LP_041918

More documents

Recommendations

Info

6 | April 19, 2018 | The Lockport Legend News lockportlegend.com Lockport Moose #1557 PRESENTS Denny Diamond Tribute to Neil Diamond Saturday, April 28th Doors Open 6:00pm Dinner 7:00pm | Show 8:30pm Tickets $20.00 each Tickets on Sale Now in Social Quarters Or at: www.LockportMoose.com Banquet Room & Picnic Grove available for rent. Prime Dates Available. Call Bruce at 815-838-3944 Dr. Mary Ellen Hoye, DDS ENDODONTICS, PERIODONTICS, ORAL SURGERY, ORTHODONTICS WE ARE ALWAYS WELCOMING NEW PATIENTS! — Our Dental Hygienists — The Welcome Place Preschool 14719 W. 163rd St., Homer Glen OPEN HOUSE Thursday, April 26 • 4:00 to 7:00pm Registration NOW OPEN! 3 YEAR OLDS (3 by Sept. 1st) Tues. & Thurs. Morning Classes EXPRESS 10-MINUTE WHITENING Help us Support 4 YEAR OLDS (4 by Sept. 1st) Mon., Wed. & Fri. Morning Classes It is our mission to help children develop the gifts they have been given in order to grow up into individuals who know how they are loved and set free to make a positive difference in this world. We strive to fulfill our mission through these strategic actions: Showing Love • Teaching Faith • Developing Skills (Spiritual, Academic, and Social) Call 708-301-3883 for any information or check out our website www.CrossofGlory.com/preschool Jamie Knutson, Preschool Director The Welcome Place Preschool is a ministry of Cross of Glory Lutheran Church 16 YEARS IN THE COMMUNITY Introductory Special with your cleaning $ 38 or procedure! — $49 Drop-InWhitening — Sparing some love for Lockport Love Amanda Del Buono Freelance Reporter Although it’s only April, some in Lockport are already thinking about the holiday season. Lockport Love, a local nonprofit organization, is already preparing for the season. The organization is inviting community members to Strike-N- Spare II for its annual Lockport Love Candlelight Bowl at 6 p.m. on May 4. The event is to include three games of bowling and a full Mexican meal provided by Sizzles. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased online at www.lockportlove.com or at the Lockport Police Department. In addition to the bowling and dinner, attendees will be able to try their luck with an array of raffle baskets, which are donated by local businesses and individuals. “Every year we get more bowlers,” said Barbara Jo (B.J.) Ferry, treasurer of Lockport Love. “... If you want to come and just meet some people and have a nice time, and you don’t have anybody to bowl with, we’ll set you up with a group. It’s just friends having fun… It’s just a fun way for Lockport people to connect.” Lockport Love raises money throughout the year to give back to local families in need during the holiday season. Each year, the organization selects 12 to 15 nominated families to whom it provides assistance to purchase gifts to help them enjoy the holiday season. Benefiting families reside in the Lockport area and are nominated by their schools, churches and other organizations. “Every year our goal is to have enough money to help more people than the year before,” Ferry said. “What we mean by needy would be we help with medical bills if there’s an illness in the family, loss of job/income, death, … or it can just mean a family that’s temporarily fallen on hard times and just needs a little bump to get over the holiday season to make sure that they can have a more joyful season than Please see love, 9 Michelle Kuta, RDH Team Member 4 Years WELCOMING Amanda Graham, RDH by having your oral cancer screening $ 25 (you don’t need to be a patient of record) — We speak English, Romanian, French, Spanish and Polish — 15927 S. Bell Rd, Homer Glen 60491 • (708) 301-3444 • DrHoye.com Lockport residents and supporters of Lockport Love pose for a group photo during last year’s Lockport Love candlelight bowling event at Strike & Spare II in Lockport. 22nd Century Media File Photo
