13 of 27 Jesuit members accused of child sexual abuse tied to northern Ont.

WARNING: This article contains information about allegations of sexual abuse against children by members of the Roman Catholic Church and may be upsetting to read.

Following an audit by the Roman Catholic Church, 27 Jesuits have been linked to complaints of child sexual abuse and 13 of them worked in northern Ontario.

"Over the past three or more decades, revelations of grievous abuse by clergy dating back many generations have come to light, and the church has been slow to respond," Erick Oland, the provincial of the Jesuits of Canada  wrote in a letter to members.

The audit covered records from the last 70 years and began in early 2020 with the help of independent investigator Brian King of King International Advisory Group.

"This is the latest in a series of steps taken by the Jesuits of Canada since the 1990s to address the reality of sexual abuse and its aftermath. We have developed comprehensive procedures for receiving and investigating allegations of sexual abuse of minors," Oland said in the letter.

"Additionally, we have established guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability and prevention of future acts of abuse, as well as prevention of sexual harassment."

Three out of the 27 members are still living, but all of the clergy with ties to northern Ontario have passed away.

These are the 10 clergy who had multiple allegations against them and where they worked in the region:

Joseph Barker was born in 1904, was ordained in 1935 and died in 1977. Barker had the following assignments in northern Ontario: Spanish Indian Residential School, Wikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, West Bay also known as M'Chigeeng First Nation also on Manitoulin Island, Cape Croker on Georgian Bay, Garden River and Sault Ste. Marie General Hospital.

Lawrence Brennan was born in 1927, was ordained in 1960 and died in 2015. Brennan worked at Garnier Residential School in Spanish, Ont., Wikwemkoong, Heron Bay near Marathon, Armstrong north of Thunder Bay and Martyrs' Shrine in Midland.

Frederick Costello was born in 1911, was ordained in 1941 and died in 1965. Costello worked at Spanish Indian Residential School in Spanish and St. John's Church in Waubaushene.

George Epoch was born in 1920, ordained in 1952 and died in 1986. Epoch worked at Spanish Residential School in Spanish and Wikwemkoong.

Norman Hinton was born in 1911, died in 1995 and was not ordained. Hinton worked at Holy Cross Mission in Wikwemkoong and St. Theresa's Parish in Beardmore north of Nipigon.

Gerald Horan was born in 1924, died in 2011 and was not ordained. Horan worked in Longlac, Espanola and Thunder Bay.

Henri Lalonde was born in 1908, ordained in 1939 and died in 1974. Lalonde worked at College Sacre-Coeur in Sudbury.

James Mara was born in 1921, died in 1992 and was not ordained. Mara worked at Garnier Indian Residential School in Spanish, Ont., Garden Village near North Bay, Fort William Reserve in Thunder Bay and Port Arthur near Thunder Bay.

John Neville O'Neill was born in 1923, was ordained in 1956 and died in 2005. O'Neill worked in Wiikwemkoong, M'Chigeeng, Garden Village near North Bay, Longlac, Little Current and Beardmore near Thunder Bay.

William Westaway was born in 1908, died in 1987 and was not ordained. Westaway worked at Spanish Indian Residential School in Spanish, Ont.

These three clergy each have a single allegation against them and also spent some time working in northern Ontario:

Louis-Philippe Bellavance was born in 1905, ordained in 1939 and died 1980. Bellavance was assigned to the University of Sudbury.

Fernand Desrochers was born in 1908, died in 1982 and was not ordained. Desrochers had pastoral assignments at College des Jesuites de Sudbury and Universite Sudbury- College du Sacre Cœur.

Michael Murray was born in 1937, ordained in 1970 and died in 2020. Murray had pastoral assignments in Wikwemkoong, M'Chigeeng, Spanish, Anishinabe Spiritual Centre Espanola and St. Anne's Parish and Choné House in Thunder Bay.

"While as exhaustive a file review as possible has been done, it is still possible that other names may surface.  The list must be considered a living document, which may be added to or modified in future as additional information is presented," Oland said.

"We cannot rewrite the past.  We do wish to contribute to reconciliation, to right past wrongs and to rebuild trust.  The undertaking of our audit and the decision to publish the names of those credibly accused express our commitment to transparency and accountability."

The Jesuits claim a majority of the complaints came after the alleged perpetrator had died and said some of the cases have never been tried in criminal or civil court.

"The Jesuits of Canada encourage any person who has suffered abuse by a Jesuit to notify the appropriate law enforcement or child-protection agency in the location in which the incident took place," Oland said.

Resources for sexual assault survivors in Canada

If you or someone you know is struggling with sexual assault or trauma, the following resources are available to support people in crisis:

If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety, you should call 911.

A full list of sexual assault centres in Canada that offer information, advocacy and counselling can be found at ReeseCommunity.com. Resources in your community can be found by entering your postal code.

Helplines, legal services and locations that offer sexual assault kits in Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia can be found here.

National Residential School Crisis Line: [phone]

24-hour crisis line: 416 597 8808

Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline: [phone]

Trans Lifeline: [phone]

Sexual misconduct support for current or former members of the Armed Forces: [phone]