Saturday, October 13, 2018

Father Richard Hatch Winon Catholic Priest Abuse Case

Father Richard Hatch Winon Catholic Priest Abuse Case --- ===


*Sources

Lawsuit against Diocese of Winona sent back to court | Local News ...
https://www.postbulletin.com › News › Local News
Sep 24, 2018 - The Diocese of Winona assigned Hatch to St. Mary's Catholic ... a 1961 letter to Father Hatch from the Bishop of Winona in which Hatch was ...

Court sends priest abuse case back to Winona - Winona Post ...
https://www.winonapost.com/...and.../Court-sends-priest-abuse-case-back-to-Winona
One of the last remaining sexual abuse cases against the Diocese of ... “There is no evidence that points to prior sexual abuse by Fr. Hatch ...

Fr Richard Hatch Diocese of Winona - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytXlVXOgonY
▶ 5:10
1 day ago - Uploaded by Noaker Law, LLCThis is a Video describing the Diocese of Winona's continuing cover-up of abusive priest Fr. Richard Hatch ...
June 1963 sent to notorious sex offender facility

Civil Suit Filed Against Diocese of Winona – Bishop Knew Priest Was ...
www.bishop-accountability.org/news2016/01.../2016_01_05_Firm_Civil_Diocese.ht...
Jan 5, 2016 - Civil Suit Filed Against Diocese of Winona – Bishop Knew Priest Was Dangerous ... Hatchin 1962 when the boy was 13 – 14 years of age and a parishioner and student at St. Mary's CatholicChurch and School. ... Click Here for August 25, 1963 Letter from Fr. Richard Hatch From Sex Offender Treatment.

in a letter of July 13, 1961, the Bishop warned Hatch to be more careful with money, and then threw in a line about the protection of children.  In the letter, the Bishop stated “I have spoken to you several times in regard to your apparent disregard and lack of concern for debts which you have and which you incur,”  “Such actions jeopardize the good name and reputation of the Church and particularly of individual priests.”
The Complaint also states that the Diocese of Winona had information that Fr. Hatch was a threat to children.  The Complaint also specifically cites another document showing the Diocese knew Fr. Hatch was a sexual threat to parish boys prior to transferring Hatch to St. Mary’s.   In a May 28, 1964 letter from Msgr. Emmett F. Tighs, Chancellor of the Diocese of Winona, stated that “Fr. Hatch was a problem here in our Diocese during the years of his service.”  In that same letter, Msgr. Tighs also confirmed that Fr. Hatch “was accused of many indiscretions and much imprudence” and Msgr. Tighs also described Fr. Hatch as “a very disturbed man.”


One Diocese's Early Warning on Sex Abuse '50s Records Reflect ...
www.bishop-accountability.org/...01.../2003_04_22_Cooperman_OneDioceses.htm
The correspondence makes clear that sexual abuse by priests did not begin with ... officials to accept the calculated risk of keeping sex offenders in ministry. ... tBut the Brady documents reveal much more. They contain evidence, in confidential messages between bishops, that a shortage of priests sometimes led Catholic officials to accept the calculated risk of keeping sex offenders in ministry.

They also disprove the contention that church leaders were unaware until recently that pedophilia is difficult, if not impossible, to cure. The advice Brady received from the nation's first treatment center for troubled priests, Via Coeli in Jemez Springs, N.M., was that priests who had molested minors were unlikely to change.

"[W]e have adopted a definite policy not to recommend to Bishops men of this character," Via Coeli's founder, the Rev. Gerald Fitzgerald, informed Brady in September 1957. "We feel that the protection of our glorious priesthood will demand, in time, the establishment of a uniform code of discipline and of penalties. We are amazed to find how often a man who would be behind bars if he were not a priest is entrusted with the cura animarum [care of souls]." [See the full text of Fitzgerald's 9/26/57 letter.]

In later decades, bishops sent hundreds of priests to Jemez Springs and other church-run centers for psychological evaluation and treatment, then recycled many of them into parishes without informing parishioners or police. Lawsuits and bad publicity forced the Jemez Springs facility to stop treating sexual disorders in 1994. 


Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congregation_of_the_Servants_of_the_Paraclete
The Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete is a Latin Rite, Catholic religious congregation of men dedicated to ministry to priests and Brothers with personal difficulties. The congregation was founded in 1947 by Father Gerald Fitzgerald in Jemez Springs, New Mexico; ..

Treatment of sexually abusive priests[edit]
Although Fitzgerald started the Servants of the Paraclete to assist priests who were struggling with alcohol and substance abuse problems, he soon began receiving priests who had sexually abused minors. Initially, Fitzgerald attempted to treat such priests using the same spiritual methods that he used with others. 
By 1948, Fitzgerald had set a policy whereby he refused to take priests who were sexually attracted to young people. In a letter sent to a priest in 1948 Fitzgerald said "It is now a fixed policy of our house to refuse problem cases that involve abnormalities of sex."[citation needed]The policy was changed, possibly at the insistence of bishops, because Fr. Gerald's letters reveal that he had indeed offered help to several priests with such sexual problems in the years between 1948 and his death in 1969.
In a 1964 letter to Bishop Joseph Durick of Nashville, Tennessee Fitzgerald expressed "growing concern" about the dramatic change in the nature of problems that were being referred to his order:
May I take this occasion to bring to your attention what is a growing concern to many of us here in the States. When I was ordained, forty three years ago, homosexuality was a practically unknown rarity. Today it is rampant among men. And whereas seventeen years ago eight out of ten problems here [at the Paraclete facility, Via Coeli] would represent the alcoholic, now in the last year or so our admission ratio would be approximately 5-2-3: five being alcoholic, two would be what we call "heart cases" (natural affection towards women) and three representing aberrations involving homosexuality. More alarming still is that among these of the 3 out of 10 class, 2 out of 3 have been young priests.[citation needed]
Fitzgerald became increasingly convinced even then that such priests could not be cured, could not be trusted to maintain celibacy and should be laicized even against their will. Moreover, Fitzgerald opposed vehemently the return of sexual abusers to duties as priests in parish situations. Although some bishops refused to hire sexually abusive priests based on Fitzgerald's refusal to recommend them for parish duties, others ignored Fitzgerald's advice. In general, it appears that bishops chose to ignore Fitzgerald's recommendations, preferring to rely on the advice of medical and psychological experts who asserted that treatment was feasible.

Warnings to the Church hierarchy[edit]

