The Diocese of Erie released a public disclosure list Monday of people who will not be accepted as employees or volunteers by the Diocese of Erie.
Some of the names on the list may be recognizable as a result of a criminal conviction or other public report. Other names are being disclosed publicly for the first time. Some people on this list cannot be convicted of a crime because of the passage of time, legal technicalities, their present whereabouts or mental state, or other factors.
Every person named on this list was credibly accused of actions that, in the diocese’s judgment, disqualify that person from working with children. Such actions could include the use of child pornography, furnishing pornography to minors, corruption of minors, violating a child-protection policy, failure to prevent abuse that they knew to be happening, and, in some cases, direct physical sexual abuse or sexual assault of minors.
Allegations were corroborated by secular legal proceedings, canon law proceedings, self-admission by the individual, or threshold evidence. None of the priests listed are permitted to engage in any form of public ministry or to present themselves publicly as priests. Individuals are listed with their current, in the case of priests, or last known, in the case of laypersons, status with the Diocese of Erie or any of the schools or agencies within the diocese.
The individuals on this list are believed to be alive and living in the locations noted:
•Ronald Keith Allison — Erie, Pennsylvania
Former lay teacher
•Former Fr. Michael J. Amy — Niceville, Florida
Laicized (removed from ministry and later voluntarily resigned from the clergy)
•Fr. Michael G. Barletta — Erie, Pennsylvania
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Fr. Robert F. Bower — Edinboro, Pennsylvania
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Andre C. Butler — Rosedale, New York
Former lay agency employee
•Randolph A. Byrd — Crozet, Virginia
Former lay teacher
•Former Fr. Dennis C. Chludzinski — Erie, Pennsylvania
Laicized
•Charles R. “Rick” Cooper — Lanexa, Virginia
Former lay teacher
•Megan E. Fecko — Cleveland, Ohio
Former lay teacher
•Kevin J. Feyas — Erie, Pennsylvania
Former lay teacher and parish musician
•Former Fr. Gregory P. Furjanic, OFM — Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Laicized
•Former Fr. Chester J. Gawronski — Sahuarita, Arizona
Dismissed from the clergy
•Timothy G. Hanson, Sr. — North East, Pennsylvania
Layman prohibited from volunteer work or entering school property
•James E. Herzing — St. Marys, Pennsylvania
Former lay teacher
•Former Fr. Barry M. Hudock — Albany, Minnesota
Laicized
•Fr. Stephen E. Jeselnick — Colorado Springs, Colorado
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Former Fr. Gary L. Ketcham — Erie, Pennsylvania
Laicized
•Lewis A. Kocher — Springfield, Ohio
Former choir director
•Fr. Thaddeus T. Kondzielski — Waterford, Pennsylvania
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Kevin S. Kulhanek — Erie, Pennsylvania
Former lay school volunteer
•Fr. Salvatore P. Luzzi — Bradford, Pennsylvania
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Eve Minter (née Spangler) — Henrico, Virginia
Former lay teacher
•David Montgomery — Otisville, New York (in federal prison until 2041)
Former lay teacher
•Fr. Leon T. Muroski — Erie, Pennsylvania
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Denise J. (née Geitner) Myers (Meyer) — Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Former lay teacher
•Hattie B. Nichols — Erie, Pennsylvania
Former lay agency employee
•Philip J. Pochatko — Erie, Pennsylvania
Former lay school teacher
•Fr. David L. Poulson — Oil City, Pennsylvania
Forbidden to function as a priest; awaiting sentencing
•Brian J. Radachy — Elkton, Ohio (in federal prison until 2024)
Former lay school teacher
•Former Fr. Samuel B. Slocum — Bradford, Pennsylvania
Dismissed from the clergy
•Fr. Charles R. Schmitt — Port Allegany, Pennsylvania
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Former Fr. Thomas E. Smith — Erie, Pennsylvania
Dismissed from the clergy
•Fr. Daniel J. Taylor — Tucson, Arizona
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Ron Thomsen — Erie, Pennsylvania
Former lay volunteer
•John (Jack) E. Tome — Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Former seminarian
•Former Fr. Patrick B. Vallimont — Union City, Pennsylvania
Laicized
•Dennis E. Vickery — Erie, Pennsylvania
Former lay teacher
•Joseph M. Votino — Masury, Ohio
Former lay teacher/coach
•Craig T. Ward — Erie, Pennsylvania
Former lay agency employee
Should an employer have a need for further information about the facts underlying the inclusion of any person on this list, please contact the Office for the Protection of Children and Youth at childprotection@eriercd.org. This list will be updated as necessary.
Additionally, the Diocese of Erie recognized that some of the individuals who failed our children and other vulnerable populations are now deceased.
The list below names those individuals who, but for their death, would be on the above list of people prohibited from employment.
