The names and assignment histories of seven priests of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (“Oblates”) who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing children were released publicly for the first time on July 7, 2015. The priests all worked in Minnesota for part of their careers. Other locations at which the priests worked include Missouri, Illinois, Mississippi, Texas, Nebraska, Wisconsin, South Dakota, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., North Dakota and Canada.
The release is part of a settlement reached in a civil lawsuit brought by Doe 30 against the Oblates, the Diocese of Duluth and the Diocese of New Ulm. The settlement was reached in April 2015 between Doe 30, the plaintiff, and defendant Oblates. The other defendants in the case – the Diocese of Duluth and Diocese of New Ulm – were not part of the settlement, and Doe 30’s case against them is still pending in Ramsey County District Court.
The lawsuit stems from Doe 30’s sexual abuse by Father J. Vincent Fitzgerald, an Oblate priest, in 1978 when Doe 30 was a minor.