Diocese of Las Cruces Releases List of Credibly Accused Priests and Religious

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1 Office of Communications Deacon Jim Winder, Vice Chancellor Direct: (575) Cell: (575) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Diocese of Las Cruces Releases List of Credibly Accused Priests and Religious Las Cruces, NM (November 8, 2018) Today the Diocese of Las Cruces published the names of twenty-eight priests and religious who have been credibly accused of sexual misconduct with minors and have served within the geographical boundary of the diocese. Besides the names, the list also includes, if known, the dates of the alleged incidents, the date they were reported to the diocese, the status of the accused and the date and location of their assignments in the diocese. In some instances, the abuse is alleged to have occurred prior to the establishment of the Diocese of Las Cruces in 1982 or in another diocese altogether; however, the individuals are included because they served in the Diocese of Las Cruces at some point. Some of the individuals identified are deceased and the rest have been removed from ministry or retired. These persons appear on the list because they have been listed as credibly accused by another diocese and/or the allegations against them have been deemed credible by the diocese s Sexual Abuse Review Board, which is composed of citizens with expertise in law enforcement, mental health, and children s health Med Park Drive Las Cruces, NM Main: (575)

2 It should be noted that the dates of the alleged incidents of abuse range from the 1950 s to There have been no credible allegations of abuse of children by priests or religious reported to have occurred in the diocese after the implementation of the Catholic Church s Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in Since 2002, the Diocese of Las Cruces has implemented protocols which include safe environment training and background checks for all clergy, employees and volunteers. Within the last five years alone, the diocese has trained 17,000 people on how to recognize and report sex abuse. Additionally, all children in our religious education classes currently receive Circle of Grace training to teach them about the sacredness of their bodies and how recognize and ward off inappropriate advances. By publishing this list, the Diocese of Las Cruces is seeking to be transparent and accountable, and we invite anyone who may have been abused by church personnel to come forward and report that abuse to the proper authorities, said Bishop Gerald Kicanas, the Apostolic Administrator of the diocese. Bishop Kicanas added: We are reviewing the files of every priest, deacon or religious brother or sister who has ever served in the Diocese of Las Cruces to identify any additional allegations they may contain and we will update this list should new information or allegations surface. Sexual abuse of minors remains a significant concern in our society, said Bishop Kicanas. I hope that by taking these difficult yet necessary steps to assure the safety of children we might inspire other institutions to do the same so that, in our churches, schools and families, children and vulnerable adults will be protected. The Diocese of Las Cruces provided this credibly accused list to the Attorney General of the State of New Mexico this afternoon. And in a voluntary response to a request from the Attorney General, the Diocese of Las Cruces intends to produce the complaint and personnel files of all 1280 Med Park Drive Las Cruces, NM Main: (575)

3 those diocesan priests or religious who are included on this list. This information will be provided to the Attorney General as soon as agreement can be reached regarding the protection of sensitive personal information in these files, including victim identifying information and individual parishioner information including sacramental records, personal letters, and contact information included therein. The Diocese of Las Cruces encourages those who have been the victim of sexual abuse by clergy or church personnel to contact local authorities immediately. They may then contact Margarita Martinez the Victim Assistance Coordinator for the diocese at (575) or for assistance. About the Diocese of Las Cruces The Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces was founded in 1982 and encompasses the counties of Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Hidalgo, Lea, Luna, Otero, Sierra, Lincoln, and Chavez counties in New Mexico. The diocese serves over 234,550 Catholics through 47 parishes, 44 missions, and 6 Catholic schools Med Park Drive Las Cruces, NM Main: (575)

4 PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS CREDIBLY ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ABUSE OF MINORS WHO HAVE SERVED WITHIN THE CURRENT TERRITORIAL BOUNDARIES OF THE DIOCESE OF LAS CRUCES By a decree of Pope John Paul II, the Diocese of Las Cruces was formed on August 17, The territorial limits of the diocese were defined as the New Mexico counties of Doña Ana, Eddy, Grant, Hidalgo, Lea, Luna, Otero and a portion of Sierra, which had formerly been the jurisdiction of the Diocese of El Paso, the counties of Lincoln, Chavez and the remaining portion of Sierra which had been under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The following table contains a list of priests and religious who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors and who have served in parishes located within the territorial limits of the Diocese of Las Cruces before and after its creation. Some of the accusations have arisen when the accused were working in the Southern New Mexico and others are related to accusations made in another diocese. The persons named in this report have been included because the allegations against them have been reviewed and deemed credible by the diocese s Sexual Abuse Review Board, which is composed of lay professionals with expertise in law enforcement, mental health, and children s health, or they have been included on similar lists in other dioceses. In determining allegations against an individual to be credible, the Diocese of Las Cruces is not making a definitive statement as to the veracity of the allegations nor the guilt of the accused, only that the allegations are serious and have not been discredited. By their very nature, these allegations are extremely serious and only a court of law can state definitively whether or not they are true. From time to time, the Diocese of Las Cruces may add names to this list as people come forward with new information. Any person with knowledge of sexual misconduct with a minor by these individuals or any other past or present clergy or employees of the Diocese of Las Cruces are asked to immediately share this information with your local police or sheriff s department. After contacting the authorities, you may also contact Margarita Martinez, the Victim s Assistance Coordinator for the diocese at or mmartinez@rcdlc.org with any questions or concerns you may have.

