Seattle archdiocese releases names of child sex abusers; 13 taught in Kent

One priest and 12 other religious brothers or sisters who taught at the former Briscoe Memorial School in Kent between 1939 and 1969 are part of a published list of 77 child sex abusers released on Friday by The Archdiocese of Seattle.

“I am publishing a list of clergy and religious brothers and sisters for whom allegations of sexual abuse of a minor have been admitted, established, or determined to be credible,” said Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain in a letter posted on The Archdiocese of Seattle website. “These are individuals known to have served or resided in the Archdiocese. This action is being taken in the interest of further transparency and accountability, and to continue to encourage victims of sexual abuse by clergy to come forward.”

Independent consultants helped compile the list of 77 abusers who served or lived between 1923 and 2008 in Western Washington.

Since the late 1980s, the archdiocese has paid out approximately $74 million in settlements for 392 claims of sexual abuse of minors. These payments have come from insurance carriers, the archdiocese’s self-insurance plan, and the sale of archdiocesan held property.

Several settlements worth millions of dollars involved the Briscoe Memorial School, which operated from 1909 to 1970 in Kent as a boarding school and Catholic education center for boys.

There was a culture of physical abuse, sexual abuse and fear at Briscoe, according to The Schmidt Firm, which represented victims. Brothers who abused children were rarely punished; instead, they were simply moved to other schools.

“I express my deepest apologies for the actions of those who were in positions of trust and who violated that sacred trust by abusing the vulnerable in their care,” Sartain said. “Our work in this area will not be complete until all those who have been harmed have received assistance in healing, and until the evil of child sexual abuse has been eradicated from society.”

Steps have been taken by the archdiocese to end abuse.

“Our vigilance, training and prevention efforts are ongoing and continually seeking improvement,” Sartain said. “We have responded to hundreds of survivors of abuse who have come forward, and I thank them for their courage. I personally encourage any survivors who have not previously come forward to do so.”

Survivors can call the archdiocese’s pastoral outreach coordinator at 800-446-7762.

Briscoe Memorial School list:

Those abusers who worked at Briscoe, whether they have died or are alive or if their status is unknown, and the years they taught at the school are:

Priest

Toner, James; deceased, (1946-1950)

Religious brothers and sisters

Casale, Albert; unknown, (1956-1960; 1962-1969)

Croke, Patrick; deceased, (1951-1970)

Delamere, Frank; unknown, (1963-1968)

Donahue, William; deceased, (1924-1932; 1937-1946; 1961-1970)

Duffy, Patrick; deceased, (1958-1959)

Dwyer, George; unknown, (1940s)

Kealy, Gerard Al; deceased, (summer of 1958 & 1959)

Lackie, John; deceased, (1939-1950)

O’Sullivan, Vincent; deceased, (1940-1950)

Ryan, C.P.; deceased, (1956-1962; 1965-1968)

Ryan, D.P.; deceased, (1949-1956)

Warren, James; deceased, (1931-1944)

For a complete list of all 77 child sex abusers, see seattlearchdiocese.org.