Deceased priest with multiple substantiated sex abuse allegations against him studied in Ottawa in early ’40s

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The dioceses across the United States are all publishing names of priests deemed to have been credibly accused.    Included on the list released by the The Diocese of Owensboro Kentucky is the name of  a Father Gilbert Henninger.   Henninger, born in 1907 and ordained in 1937, was a student in Ottawa from 1941 to 1943.

Where and what he was studying for those years is unknown.  It could have been Ottawa University, or St, Paul’s University?

Here is the information provided on the Owensboro website:

Henninger, Gilbert

    • Diocese/Order: Owensboro
    • DOB: 12-18-1907

      Date of Ordination: 5-22-1937

      Date of Death:  3-5-1990

    • Pastoral Assignments in the Diocese of Owensboro:

      6/27/37 – 8/16/37: St. Peter, Stanley

      8/16/37-9/4/37:  St. Rose, Cloverport

      1937-38:  St. Francis de Sales, Paducah

      1938-39:  St. Paul, Owensboro and St. Joseph, Owensboro

      1939-41: Chaplain at St. Francis Academy, Owensboro

      1941-43: student in Ottawa, Canada

      1943-62: Chaplain to Ursulines at Mt. St. Joseph

      1962-82: St. Martin, Rome

    • Clerical State: deceased 1990
    • Allegation(s): Multiple allegations received after his death, but deemed substantiated.

Since there were multiple allegations against him then I think it is reasonable to beleive that chances are high  that he was molesting while he was in Ottawa.   I will therefore put his name on the list, but will link to this post rather than try to put together a page.  I unfortunately just do not have any further information about this priest and/or his time in Ottawa.

[Do you suppose that in the interest of transparency we’ll ever see the day that Canadian bishops publish the names of clergy convicted and/or credibly accused?]

Enough for now,

Sylvia

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1 Response to Deceased priest with multiple substantiated sex abuse allegations against him studied in Ottawa in early ’40s

  1. antony blackwell says:

    I do know that this priest became a papal chamberlain, and later, a Domestic Prelate with the title of Very Reverend, then Right Reverend Monsignor. He was a director of vocations for the Owensboro Diocese, and later, its Vicar General under Bishop Cotton and his successor. I was told by a deceased priest, that he was “superficial” and treated seminarians like dirt. One of the Ursuline nuns told me he was “quite dictatorial” as well. Some of his fellow priests didn’t have a high opinion of him, either. Based on the above, I would think any accusations would stand a goodly chance of being true. I never heard of any personally, but was never around the man in my years in Owensboro.

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