Saint Luke Institute, Father Francis Hoefgen Named in Sexual Abuse Lawsuit

First Child Victims Act Lawsuit to Name Treatment Facility Run by Bishops Where Known Offenders were Recycled into Ministry

Father Francis Hoefgen Admitted Abuse to Police, Sent to St. Luke’s and Placed Back in Hastings Parish Where he Molested Doe 27

(Saint Paul, MN) – At a news conference on Tuesday in St. Paul, Minnesota former priest and monk Patrick J. Wall, along with attorney Jeff Anderson, will:

  • Announce the filing of a sexual abuse lawsuit on behalf of a Minnesota man now in his 30s, naming the Order of St. Benedict a/k/a and d/b/a St. John’s Abbey, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Saint Luke Institute and Father Francis Hoefgen as defendants. The lawsuit alleges defendants were negligent in allowing Father Hoefgen to work with children after admitting to police in 1984 that he sexually abused a minor. Hoefgen, a member of St. John’s, was subsequently sent to St. Luke’s for an evaluation in 1984 and returned to ministry in 1985 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings, where he sexually abused Doe 27.
  • Request the Order publicly release the names and files of 17 accused clerics who are credibly accused of sexual abuse involving minor children and for the Archdiocese to release their list of 33 priests credibly accused of sexual abuse.
  • Reveal the police report and internal church documents regarding Hoefgen.

When
Tuesday, November 19, 2013 at 11:00 AM

Where
Jeff Anderson & Associates
366 Jackson Street, Suite 100
St. Paul, MN 55101

Who
Patrick J. Wall, a former priest and monk, was assigned by the Abbott and Archbishop to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish in Hastings, MN immediately following Father Hoefgen’s departure. Wall now works for Jeff Anderson & Associates as a consultant and advocate for sexual abuse survivors.  Jeff Anderson, sexual abuse attorney, will be available for additional comments and questions.

Notes
Information packets, including copies of the documents, will be available at the press conference and on our website tomorrow.

Fr. Hoefgen remained in ministry until 1992 and worked in parishes in Hastings and Cold Spring, Minnesota. He is believed to be living in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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