Man Claims Now-Dead Priest Molested Him As Altar Boy Decades Ago

CBS Chicago
May 15, 2012

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/05/15/man-claims-now-dead-priest-molested-him-as-altar-boy-decades-ago/


[with audio]

CHICAGO (CBS) — The Chicago Catholic Archdiocese is facing another priest sex abuse lawsuit, involving a now-dead priest who allegedly molested a boy nearly 30 years ago.

As WBBM Newsradio's Bob Conway reports, plaintiff Martin Yanick, now 40, alleges that the late Rev. John Jordan began molesting him back in December 1983, when he was an 11-year-old altar boy at St. Adrian Parish, at 7000 S. Fairfield Ave. near Marquette Park.

The lawsuit claims that as Jordan molested Yanick, he told the boy his actions would "cleanse" him of his "sins and mistakes as an altar boy."

The suit claims Jordan would spank the boy with a wooden paddle while forcing him to pray, before touching him and performing oral sex on him. Yanick claims Jordan molested him four more times through 1984 until the boy's family moved to Wisconsin.

Jordan died three years later, after having served as pastor of St. Adrian from 1966 until he retired in 1985, according to an obituary that ran in the Chicago Sun-Times.

He was ordained in 1935, and served at St. Agnes Church and St Brendan Church before he became a chaplain for the Army Air Corps in 1943. He also served at Our Lady of Peace Church for 20 years before moving to St. Adrian's.

His name does not appear on a list of priests against whom the Archdiocese has substantiated allegations. However, the list does not include priests who died before they could respond to abuse allegations.

An archdiocesan spokesperson was not available for comment Monday night.

The suit argues the Archdiocese failed to respond to allegations of sexual abuse as early as 1976, and kept alleged pedophile priests in active ministry without warning parishioners about the accusations against them.

The seven-count suit claims negligence, fraudulent misrepresentation, failing to protect children from predatory priests and failing to uphold the church's "special relationship" with its parishioners, among other things. It seeks at least $350,000 in damages and demands a jury trial.