In furnishing the names of these deceased individuals, the diocese wishes to acknowledge those victims/survivors who were harmed by their actions, to encourage any other victims/survivors to come forward who have not already done so, and to reaffirm the commitment of the diocese to offer support and assistance to victims/survivors of abuse. Individuals are listed with their current, in the case of priests, or last known, in the case of laypersons, status with the Diocese of Erie or any of the schools or agencies within the diocese.
•Fr. Raymond Balko, OSB
Was able to function (abuse reported after death)
•Fr. Donald C. Bolton, CSsR
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Fr. Edmund S. Borycz, OFM
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Msgr. Bonaventure M. Ciufoli
Returned to Italy
•Fr. Donald J. Cooper
Forbidden to function as a priest
•William (Bill) Couse
Former lay school employee
•Fr. Kevin E. Cray, SDS
Was able to function (abuse reported after death)
•Father G. Matthew Daly
Was able to function (abuse reported after his death)
•Fr. David V. Dobrowolski
Was able to function*
•William P. Garvey
Former lay teacher/coach (later served as college president)
•David Geitner
Former lay teacher
•Fr. Herbert Gloekler
Was able to function*
•Fr. Robert E. Hannon
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Fr. Patrick J. Healy
Was able to function (abuse reported after his death)
•James P. Hewitt
Former lay teacher
•Msgr. James Hopkins
Was able to function (abuse reported after his death)
•Fr. Joseph W. Jerge
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Fr. Edward W. Jungquist
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Fr. Thomas C. Kelley
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Fr. Gerard (Gerald, Gerry) H. Krebs
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Fr. Jerry Kucan, OFM
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Former Fr. Fidelis G. Lazar, OSB
Left ministry prior to his death
•Msgr. Louis Lorei
Believed to have died restricted from ministry (records unclear as to final status)
•Msgr. Daniel Martin
Restricted from ministry (abuse reported during retirement/physical-health-leave and later, after death)
•Fr. Joseph F. Meisinger
Was able to function (abuse reported after his death)
•Former Brother Edmundus Murphy, SVD
Left ministry prior to his death
•Fr. John L. Murray
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Fr. Giles L. Nealen, OSB
Was unable to function (was already confined to infirmary when abuse was reported)
•Fr. Andrew W. Pawlaczyk
Was able to function (abuse reported after death)
•Fr. John A. Piatkowski
Believed to have died with ability to function (records unclear as to final status)
•Former Fr. William F. Presley
Dismissed from the clergy
•Msgr. Joseph V. Reszkowski
Was able to function (abuse reported after his death)
•Fr. John P. Schanz
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Fr. Charles A. Sheets, Jr.
Forbidden to function as a priest
•Sr. Mary Carmel Skeabeck, SSJ
(Charlotte Skeabeck)
Former teacher
•Vincent “Vance” Valentine
Former lay school employee
•Bishop Alfred M. Watson
•Bishop of Erie (failed to act to stop abuse which was credibly reported to him)
* The diocese had no records indicating that the abuse had been reported years ago, but new information confirms allegations had been submitted but were not on record.
We also find it important to recognize the survivors who have reported abuse, even when the report cannot be investigated fully. Allegations of abuse from decades ago often can be neither proved nor disproved due to a lack of living witnesses or corroborating evidence. The Diocese of Erie is profoundly grateful for the courage demonstrated by the individuals that have come forward to make these allegations known but regrets that, with no way to corroborate these allegations, they cannot be listed here. Nonetheless, the Diocese of Erie always welcomes any additional information that can shed light on past cases of abuse.
These individuals are currently under investigation, and each is presumed innocent unless proved otherwise:
•Jonathan Borkowski — Fairview, Pennsylvania
•Fr. Sean P. Kerins — Erie, Pennsylvania
•Former Fr. Thomas M. Lechner — laicized, Sewickley, Pennsylvania
•Fr. Richard Lynch — deceased
•Msgr. H. Desmond McGee — DuBois, Pennsylvania
•Frank J. Mariella, Sr. — deceased
•Fr. Jan Olowin — retired, Phoenix, Arizona
•Fr. Robert A. Pudlo (failed to act to stop abuse which was credibly reported to him) — deceased
•Msgr. Joseph V. Reszkowski — deceased
•Fr. William A. Rice — retired, Fryburg, Pennsylvania
•Msgr. Thomas Snyderwine — retired, Erie, Pennsylvania
Awaiting trial
•Robert D. Viszneki
•Former parish volunteer
Finally, in some cases, reports were made out of an abundance of caution rather than because of specific abuse that was perpetrated. In these cases, referrals are made to appropriate law-enforcement agencies, as well as analyzed by the Diocese of Erie’s investigators. Where both secular law enforcement and diocesan investigators concluded that a report is unfounded, the names of the reported individuals involved will not be publicized.