News Release
June 23, 2011
Contact: Jeff Anderson 651.227.9990
Conception,
Missouri Abbey faces lawsuit
Missouri man
says priest sexually abused him as child
Prominent
clergy abuse attorney says the Abbey blatantly
exposed
child to known serial pedophile
(Nodaway County,
MO) A prominent clergy abuse attorney filed a lawsuit today in the Circuit
Court of Nodaway County claiming that, in 1987, the Conception Abbey in
Conception, Missouri, exposed a minor child to a priest who they knew had
previously had sexual contact with minors, which resulted in the sexual abuse
of the child. The child, now an adult
and the plaintiff in the lawsuit, is identified in the complaint as John Doe
181 and lives in Missouri.
Jeff Anderson, an attorney based in St. Paul, Minnesota,
and widely known for his pioneering work in using civil litigation to seek
justice and accountability for clergy abuse of children, said “the facts of the
case are appalling, but sadly mirror case after case of Catholic officials
covering up and protecting pedophile priests rather than protecting innocent
children they profess to be serving.”
Anderson said between 1973 and 1979, the Priest, Father
Bede Parry, while he was a monk at the Abbey, but before being ordained a
priest, reported to Abbot Jerome Hanus that he had been involved in three
inappropriate sexual relationships.
“In addition, in 1981, while attending classes at St.
John’s School of Theology in Collegeville, Minnesota he had an inappropriate
sexual relationship with a student and
admitted the sexual misconduct to St. John’s Abbot Jerome Theisen and two other
monks at St. John’s, as well as Abbot Hanus at the Abbey. Yet, in total disregard for the safety of
children, these officials turned a blind eye to Parry’s sexual misconduct.
Parry, who was ordained in 1983, was then assigned to
Conception Abbey where he was in charge of the choir program. In 1987, when the minor Plaintiff attended a
residential choir camp at the Abbey, he was sexually abused by the priest. When the child’s parents brought the assault
to the attention of Abbot Hanus, they were told that Father Parry had a “mental
breakdown” and he would be treated for the breakdown.
Father Parry was then sent for sexual offender treatment
at the Servants of the Paracletes facility in Jemez Springs, New Mexico, where
Fr. Parry resided from August 1987 through October of 1987. After the treatment
Parry remained in the Southwest and at some time in 1990, Abbot James Jones of
the Conception Abbey told Parry that “it would not be wise” for him to return
to the Abbey.
However, Parry remained active in the ministry in several
churches in the Southwest, including
Our Lady of Fatima
Catholic Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Holy Family Catholic Church in
Las Vegas, Nevada.
In 2000, Fr. Parry underwent psychological testing
relating to the possibility of entering another monastery. The results of this testing revealed that Fr.
Parry was a sexual abuser who had the proclivity to reoffend with minors. The results of this testing were provided to
the Abbey, the Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas and the Episcopal Bishop for the
Diocese of Nevada.
Today, Father Parry, 68, continues to be employed by All
Saints’ Episcopal Church in Las Vegas, Nevada.
A copy of the lawsuit filed today can be found on the
Documents page of www.AndersonAdvocates.com
Contact: Jeff
Anderson Office/651.227.9990 Mobile/612.817.8665
