Asheville, WNC priests named in Charlotte diocese list of clergy 'credibly accused' of abuse

Joel Burgess | Asheville Citizen Times

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ASHEVILLE - The Catholic Charlotte Diocese has released a list of clergy it says were "credibly accused" of child sexual abuse.

The list aims to promote victims' healing and demonstrate a commitment to transparency, said Charlotte Bishop Peter J. Jugis in a signed letter accompanying the names of priests.

"It is painful to even try to comprehend such gravely immoral behavior, particularly for those who have carried the burden of sexual abuse by clergy," Jugis said. "However, in speaking with survivors and hearing their stories, it is clear to me that making known the names of their abusers can promote healing for them and their families."

Church officials deemed a total of 14 clergy credibly accused in the diocese, which serves more than 400,000 Roman Catholics across 46 counties, from Guilford and Richmond counties in the east, to the western tip of the state.

Included in the list were those who had admitted to allegations, were criminally charged or were determined by the Lay Review Board to have been credibly accused.

None of the named clergy are still in the religious order, according to the church, which said one diocese priest in nearly 20 years has had a credible allegation against him. Some listed are dead, while others either left, were removed or were convicted.

A support group for sexual abuse victims criticized the list, saying it was incomplete and didn't include church staff members with allegations against them. Those include Paul L. Berrell, former music minister at St. Eugene Catholic Church in Asheville, said SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

"We call on them to update this list immediately in order to provide a clearer and more complete look at abuse within the Diocese of Charlotte," the statement said.

SNAP also criticized how long it took for officials to release the list, saying the "vast majority of dioceses" had already done so.

The Citizen Times was not able on Dec. 30 to reach local victims of abuse.

Many of the incidents happened decades ago, and those making allegations sometimes tried to keep their names from being publicized.

Father Patrick Winslow, the diocese chancellor and top priest after the bishop, said the list was different than what happened in the early 2000s when the church adopted a zero-tolerance policy and looked for anyone currently committing abuses.

"In recent history, the policy changed in terms of looking to the past," Winslow said. That was recommended by victims' advocacy groups which said unearthing and publicizing past wrongs could help healing, he said.

Winslow said there are no current sexual abuse investigations into diocese clergy.

Non-clergy staff and volunteers are also held to the zero-tolerance standards adopted after the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, he said, but non-clergy were not the focus of the lists which have centered on priests.

In terms of when the list was released, he said the "timeline is going to be different in different dioceses. I certainly know we are not the last."

Winslow and other officials say a steep drop in incidents of alleged abuse over recent decades appears to show the effectiveness of new policies, though he and other officials acknowledge that more people may come forward. The site with the list includes buttons for people to report abuse.

"By putting this information there we do make it easier for people to come forward," he said.

List of clergy named

In the diocese that covers Western North Carolina, the clergy named are:

Donald Philip Baker, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Lenoir

Charles Jeffries “Jeff” Burton, Youth Ministry Center, Flat Rock

Eugene D. Corbesero, Our Lady of Consolation Catholic Church, Charlotte; New Jersey

Aloysius Joseph D’Silva, St. Bernadette Catholic Mission, Linville

Richard B. Farwell, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Salisbury.; St. Ann Catholic Church, Charlotte

P. Patrick Gavigan, Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, Greensboro

Adelbert “Del” Holmes, St. William Catholic Church, Murphy; Franklin, Kentucky; Diocese of Richmond, Virginia

Donald J. Joyce, Sacred Heart Catholic Mission, Wadesboro; Lowell, Massachusetts

Michael Joseph Kelleher, Our Lady of the Annunciation Catholic Church, Albemarle; Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church, Charlotte; Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Hendersonville; Charlotte Catholic High School, Charlotte

Peter Tan Van Le, St. Joseph Vietnamese Catholic Church, Charlotte

Damion Jacques Lynch, St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, Boone

Justin Paul Pechulis, St. Lawrence Catholic Church (now Basilica), Asheville

Donald Francis Scales, St. Michael Catholic Church, Gastonia

Robert Yurgel, St. Matthew Catholic Church, Charlotte; Our Lady of Consolation Catholic Church, Charlotte; St. Michael Catholic Church, Gastonia.

