Gilbert J. Gustafson
Father Gilbert Gustafson was ordained in 1977 and incardinated into the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. His first assignment was at St. Mary of the Lake in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, from 1977-1982.
In 1982, the parents of a 15-year-old boy reported to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis that Gustafson had sexually abused their son for five years. Gustafson admitted to the sexual abuse and also that he had sexually abused two other boys. Father Gustafson was criminally charged and he pled guilty to the abuse of the boy whose parents complained. As a result, Gustafson received a $40.00 fine and was sentenced to six months in jail. Father Gustafson was then sent to Washington, D.C. in 1982-1983 for treatment.
The Archdiocese allowed Father Gustafson to work as a researcher and assistant in the chancery from 1983 forward. Gustafson also served on an interfaith board on sexual trauma and served as a chaplain at a monastery for cloistered nuns.
A woman came forward in 2000 alleging abuse by Gustafson beginning in 1977 and lasting five years. Father Gilbert Gustafson was removed from ministry in June 2002 and in 2007 he was quoted as saying he was “on leave.” It was rumored Gustafson may have been involved in a leadership training program at a Minneapolis monastery from 2010-2011.