Province of St. Albert the Great, USA

Status of Friars Accused of Sexual Abuse of a Minor

The Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great is committed to the protection of children and vulnerable adults from any abuse, as well as to the healing of those who have experienced abuse, and to transparency. As part of this commitment, the Province has made public the names of any current, former, and deceased members of the Province who have been accused of sexual abuse of a minor, when one of the following criteria is met:

  1. the friar acknowledged the abuse;  
  2. there have been multiple allegations against the same friar;
  3. the Province’s Sexual Abuse Review Board considered one or more allegations against a friar to be sufficiently credible; and/or  
  4. a diocese, upon its own investigation, found the allegation to be substantiated and the Province’s Sexual Abuse Review Board concurred with this finding.  

For that purpose, an external independent investigator was retained to review all the files from the founding of the Province in 1939 until the present day. The Province’s Sexual Abuse Review Board reviewed the report of the investigator in February 2022 and recommended the listing of certain names at that based, based on the criteria listed above. The Province accepted their recommendation, but updates will be made as needed.  

This list does not include friars who are on administrative leave while allegations against them are under investigation.  

If you, or someone you know, would like to report sexual abuse by a member of the Province of St. Albert the Great, please let us know. You can contact our Victim Assistance Coordinator whose information is at the bottom of this page. If the allegation is current, please contact law enforcement authorities in the location where the abuse occurred. 

List Created April 21, 2022,  Updated August 12, 2023

Current Members

none

 

Deceased Members

Joseph Sebastian Angers, O.P.

  • Birth: 1912
  • Profession: 1938
  • Ordination: 1944
  • Death: 1978

Allegations of sexual abuse with young boys first came to the attention of the Province in the Fall of 1975. Fr. Angers was temporarily removed from ministry and required to undergo psychiatric counseling. By the Fall of 1976, he was required to undergo treatment and supervision at the Villa Pius XII treatment center in Albuquerque, NM, and later at the Via Caeli treatment center in Jemez Springs, NM, where he died.

Daniel Patrick Brady, O.P.

  • Birth: 1921
  • Profession: 1942
  • Ordination: 1948
  • Death: 2001

Fr. Brady joined the Southern Dominican Province of St. Martin de Porres on August 10, 1980. An allegation of sexual abuse by Fr. Brady from 1973–1975 was received in 1989, after which he was removed from public ministry by the Province of St. Martin de Porres. A second allegation, alleging abuse in 1959, was received before Brady’s death in 2001. Multiple allegations were received after his death.

Vincent Bryce, O.P.

  • Birth: 1929
  • Profession: 1951
  • Ordination: 1957
  • Death: 2023

Removed from public ministry on April 24, 2002, after the Province received an allegation that he had sexually abused a minor in the early 1970s at St. Vincent Ferrer Parish, River Forest, IL, which he acknowledged as true.

Richard Butler, O.P.

  • Birth: 1918
  • Profession: 1943
  • Ordination: 1949
  • Death: 1988

An allegation of sexual abuse by Fr. Butler in the 1960s and early 1970s was received by the Diocese of Tucson in 2002 after Fr. Butler had died. A second allegation, received several years later, could not be substantiated.

Richard de Ranitz, O.P.

  • Birth: 1943
  • Profession: 1964
  • Ordination: 1970
  • Death: 2018

In 1990, Fr. de Ranitz self-reported a history of sexual abuse of minors beginning in the 1980s and was removed from public ministry.

John Gambro, O.P.

  • Birth: 1929
  • Profession: 1950
  • Ordination: 1957
  • Death: 2021

Removed from public ministry on November 2, 2002, after the Province received an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor in 1978 at Fenwick High School, Oak Park, IL, which he acknowledged as true. A second allegation, dating to approximately 1960, was received in 2015.

Carlos Griego, O.P.

  • Birth: 1932
  • Profession: 1953
  • Religious Brother (not ordained)
  • Death: 2010

Removed from public ministry in 1992 after an allegation of sexually inappropriate behavior with a young adult male. Several years later, the Province received reports that Brother Griego had sexually abused several teenage boys as well.

Dan Ostdiek, O.P.

  • Birth: 1932
  • Profession: 1954
  • Ordination: 1960
  • Death: 2009

An allegation that Fr. Ostdiek had sexually abused a minor in 1983–1984 was received in 2016 after Fr. Ostdiek had died.

Separated Members

The following friars all chose to depart from the Order and were dispensed from their vows.

Edmund Frost (deceased)

  • Birth: 1936
  • Profession: 1958
  • Religious Brother (not ordained)
  • Dispensation from Vows: March 22, 1978
  • Death: 1995

In the Fall of 1974, Br. Frost was accused of having sexually abused a minor in 1972–1973 at St. Albert the Great Parish in Minneapolis and Br. Frost was removed from ministry there. Additional allegations of abuse while Frost was serving at St. Albert the Great Parish were received after Br. Frost’s death in 1995.

Thomas Johnston

  • Birth: 1955
  • Profession: 1981
  • Ordination: 1986
  • Dispensation from Vows: March 17, 2006

Removed from public ministry after the Province received an allegation of inappropriate behavior and attempted sexual abuse of a minor in 1999.

Ronan Liles

  • Birth: 1942
  • Profession: 1963
  • Ordination: 1971
  • Dispensation from Vows: September 12, 1985

Fr. Liles joined the Southern Dominican Province of St. Martin de Porres in 1980. Allegations of sexual abuse at St. Albert the Great Parish in Minneapolis, MN, in the late 1960s to mid-1970s were first received in 1993, after Fr. Liles had left the Order of Preachers.

Raphael Lino

  • Birth: 1971 (Bolivia)
  • Profession: 1993
  • Ordination: 2000
  • Dispensation from Vows: 2005

Removed from public ministry in 2002, after an allegation of sexual abuse of minors was substantiated by the Archdiocese of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where the abuse reportedly occurred and where Lino was in the process of seeking incardination.

Michael Winkels

  • Birth: 1948
  • Profession: 1972
  • Ordination: 1976
  • Dispensation from Vows: April 18, 2023

In 2021, the Province received an allegation that Fr. Winkels had sexually abused a minor in 1978. He was removed from public ministry on August 10, 2021. The preliminary investigation of the allegation indicated that there was at least a semblance of truth. The allegation was not able to be canonically established, but was deemed credible by the Province's Review Board. We include it here for the sake of transparency.

Cases for Which No Reliable Determination Could Be Made

The Province’s Sexual Misconduct Review Board did not consider themselves to have a sufficient basis for making a reliable recommendation about allegations against the following deceased members of the Province. We are noting them here because they have been included elsewhere in a public list of credibly accused clergy and religious.

William Farrell, O.P.

  • Birth: 1936
  • Profession: 1959
  • Ordained: 1965
  • Death: 1989

Fr. Farrell joined the Southern Dominican Province of St. Martin de Porres in 1980.

Gilbert Hensley, O.P.

  • Birth: 1941
  • Profession: 1962
  • Religious Brother (not ordained)
  • Removed from public ministry: 2004
  • Death: 2014
 

Getting Help

If you or someone you know has been abused by a Dominican friar, please contact our Victim Assistance Coordinator, Dr. Michael Bland. His contact information is given below.

Michael Bland, Psy.D., D.Min.
Victim Assistance Coordinator
+1 (773) 404-8161
michael@blandtherapy.com

Br. Joe Trout, O.P.
Director of Safe Environment
1910 S. Ashland Avenue
Chicago, IL 60608
socius@opcentral.org
+1 (312) 243-0011