Over the next two decades, Fitzgerald wrote regularly to bishops in the United States and to Vatican officials, including the pope, of his opinion that many sexual abusers in the priesthood could not be cured and should be laicized immediately.[3]
For example, in a 1952 letter to Bishop Robert Dwyer of the Diocese of Reno, Nevada, Fitzgerald wrote:
I myself would be inclined to favor laicization for any priest, upon objective evidence, for tampering with the virtue of the young, my argument being, from this point onward the charity to the Mystical Body should take precedence over charity to the individual, [...] Moreover, in practice, real conversions will be found to be extremely rare [...] Hence, leaving them on duty or wandering from diocese to diocese is contributing to scandal or at least to the approximate danger of scandal.[4]
In 1957 Fitzgerald wrote to Matthew Francis Brady, the Bishop of Manchester, New Hampshire:
We are amazed to find how often a man who would be behind bars if he were not a priest is entrusted with the cura animarum.[3][5]
In a letter written in 1957 to Archbishop Byrne, his ecclesiastical sponsor and co-founder of the Paracletes, Fitzgerald wrote:
May I beg your excellency to concur and approve of what I consider a very vital decision on our part - that we will not offer hospitality to men who have seduced or attempted to seduce little boys or girls. These men Your Excellency are devils and the wrath of God is upon them and if I were a bishops I would tremble when I failed to report them to Rome for involuntary laicization....It is for this class of rattlesnake I have always wished the island retreat - but even an island is too good for these vipers of whom the Gentle master said - it were better they had not been born - this is an indirect way of saying damned, is it not? When I see the Holy Father I am going to speak of this class to his Holiness.[citation needed]
In 1962, Fitzgerald prepared a report at the request of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (then known as the Holy Office) in which he discussed the various types of sexual problems of priests, including sexual abuse of minors.
In April 1962, Fitzgerald wrote a five-page response to a query from the Vatican's Congregation of the Holy Office "the tremendous problem presented by the priest who through lack of priestly self-discipline has become a problem to Mother Church." One of his recommendations was for "a more distinct teaching in the last years of the seminary of the heavy penalty involved in tampering with the innocence (or even non-innocence) of little ones." Regarding priests who have "fallen into repeated sins ... and most especially the abuse of children, we feel strongly that such unfortunate priests should be given the alternative of a retired life within the protection of monastery walls or complete laicization."[6]
In August of the following year, he met with newly elected Pope Paul VI to inform him about his work and problems he perceived in the priesthood. His follow-up letter contained this assessment:
Personally I am not sanguine of the return of priests to active duty who have been addicted to abnormal practices, especially sins with the young. However, the needs of the church must be taken into consideration and an activation of priests who have seemingly recovered in this field may be considered but is only recommended where careful guidance and supervision is possible. Where there is indication of incorrigibility, because of the tremendous scandal given, I would most earnestly recommend total laicization.[6]
Fitzgerald's papers were unsealed by a judge in New Mexico in 2007 and were authenticated in depositions with Fitzgerald's successors, said Helen Zukin, a lawyer with Kiesel, Boucher & Larson, a firm in Los Angeles.[7]

https://mn.gov/law-library-stat/archive/ctapun/2018/OPa180480-092418.pdf
STATE OF MINNESOTA
IN COURT OF APPEALS
A18-0480
John Doe 121,
Appellant,
vs.
Diocese of Winona,
Respondent,
St. Mary's Catholic Church,
Respondent.
Filed September 24, 2018
Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded

Jesson, Judge 
In June 1963, Father Hatch was removed from his position at St. Mary’s and was
sent to Via Coeli, a congregation of priests who provided care for other priests in need. (also called " notorious sex offender facility '
4
Troubled priests were sent to Via Coeli with the hope that their conduct would improve,
and then they could return to assignments at churches. Although the record is unclear as
to what behavior may lead to a priest being sent to Via Coeli, what is in the record are
letters that Father Hatch wrote to the Bishop of Winona while at the facility. These letters
apologized for hardships he caused through his “imprudent actions.” Father Hatch
ultimately left Via Coeli within a year without the permission of the Bishop of Winona.
He then voluntarily ceased any ministerial duties and ultimately passed away in 2005.
In 1996, it was reported to the Diocese of Winona that Father Hatch had sexually
molested two boys while assigned to his duties and that he took pornographic pictures of a
third boy. Then in 2013, the Diocese of Winona received another complaint of child sexual
abuse by Father Hatch that occurred from 1959 to 1962.
In January 2016, Doe filed a complaint against the Diocese of Winona and
St. Mary’s.1
 The complaint alleged that Doe was sexually abused by Father Hatch while
he attended St. Mary’s and that the defendants knew of the dangers of Father Hatch, but
failed to prevent the sexual abuse from occurring. The complaint set forth claims of general
negligence, negligent supervision, and negligent retention against both St. Mary’s and the
Diocese.


1961 letter from Bishop Fitzgerald to Fr. Hatch | | lacrossetribune.com
https://lacrossetribune.com/...fr-hatch/pdf_4466c986-787f-5c5d-b235-b3454e526653...
Sep 24, 2018 - A lawsuit brought against the Diocese of Winona by a man who claims he was sexually abused by a St. Mary's Catholic Church priest is ...

State appeals court overturns dismissal of lawsuit against Diocese of ...
https://www.winonadailynews.com/...diocese.../article_4c7a1946-0f73-5b96-ae47-b2...
Sep 24, 2018 - A lawsuit brought against the Diocese of Winona by a man who claims he was sexually ... 1961 letter from Bishop Fitzgerald to Fr. Hatch.
The suit was filed in January 2016, claiming the diocese and St. Mary’s were negligent in allowing Hatch to have contact with minors given his history.