5 NAME Almaguer, Santiago DATE OF ALLEGED INCIDENT DATE OF REPORT STATUS ASSIGNMENTS IN THE DIOCESE OF LAS CRUCES Our Lady of Health, Las Cruces Barfield, Daniel R Died: Holy Family, Deming St. Jude, Alamogordo Bentley, David* Holy Family, Deming * Inclusion on the list is based upon complaints in the Diocese of Albany and not upon the veracity of any complaints in the Diocese of Las Cruces. Bentley is the subject of an unresolved lawsuit filed in 2018 alleging abuse at a parish in Deming. Bissonnette, Bernard Laicized: 2005 Died: St. Eleanor, Ruidoso Immaculate Heart of Mary, Las Cruces St. Jude, Alamogordo Chavez, Albert Died: Our Lady of Purification Diamond, Wilfred Died: St. Jude, Alamogordo Esquivel, Miguel Diocese of San Angelo List of Credibly Accused 1996 La Tuna Prison Chaplain Fountain, Dennis Died: St. Peter, Roswell St. John, Roswell Immaculate Conception, Dexter St. Peter, Roswell St. Anthony, Artesia St. Helena, Hobbs Garcia, Samuel Laicized: Our Lady of Fatima, Bayard Infant Jesus, Hurley St. Joseph, Lordsburg St. Joseph, Fairacres St. Martin de Porres, Sunland Park St. Joseph, Lordsburg Guillory, Kerry St. Edwards School, Carlsbad San Jose, Carlsbad Catholic Youth Organization, Carlsbad

6 NAME Holley, David (Diocese of Worcester) DATE OF ALLEGED INCIDENT DATE OF REPORT STATUS Convicted: 1993 Died: 2008 ASSIGNMENTS IN THE DIOCESE OF LAS CRUCES St. Jude Alamogordo Klister, Irving 1950 s 1993 Deceased 1968 Holy Family, Deming Labreche, Laurier St. Eleanor, Ruidoso Ladenburger, Wayne (Franciscan) Arrested in Idaho Laicized: Holy Cross Retreat Center, Las Cruces St. Albert, Las Cruces Lopez, Rosario St. Genevieve, Las Cruces Lynch, Richard P 1971, Removed From Ministry: 1992 Died: San Jose, La Mesa Our Lady of Health, Las Cruces Immaculate Conception, Alamogordo Our Lady of Purification, Doña Ana St. Thomas Aquinas, Lovington St. Vincent de Paul, Silver City Our Lady of Purification, Doña Ana Maramba, Manuel Perez Living in Philippine Is St. Francis Newman Center, Silver City St. Genevieve, Las Cruces Martin, Phillip NMMI, Roswell Mazon, Diego Santa Fe) St. John Parish, Roswell Morgan. Arthur C Died: Our Lord of Mercy, Hatch San Isidro, Garfield

7 NAME O'Sullivan, Arthur DATE OF ALLEGED INCIDENT DATE OF REPORT STATUS ASSIGNMENTS IN THE DIOCESE OF LAS CRUCES 1950 s 1993 Holy Family, Deming Primavera, Bruno , 2016 Died: NMMI, Roswell Assumption, Roswell Pudei, Casilda Died: St. Edward s School, Carlsbad Sierra, Frank On Archdiocese of Santa Fe s List of Credibly Accused Immaculate Conception, Alamogordo Our Lady of Fatima, Bayard Silva, Benjamin On Archdiocese of Santa Fe s List of Credibly Accused Clergy St. Thomas More, Chaparral Immaculate Conception, Berino Holy Cross, Las Cruces Tejada, Dennis Laicized: 2007 Tickle, John Removed: 2004 Viramontes, David Died: St. Thomas more, Chaparral Our Lady of Guadalupe, Hobbs St. Genevieve, Las Cruces Sta. Rosa de Lima, las Cruces Our Lady of Purification, Doña Ana Immaculate Heart of Mary, LC St. Francis Newman Center, Silver City St. Albert Newman Center, Las Cruces Immaculate Heart of Mary, Las Cruces St. Genevieve, Las Cruces St. Joseph, Fairacres