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	Man Alleges Abuse by Priest, Principal By Michael Puente Daily Herald [Chicago IL] October 23, 2005 A 37-year-old Minnesota man claims he was sexually abused by both a Catholic priest and the principal of his parochial school in Wheeling two decades ago. Robert Brangard, a native of Wheeling, said he will make his claims public outside a Chicago church this morning as a way to persuade others who may have been abused by the two men to come forward so criminal charges can be pursued. "I want just one person to realize that it's safe to say what happened," Brangard said Saturday. "I'm not looking for a paycheck." Mary McDonough, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Archdiocese, declined comment because of a lack of information on the issue. The two men accused have denied any wrongdoing when questioned by police, according to copies of police reports provided by Brangard. Police were not available to discuss the case Saturday night. Brangard said the abuse happened when he was about 13 in the early 1980s when he was a student at St. Joseph the Worker Parish School in Wheeling. Brangard said a priest at the church, along with the principal of the parish school at that time, both sexually molested him in 1983 or 1984 during visits to a cabin in northwest Wisconsin. Brangard said until recently, he has kept his claims of abuse to himself. He told his claims to police in Washburn County, Wis., early this year which in turn followed up with Wheeling police. Because of a lack of evidence, the Washburn County district attorney's office decided not to pursue criminal charges against the two individuals, both of whom denied the allegations, according to documents provided by Brangard. Officials at either department could not be reached for comment. Brangard said he has never spoken to the Chicago Archdiocese about the alleged abuse. He decided to come forward now after telling his allegations of abuse to his new wife, whom he married this summer, and after years of dealing with depression and three suicide attempts. This morning, Brangard, his wife and members of the group SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, will distribute fliers outside St. Bonaventure Catholic Church, 1641 W. Diversey Parkway, Chicago, where the priest who allegedly abused him lived for three years in the 1990s after retiring. The Rev. Michael Bonner, pastor of St. Joseph the Worker, said he cannot comment on the allegations since his order, the Society of the Divine Word ministers, took over the church last October. Before then, diocesan priest served the church. Brangard said he hopes to meet with officials with the Archdiocese of Chicago with his attorney, Jeff Anderson of St. Paul, Minn. Anderson is the attorney who negotiated a $4 million settlement with the Chicago Archdiocese two years ago for four men who claimed they were sexual abused by Vincent McCaffrey, a priest, when they were children. McCaffrey, who also served at St. Joseph the Worker parish in Wheeling in the 1980s, is now serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for possession of child pornography.
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