In July 2016, the district court granted motions to dismiss general negligence claims and in November 2017 granted motions for summary judgment on remaining counts of negligent supervision and negligent retention, with Buytendorp ruling that neither the diocese nor the parish knew of Hatch’s previous sexually abusive conduct.

In its decision, the appellate court focused on one piece of evidence — a letter sent by Fitzgerald to Hatch in July 1961, when Hatch was at St. James Church in St. James, Minn., admonishing the priest for failing to pay his debts, which the bishop said he personally covered.

1961 letter from Bishop Fitzgerald to Fr. Hatch | | winonadailynews.com
https://www.winonadailynews.com/...fr-hatch/pdf_2d5d4431-2e6b-57df-8bab-a59f7d...
Sep 24, 2018 - Download PDF 1961 letter from Bishop Fitzgerald to Fr. Hatch ... A lawsuit brought against the Diocese of Winona by a man who claims he was ...

Hatch, Richard - Clergy Sexual Abuse Attorneys | Jeff Anderson ...
https://www.andersonadvocates.com/PriestList/91/Father-Richard-Hatch.aspx
On October 7, 2014 the priest file of Father Richard E. Hatch was released to the public. Along with Hatch’s file, the files of thirteen other priests with credible allegations of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Winona were also released. The files were obtained as part of the Doe 1 v. Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona civil lawsuit filed in Ramsey County in May 2013. The lawsuit was made possible due to the Child Victims Act passed by the Minnesota legislature.

On December 16, 2013, Father Richard E. Hatch was publicly named by the Diocese of Winona as part of a court-ordered release of names of priests with credible allegations of child sexual abuse. Father Hatch’s name was also part of the 2004 John Jay Charter Study.

Winona diocese names 14 priests credibly accused of child sexual ...
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2013/12/16/catholic.../diocese-winona-priest-list
Dec 16, 2013 - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona has named 14 priests accused ... Listen 14 accused priests in Winona diocese ... Among them was the Rev. ... Richard H. Hatch (died in 2005); Ferdinand L. Kaiser (died in 1973); Jack ...
[PDF]

Father Richard Hatch - Bishop Accountability
www.bishop-accountability.org/diocesan.../Winona/2014_06_23_Hatch_Fr_Richard....
Jun 23, 2014 - Father Richard Hatch was born on October 28, 1927 in Pipestone, Minnesota. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Winona on June 6, ...Father Richard Hatch was born on October 28, 1927 in Pipestone, Minnesota. He was ordained
a priest of the Diocese of Winona on June 6, 1954. Fr. Hatch served at the following parishes
throughout his tenure:
June 23, 1954 - Saint John Vianney, Fairmont, MN
June 21, 1957 - Saint Leo, Pipestone, MN
August 30, 1960 - Saint James, Saint James, MN
June 19, 1962 - Saint Mary, Winona, MN
Voluntarily ceased ministerial duties and permanently left Diocese of Winona in the 1960’s.
Fr. Hatch died on October 15, 2005. Fr. Hatch abandoned his priestly duties in 1963 after being
removed from his position in Diocese of Winona for personal financial mismanagement and
disregard of the Bishop’s directives concerning personal finances. In 1996 it was reported to
Diocese of Winona that Fr. Hatch had sexually molested two boys while assigned to duties in the
Diocese and took pornographic pictures of another boy. In May 2013 the Diocese of Winona
received another complaint of child sexual abuse regarding Fr. Hatch that took place in 1959 –
1962. 


[PDF]
John Doe 121, Appellant, vs. Diocese of Winona ... - Minnesota.gov
https://mn.gov/law-library-stat/archive/ctapun/2018/OPa180480-092418.pdf
Sep 24, 2018 - Father Hatch's sexually abusive tendencies toward children. ... In 1996, it was reported to the Diocese of Winona that Father Hatch had sexually.
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