville
Date(s) abuse was reported: 1998

Thomas Williams
Born: 1913 Ordained: 1940
Current Status: Deceased prior to accusation 1983
Assignments: Our Lady of Fatima, Biloxi; St. John, Gulfport; St. Francis, Brookhaven; St. Paul, Pass Christian; St. Mary, Natchez; St. Paul, Vicksburg
Date(s) of alleged abuse: 1958 – Gulfport
Date(s) abuse was reported: 2002/2012


21 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a crock. All of these deviants, if living, would be between 72 and 135 years of age. What about those currently living who are still around here actively or have been transferred to other parishes for their protection and cover-up? Some are cooking collards and shining shoes at the Vatican.

Anonymous said...

I'm betting that they were all white. The race of a suspect is always so important to whites if they believe that a non-white has committed a crime. Yet every day we learn of old crimes covered up by white institutions.

It is unfortunate that so few of these crimes get prosecuted. White men so often got away with crimes in the past. The often cited "racial crime statistics" may never truly reflect the full picture of the criminality of the white male.

Thankfully the age of white male supremacy is nearing twilight. May God protect us all from their approaching final, violent gasp.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Chokwe, we appreciate your visit. Be a dear and at least click an add, please.

Anonymous said...

10:16 - Thanks for your attempt to, once again, color everything as evil whites. But, in truth, this is about the Catholic Cult Empire..which has more money than 2/3 of the nations on this planet. It ain't about white or black. And you will never see a similar list of priests from Africa or any South American Country. But they're not white, so you wouldn't be interested.

Messick said...

I've noticed these posts regarding the Roman Catholic Church tend to bring out the Donners (all two of them).

Anonymous said...

@10:12, follow the link KF shared in the article -- the list provided there is much more extensive and has abusers who're still alive. It also includes priests/religious orders who abused people elsewhere and served in MS.

Anonymous said...

@10:16 if you think sexual abuse does not happen in the black churches you’re mistaken. And yes, I’m betting most, if not all of these priests are white because generally most Catholic priests are white & given the date ranges of these it would have been uncommon for any of them to have been black.

Anonymous said...

Keep filling those collection plates so the child molesting priests can eat.

Anonymous said...

I don't think the issue here is race, or gender, or privilege. The issue is whether these men deserved to be protected from their accusations being made public without due process. Were they convicted? String 'em up. Same with the one who admitted to inappropriate contact, if indeed that's what he admitted to. The rest deserve to be left alone. There's no reason to ruin what life these men have left based on unfounded accusations.

Anonymous said...

12:25, What do you mean by unfounded accusations? If you mean credible accusations that were covered up by the church and never reported to the proper authorities to be investigated than you are one sick puppy.

Anonymous said...

The real issue should be compensation. What price do you put on ruining a person's life? How much money is it worth when your innocence was stolen buy a trusted clergyman? Apart from a vow of celebacy, priests are not supposed to be rich. So I think the church should pay. A good start would be $250,000 for each year of life a person lived with the memory of being violated.

The Vatican can more than afford this sum.

Anonymous said...

This is always a hard topic... the truth is that any person in a position that is held so high and respected that takes advantage of anyone, much less our youth, is heart breaking. To be given the power and then abuse it is human, but not at all humane. I respect the church for stepping up and no longer hiding this information. I am certain that there are many many more people inside and outside of the Catholic Church that have the same accusations that need to come clean. Priests are human as are the rest of us. Lets separate the man from the position and hold them accountable.

Portia said...

“Credibly accused”? Where is the evidence? Where are the “victims” who are too cowardly to come forth and make their “credible” case? Mark Belenchia did so, and told his story bravely—as did that Morrison boy. Why can’t the others? For example, the nameless people accusing Fr. Paul Canonici, known to so many as a truly kindly, Godly man. Have any of you ever read Lillian Hellman’s “The Children’s Hour”? Unfounded, unproven accusations ruin lives.