lockportlegend.com NEWS the Lockport Legend | April 19, 2018 | 7 Lawsuit alleges sex abuse by McGrath, neglect by Providence Catholic Joe Coughlin, Publisher Amanda Stoll, Assistant Editor A former Providence Catholic High School student has come forward to allege he was sexually abused by longtime Providence President Richard J. McGrath. Bob Krankvich, 36, represented by Jeff Anderson & Associates and Frost Pearlman, is the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed Thursday, April 12, against Providence and the Order of St. Augustine that claims both organizations knew of the alleged abuse and shielded McGrath. In a press conference held April 12, Krankvich, a Homer Glen native, told his story of how McGrath repeatedly sexually abused him in 1995-1996 and how the alleged abuse led to personal troubles, such as substance abuse and mental instability, including multiple suicide attempts. “I’ve been living in shame and in guilt for my entire adult life,” Krankvich said. “I’ve battled addiction, I’ve battled suicide, tried hurting myself many times because I can’t deal with all of the pain and all of the shame and all of the guilt that comes forward every day when I think about this.” Krankvich said he filed an official report against McGrath with the New Lenox Police Department in January, not long after seeing a news report about McGrath resigning from Providence amid a separate criminal investigation. The investigation conducted by the New Lenox Police Department regarding alleged images of a naked, male juvenile seen on his phone was closed mid-February because of lack of evidence. New Lenox Police Chief Bob Sterba confirmed Krankvich’s January report and said his department concluded a thorough investigation “four weeks ago” and turned the case over to the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office, which will decide whether or not to file charges against McGrath. “We left no stone unturned,” said Sterba, who watched a recording of Krankvich’s January statement and said, “It was a lengthy interview, and the staff all agreed he was credible.” Documents released April 12 by the law firm state McGrath allegedly sexually abused Krankvich “on multiple occasions,” when Krankvich was approximately 13-15 years old. It states incidents of sexual molestation took place on the premises of Providence. The lawyers and the police department said the abuse involved both anal penetration and oral copulation. Krankvich said during the press conference that the abuse occurred both in McGrath’s office at Providence, as well as at the friary, where McGrath lived. The lawsuit alleges Krankvich was not the only one McGrath abused during his career, and that the defendants in the lawsuit had knowledge of McGrath’s behavior but “failed to act on that knowledge to protect children.” It also states, more specifically, that “inappropriate conduct with children was known to employees at Providence.” Prior to his employment at Providence from 1986 to December of last year, McGrath was employed at St. Rita High School and Monastery in Chicago, where Krankvich’s lawyers say he served on staff with at least four other priests who have been accused of wrongdoing. During the press conference, Krankvich’s attorney, Jeff Anderson, did not detail any specific evidence of Providence Catholic facilitating or hiding the abuse. McGrath’s lawyer in a recent criminal investigation, Patrick Reardon, said April 12 he had not read through the lawsuit and, until then, was unsure if he would represent McGrath and had no comment. After the press conference, he said he had no comment. In a message to Providence Catholic colleagues, obtained by The Lockport Legend, Providence President John Merkelis wrote, “The lawsuit was our first notice of these allegations. Given that there is ongoing litigation, we are unable to comment further. ... We wish to assure all of you that the safety and well-being of Providence’s students is and will remain of the utmost importance to us.” During the press conference, Krankvich said he had not told anyone — peers or those associated with Providence Catholic — of the alleged abuse until six years ago when he told his family. The attorneys said another focus of the lawsuit is the Augustinian Order, which, they said, harbors accused and convicted clergy. Marc Pearlman noted while priests of the Archdiocese of Chicago have publicized a list of its accused clergy, that list does not contain Augustinians or other order priests, such as Carmelites or Jesuits. The lawsuit specifically accuses the Augustinian Order of “negligence and/or deception and concealment” of McGrath’s alleged actions. The lawsuit seeks a court order “requiring Augustinians to publicly release identities, histories and documents regarding each accused child molesting cleric and each such cleric’s pattern of grooming and sexual behavior,” as well as “an amount in excess of the jurisdictional limits of this court and such other relief as this court deems just and equitable” related to the accusations of negligence, noting that is in excess of $50,000. In a written statement issued after the press