Six former Jesuits with KC ties accused of sexually abusing minors

Six Catholic priests and brothers with connections to Rockhurst High School and Rockhurst University are named on a list of Jesuits with “credible accusations” of sexually abusing minors.

The list, issued Friday by the Jesuits’ U.S. Central and Southern Province, includes allegations against 42 former and current members of the province, going back as far as the 1940s.

It was compiled and released after an internal review of Jesuit personnel files, the province said in a news release.

Five of the accused men were assigned to Rockhurst High School in Kansas City at some point in their careers, including a former principal. Another man was assigned to Rockhurst University and St. Francis Xavier Parish, according to the list.

The six were described as Jesuits who are no longer with the province or have been removed from ministry. Three were listed as deceased.

In a written statement, Rockhurst High School said the last year any of the five Jesuits served at the high school was 1984. It also said three reports of alleged misconduct related to any Jesuit’s time at the high school “were immediately reported to the Province.”

“Rockhurst High School prays for all victims of sexual abuse and their families,” the statement said.

The six with ties to Kansas City were listed as follows:

▪ Francis J. Kegel, who died in 2009, received pastoral assignments at Rockhurst High School’s former Troost Avenue campus from 1947 to 1949. He also was assigned to St. Louis University High School. In 2008, a report of alleged misconduct by Kegel while he was at Rockhurst was made, and the school forwarded the report to the province. Rockhurst said the person making the report was given information to contact the province but did not. Kegel had already left the Society of Jesus when the allegation was received.

▪ Dennis P. Kirchoff faces one allegation of sexual abuse and was listed as having pastoral assignments at Rockhurst High School from 1981 to 1984 and St. Louis University High School in 1984. The province received allegations of misconduct against Kirchoff in the early 1990s and he was removed from ministry in 1991. He left the Society of Jesus in 1995. Rockhurst said the allegations against Kirchoff did not relate to his time at the school.

▪ Philip D. Kraus, who is accused of sexual abuse from the 1970s, had assignments at Rockhurst University and St. Francis Xavier Parish as well as St. Louis University High School, Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colo., White House Jesuit Retreat Office in St. Louis, Catholic Social Services in Peoria, Ill., Sacred Heart Retreat House in Alhambra, Calif., and Jesuit Hall Community in St. Louis. He was removed from ministry in 2003 and lives under supervision.

▪ Chester E. Gaiter, who died in 2010, is listed as having multiple allegations of sexual abuse brought against him from the 1970s to 1980s. At the time the allegations surfaced, the province said he was infirm. He had pastoral assignments at Rockhurst High School from 1968 to 1973 and five postings in the St. Louis area — at St. Matthew’s Parish, Cardinal Ritter High School, St. Joseph’s Parish in East St. Louis, Ill., Jesuit Hall Community and Fusz Pavilion Jesuit Community. Rockhurst High School said information from the province indicated the allegations did not relate to his time at Rockhurst.

▪ Paul C. Pilgram is listed as having multiple allegations of sexual abuse against him from the 1970s to the 1990s. He served as principal at Rockhurst from 1976 to 1980. He was restricted from ministry with minors in 1991 after an allegation of misconduct elsewhere. Rockhurst later received two reports of misconduct, the first in 2002, and “promptly forwarded these reports to the Province,” according to a statement from the high school. Pilgram was removed from all public ministry in 2003 and lives under supervision. In previous years, he also had pastoral assignments in St. Louis, at St. Louis University High School, Fusz Pavilion Jesuit Community and White House Jesuit Retreat Office. He also had postings at Regis Jesuit High School in Centennial, Colo., and St. Stephen’s Mission in Wyoming.

▪ Burton J. Fraser, who died in 1971, is accused of sexually abusing a minor in the 1950s while he was a member of the Missouri Province. He later became a member of the Wisconsin Province in 1955. The province noted Fraser was dead when the allegation was received. Fraser spent two terms in service at Rockhurst High School, both at the school’s old Troost Avenue campus from 1924 to 1926 and again from 1949 to 1951. He had pastoral assignments at St. Mary’s College in Kansas, St. Francis Mission in South Dakota, Sacred Heart Parish in Denver, Marquette University in Milwaukee, chaplain for the U.S. Military, Mt. Carmel in Pueblo, Colo., and Creighton University in Omaha. A statement from Rockhurst High School said the allegation against Fraser did not relate to his time at the school.

The list included the province and its predecessor entities: the New Orleans Province, the Missouri Province and the Independent Region of Puerto Rico of the Society of Jesus.

Rockhurst University also released a statement Friday, adding it supported the province’s decision to release the list.

“We believe transparency is the best way to rebuild damaged trust,” the statement read. “We offer prayers of support for all who have suffered as a result of sexual abuse by members of the clergy.”

St. Francis Xavier Parish, where Kraus once served, has not commented publicly on the list, but posted a link to it on its Facebook page Friday.

This story was originally published December 8, 2018 at 6:37 PM.