Got evidence? Bring it on, and certainly, let us as a society put the truly guilty in/under the jail. No evidence? Then what you are doing is pure slander. “Bearing false witness,” I believe it is called in the Ten Commandments.

Theca Jones of the Roguish Gent Podcast said...

10:26

It's "ad"

Anonymous said...

@10:26 AM
It is okay to admit that whites are absolutely obsessed with knowing the race of an alleged criminal. Many comments on this site are from whites demanding to know the race, or complaining that the race isn't mentioned.

Even in conversation, a person can't just be a person. You always have to let the listener know, in a hushed tone, that you are talking about a black

I personally don't see the difference between one Abrahamic faith or another. It's all a foreign ideolgy to anyone who isn't a bronze age nomadic semite.

Anonymous said...

It is impossible to get most Protestant Christians to admit it, but the Catholic Church with all it's historic faults and abuses, is still the cornerstone of the Christian faith. All Christians should take a good look at the hypocrisy which all Christian denominations have perpetuated through the years when condoning abuse, genocide, racism, war-mongering, imperialism, etc. in the name of Jesus Christ. Supposedly "Protestant" churches were founded to correct the faults in the Catholic Church. Have they? We would do well to pray to God for the strength to see the fault in ourselves and to correct them before we cast the original Christian Church as the great abusers.

Anonymous said...

I read elsewhere that the percentage of pedophiles is 3% of our population, which seems high, but in any event it occurs to me that this reported number of catholic priest as a percentage is less than that of the general population. While all predatory acts should be rooted out, this "crisis" is one for everyone, not just a crisis in the Catholic Church, which is statistically lower then reported average.

I am certain averages are only indicators and may be manipulated by the user (as perhaps I am), but while folks criticize the Catholic Church,(who seem to be admitting their human failures) lets look beyond them and perhaps have a larger discussion as to what your church, community, neighborhood etc has done to identify the evil doers.

Anonymous said...


1:05 Portia, if some innocent priests get tied in with the others, they have only the church to blame. Like they say a few bad apples spoils the bunch. If they are dead and can no longer defend themselves or their legacy, it is a direct result of the church shielding their sins from the public and courts. You are probably just trolling, but calling child rape victims cowards is disgusting. You are what is wrong with the church and as long as you and people who think like you are control the church, abusers will continue to flock to your protective arms.

Anonymous said...

The issue is being “above the law.”

Hiding priests and getting rid of them and failing to report them to the authorities is the key.

The priest who taught me is on this new list. Never suspected he did a thing wrong. Never thought of it.

He was kicked out of the church the year i graduated.

I had no idea he was thrown out until today...but the church did and failed to turn him in.

Talk about sin?

Watch for Ray Donavon type actions

Anonymous said...

It is SO tiresome to see the meaningless term “trolling” trotted out in response to a comment you don’t agree with, 3:19. I’m not talking about children, I’m talking about those who won’t go public long after they are children.

I need hardly point out, as surely you know already, that every organized religion on the planet has dealt with scandals like this, and how many miscreant clergy are ever handed over to the law by the denomination? (Locally, there was the recent business with an Episcopal dean, every bit as bad as some of the Catholic stuff, and the bishop did ZIP, claiming he, uh, didn’t “know the extent of ir” despite many parishioners alerting him many times). Yes, the Catholic wrong must be addressed, but don’t hold your breath waiting/hoping for the Church of Rome to collapse any time soon. The Church is, for its faithful, bigger than this, and after all is the ONLY one with a direct apostolic line from Christ himself.

That may mean nothing to you; fine. Go find a sect that suits you. God knows there hundreds out there, some with some semblance of heology, some just happy-clappy clubs.

Anonymous said...

The "church" is the body of Christ. Not any particular sect. All of us, Protestant and Catholic and other, who comprise the church, are affected by this. We should pray for the victims and the perpetrators that Christ's mercy and grace would carry all of us forward.



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