conference, the Very Rev. Bernard C. Scianna, prior provincial of the Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel of the Order of St. Augustine, detailed the Augustinian process, noting the order works with Praesidium Inc. to safeguard minors and an independent review board makes recommendations for a proper response to all allegations of abuse. Detailing his alleged abuse During the press conference, Krankvich said the abuse began when he was a 13-year-old freshman at Providence Catholic. Small and young for his grade, he also was admittedly troubled and occasionally had discipline issues. But he quickly received attention from McGrath, the school’s principal. “I just felt special,” Krankvich said. “I felt loved by him.” Krankvich said the abuse began a “couple months” later, and continued into his sophomore year. “In the 1990s, that priest, that teacher, that principal, that president of that school repeatedly orally and anally raped this child,” Anderson said during the press conference. Bob Krankvich (left) stands with lawyers Jeff Anderson (middle) and Marc Pearlman at a press conference Thursday, April 12, as they detail the alleged abuse Krankvich endured in 1995-1996 while a student at Providence Catholic High School. Joe Coughlin/22nd Century Media Krankvich said he left the school after being sent to the office for disciplinary action, where McGrath allegedly threatened police action again Krankvich and his family if he told anyone of the abuse. “He had told me to remain silent, to never come back to the school, and that if I was ever to talk about it he would get my family or myself arrested for doing the things I had done,” Krankvich said at the press conference. Afterward, Krankvich said he fled the school, literally running from the New Lenox campus to his home in Homer Glen. After graduating from Lockport Township High School, Krankvich enrolled in the Marine Corps. According to his lawyer, he was honorably discharged. Krankvich said he then struggled with his emotions, his masculinity and even his sexuality. “I should have been this manly man, but yet inside I was feeling like a child — like I was weak and couldn’t handle anything,” Krankvich said. “And, I tried to commit suicide numerous times. The only way I knew how to deal with it was to mask my feelings and my hurt with drugs and alcohol.” He said after years he finally sought professional help, which in turn helped him “bridge the gap to be able to talk about it.” When he was roughly 30 years old, Krankvich said he told his family of the alleged abuse and first contemplated coming forward; however, he told the media, he was not strong enough to do so then. This past December, when he saw the news about McGrath leaving Providence amid a police investigation, Krankvich said he was compelled to speak. “How many other people have been hurt by this predator?” Krankvich asked. “I wanted to give power to other victims to let them know they don’t have to live in the shadows. They don’t have to battle with addiction alone. They don’t have to hide anymore. You can come forward. It’s completely wrong what happened to you. You had no power, and I want that to be known that people like this shouldn’t be let roam the streets, they shouldn’t be teaching our youth in our schools.” After the press conference, Krankvich’s father, also Bob, tempered his emotions and only had a few words for his son’s efforts. “He is my hero,” Bob said. The press release and accompanying documents, including the full lawsuit, photos and background information on Mc- Grath and the Augustinian Order, can be found at www.anderson advocates.com. Managing Editor Bill Jones contributed to this story.
Page 1 and 2: LOCKPORT’S Award-Winning Hometown
Page 3 and 4: lockportlegend.com news the Lockpor
Page 5: lockportlegend.com NEWS the Lockpor
Page 9 and 10: lockportlegend.com news the Lockpor
Page 11 and 12: lockportlegend.com Lockport the Loc
Page 13 and 14: the LOCKPORT LEGEND | April 19, 201
Page 15 and 16: lockportlegend.com life & Arts the
Page 17 and 18: lockportlegend.com lockport the Loc
Page 19 and 20: ® lockportlegend.com life & arts t
Page 21 and 22: lockportlegend.com dining out the L
Page 23 and 24: lockportlegend.com local living the
Page 25 and 26: lockportlegend.com Real Estate the
Page 27 and 28: lockportlegend.com classifieds the
Page 37 and 38: lockportlegend.com SPORTS the Lockp
Page 39 and 40: lockportlegend.com SPORTS the Lockp

LP_041918

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?