Accused Houston-area priest was allowed to celebrate Mass before abuse list released New sex abuse allegations emerge about other priests

Father John Keller gives Holy Communion to parishioner pastor of St. Francis Cabrini Catholic Church in this 1987 photo. He has been identified by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston as one of two priests now under investigation for child sex abuse allegations. less Father John Keller gives Holy Communion to parishioner pastor of St. Francis Cabrini Catholic Church in this 1987 photo. He has been identified by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston as one of two priests now ... more Photo: Steve Ueckert, HC Staff / Houston Chronicle Photo: Steve Ueckert, HC Staff / Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close Accused Houston-area priest was allowed to celebrate Mass before abuse list released 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

A prominent Houston priest was allowed to perform Mass hours before the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston made public that he was under investigation for alleged child sexual abuse and would be removed from his post.

The removal of Father John Keller at Prince of Peace Catholic Community Church in Houston came as a slew of alleged victims came forward with accusations against other priests not named in lists of "credibly accused" clergy released Thursday by 14 of the Catholic dioceses in Texas.

"When will it end?" asked Michael Norris, who leads the Houston chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), who received allegations against seven other priests in the hours after nearly 300 clergy across Texas were named as credibly accused.

THE LIST: Here are names of Houston-area priests ‘credibly accused’ of child sexual abuse

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston notified Keller Wednesday evening that he would be removed from the ministry effective at noon Thursday as officials investigated a recently lodged claim of abuse, according to a statement released Friday by the archdiocese.

The next morning, Keller stood before parishioners at the north Houston church and celebrated the 9 a.m. service before notifying the congregation as the Mass ended that it would be his last service.

The allegations of child sexual abuse against Keller were brought to the archdiocese by adults about incidents that happened 25 to 40 years ago, officials said in the statement. The allegations were reported to the Houston Police Department, archdiocese officials said.

"These allegations have been reported to the civil authorities and the individuals involved have been encouraged to cooperate with any investigation that may be conducted," the statement said. "The Archdiocese will also fully cooperate with any investigation."

Keller, who has been assigned to Prince of Peace since at least 2000, agreed to tell his parish staff after Mass that he was "being removed from ministry during the investigation," the statement noted.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Priest abuse report tells of devastating, decades-long trail of sexual abuse by Texas clergy

Nearly 300 priests across Texas have been identified as "credibly accused" of sexually abusing children over the last 80 years, including 40 priests in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Keller and former Conroe priest Manuel La Rosa-Lopez were listed as under investigation.

The release of names Thursday sparked a surge in new accusations. Among those reported to SNAP after the release were five priests not previously named and at least two who were reported Thursday as "credibly accused." An accusation against an eighth priest was reported to the San Antonio Express-News, which is owned by Hearst, the Chronicle's parent company. Local law enforcement said Friday they had not received any new allegations.

Victims advocates called this week for an independent statewide probe or other investigations into sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, saying dioceses dramatically undercounted the number of abusive priests.

"It's no surprise," said Tim Lennon, national president of SNAP. "When we have independent investigations, that's when we have a truer sense of the scope of systematic, historic sexual abuse of children, minors, and those who are vulnerable."

The disclosure Thursday is one of the largest since a sweeping grand jury report in Pennsylvania last year identified more than 300 priests there who had abused more than 1,000 children. The report prompted more than 70 dioceses nationwide to announce similar plans to compile lists of credibly accused priests, including the Catholic dioceses in Texas.

The Pennsylvania report detailed a pervasive cover-up by church leaders, with priests transferred from parish to parish as allegations surfaced.

The list released by the Galveston-Houston archdiocese showed that the credibly accused priests moved through 111 churches in the Houston region and neighboring areas, with 10 accused priests assigned over the years to Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral, the center of the archdiocese. Christ the King Catholic Church in Houston received seven accused priests, while Our Lady of Fatima in Galena Park, St. Mary Cathedral Basilica in Galveston and St. Vincent de Paul in Houston each received five.

The records released by the diocese do not say what years the priests worked in those churches, or if they overlapped. The accusations date back to the 1950s.

STATEWIDE: How to find Catholic priests 'credibly accused' of abuse in Texas

Nationwide, dioceses so far have identified 1,250 priests and others church leaders credibly abused of sexually assaulting children. The majority of those priests are now dead. SNAP officials said there could be as many as 1,400 abusive priests who have been in Texas.

Questions remain, however, about whether Texas officials could duplicate the Pennsylvania report.

State law does not authorize grand juries to perform statewide investigations or issue reports, said Shannon Edmonds, director of governmental relations for the Texas District and County Attorneys Association.

"You would have to change the state constitution to authorize (the attorney general) to create some statewide grand jury tool like they have in Pennsylvania and some other states," Edmonds said.

Advocates said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton could initiate other actions, however, to investigate statewide. Paxton has offered to help local officials investigate allegations, but his office did not return calls or emails Friday seeking additional information.

'How dare they?'

The celebration of Mass with Keller Thursday drew criticism from two parishioners who attended the service inside the Mary Chapel.

"It made me uncomfortable because I think it should be severed between him and the parishioners," said one woman who has attended the Tomball Parkway church for decades. "He wasn't supposed to be there celebrating Mass."

Another woman who attended said Keller's decision to perform Mass was inappropriate.

"He shouldn't have, out of respect for the community," she said. Both women asked not to be identified.

As Mass ended, Keller asked parishioners to leave the chapel so he could speak with his staff alone. He then made reference unspecified news reports during his farewell, said the women.

Norris said Keller should have been removed immediately. A CBS News report Thursday identified an accuser who said he reported the alleged abuse to church leaders in December.

"How dare they allow him to be around children and not tell their parents, their true protectors?" Norris asked.

Elaine Ayala and Matt Dempsey contributed to this report, which contains material from The Associated Press.

nicole.hensley@chron.com

st.john.smith@chron.com