News

On September 12, 2024, a lawsuit was filed against myself and the Diocese of Jefferson City concerning five allegations of misconduct that reportedly occurred decades ago. We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and investigating the allegations.

As always, our goals are to support healing and peace for any survivor of abuse, to bring abusers to justice and to implement safeguards to prevent harm.

It is important that everyone in our community is aware that none of the five priests named in the lawsuit are currently active in ministry in the Diocese of Jefferson City.

Two of the priests named — Thomas Duggan and Gerald Howard (formerly Carmen Sita) — are deceased. Both had previously been listed on our public registry of clergy credibly accused of misconduct. This list is available on our website at www.diojeffcity.org/safe-environment.

The lawsuit also names Fr. Francis Gillgannon, who died in 2004. The diocese is currently investigating the allegation against him.  We were not aware of any allegations made against him before this lawsuit.

Additionally, the suit mentions “Fr. Darr” and “Fr. Dave.” There is no record of a “Fr. Darr” ever serving in the Diocese of Jefferson City, and we are working to identify “Fr. Dave.” We have confirmed that this allegation does not refer to any priest named “David” currently serving in our diocese.

The Church continues to take every allegation seriously. In a 2019 report about clergy abuse in Missouri, the state’s Attorney General recognized the substantial safety measures our Church has implemented since 2002. The report also highlighted our cooperation. The Attorney General also commended the Church’s leadership and commitment to public transparency and accountability.

I invite everyone to continue praying for all survivors of abuse and misconduct. 

We also encourage anyone who has been abused to come forward.

If you are a survivor of misconduct involving a priest, deacon, or other Church personnel in the Diocese of Jefferson City, please contact local law enforcement, as well as our diocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator, Jacqueline Baldwin, at 573-694-3199 or reportabuse@diojeffcity.org. For more information, visit www.diojeffcity.org/safe-environment.