He served most of the 1990s at Holy Innocents Catholic Church and school near Tower Grove Park, often alongside two other clergy who also landed on the list — Joseph P. Lessard and Deacon Fred Hummel. A priest who served at the parish at the time referred a reporter to the archdiocese. The archdiocese did not respond to questions about whether parish families had ever been informed.

In 2001, Heier’s name disappeared from the national directory of clergy, only to return the following year at All Saints Catholic Church in University City, where he stayed until 2007.

Heier resigned as pastor of All Saints that year and was “relieved of his duties” at the archdiocese interfaith office, the archdiocese said at the time. The Post-Dispatch reported that Heier had condemned a rabbi who allowed two Catholic women to be ordained in a synagogue as priests.

The archdiocese said then that Heier had resigned “in order to devote his complete attention to personal matters.” An archdiocese statement in the Post-Dispatch said Heier’s departure from the interfaith office was unrelated to the ordinations, and that there had been no accusations of sexual abuse against him.

Fowler read that detail and decided to come forward in 2008. Heier was listed on medical leave in Catholic directories from 2008 to 2010.