The list also included clergy accused in the region before the 1972 formation of the diocese:

Andre Anthony Corbin Jr., Gibbons Hall for Boys, Asheville.; Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School, Winston-Salem; Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Brevard; Massachusetts

Hugh J. Dolan, St. Pius X Catholic Church, Greensboro

John Gallagher, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe

John Joseph Hyland, St. Pius X Catholic School, Greensboro

William J. Kuder, St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, (former location) West Asheville

Edward William Smith, Buck Creek, Boone

There were also clergy who served in the diocese without a documented allegation but were accused elsewhere:

Al Behm, served at Western Carolina University, campus minister in Cullowhee. Abuse alleged in Kentucky

George C. Berthold, served as teacher at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont. Abuse alleged in Woburn and Brighton, Massachusetts

Louis A. Bonacci, served at St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church and Wake Forest University, campus minister in Winston Salem. Abuse alleged in Columbia, Maryland

Francis C. Bourbon, served at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in High Point; St. Barnabas Catholic Church in Arden. Abuse alleged in Buckingham, Virginia

H. Cornell Bradley, served at Church of the Epiphany Catholic Mission in Blowing Rock; St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Boone; St. Therese Catholic Church in Mooresville. Abuse alleged in Ocean City, Maryland; Washington, D.C.

Juan Carlos Castaño Mejia, served at Room at the Inn (now called Mira Via) in Charlotte. Abuse alleged in Rock Hill, South Carolina

Augusto Cortez, unauthorized stay in residence at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Charlotte; Abuse alleged in Bushwick and Hampton Bays, New York

Robert B. Cullen, served at Jesuit House of Prayer in Hot Springs. Abuse alleged in Maryland

Richard C. Evrit, served at Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Mission (now Church) in Marion; St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Morganton. Abuse alleged in Salem, Ohio

Frederick George, served at St. Michael Catholic Church in Gastonia. Abuse alleged in Richmond, Virginia.

Anthony Thomas Jablonowski, served at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Jefferson; St. Frances of Rome Catholic Mission in Sparta; Abuse alleged in Guernsey, Wyoming

Patrick F. Leonard, served at t. John Neumann Catholic Church in Charlotte. Abuse alleged in New York

Gregory J. Littleton, served in Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church in Charlotte; St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Tryon; St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church in Maggie Valley. Abuse alleged in New Jersey

Harold V. McGovern, served at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School, chaplain in Winston-Salem (former location); Holy Cross Catholic Church in Kernersville; Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in High Point. Abuse alleged in Delaware

James W. O’Neill, served at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Greensboro, Abuse alleged in Wilmington, Delaware

Kenneth R. Parker, served at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Forest City; Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Greensboro; St. Frances of Rome Catholic Mission in Sparta; St. John Baptist de la Salle Catholic Church in North Wilkesboro; St. Patrick Catholic Church (now Cathedral) in Charlotte; St. Peter Catholic Church in Charlotte. Abuse alleged in Newton Grove

Gordon John Pillon, served at Charlotte Catholic High School, chaplain in Charlotte; St. Joseph Catholic Church in Newton; St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Charlotte. Abuse alleged in La Habra, California

Peter Raymond Richardson, served at St. Mary, Mother of God Catholic Church in Sylva. Abuse alleged in West Liberty, Kentucky; Aberdeen, Mississippi

John D. Rutledge, served at St. Mary Catholic Church, formerly called Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church in Greensboro. Abuse alleged in Auburn, Alabama

Robert E. Spangenberg, served at Sacred Heart Catholic Mission in Wadesboro; St. James Catholic Church in Hamlet. Abuse alleged in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

William Tanguay, served at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, Hmong Ministry in Hickory. Abuse alleged in Providence, Rhode Island

Gino Vertassich, served at St. Mary, Mother of God Catholic Church in Sylva; St. William Catholic Church in Murphy. Abuse alleged in Connecticut

William G. Ward, served at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Winston-Salem. Abused alleged in Lackawanna and Niagara Falls, New York

Help for abuse victims is available at the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 800-4-A-CHILD or 800-422-4453.​​​​​​