Four Priests with Ties to Hastings Among Those Named by Archdiocese in Sexual Abuse Case

By Chad Richardson
The Hastings Star Gazette
December 7, 2013

http://www.hastingsstargazette.com/content/four-priests-ties-hastings-among-those-named-archdiocese-sexual-abuse-case



Four former priests who served in Hastings were among those named by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis as having credible claims of sexual abuse of a minor against them.




 

Their names were released on Thursday. The four are among 32 who were named. The 32 people named have had civil and/or criminal lawsuits brought against them.

The four are:

• Francis Hoefgen, who was the associate priest at St. Boniface in Hastings from 1985 to 1992.

He was permanently removed from ministry in 2002 and is living in Columbia Heights.

• Thomas Stitts, who served as an associate priest at Guardian Angels from 1966 to 1970.

He died in 1985.

• Clarence Vavra, who served as associate priest at Guardian Angels from 1971 to 1972.

He was removed from the ministry in 2003 and is living in New Prague.

• Patrick Ryan, who was the pastor at Guardian Angels from 1943 to 1965. He died in 1965.

After his death he was accused of sexually abusing a minor in 1961.

The claim was never substantiated.