Sister Cheryl Ann PorteDiocese of Lafayette (Marianites of the Holy Cross)
Final vows: 1975
Died: 2020
Assigned as follows:
- Opelousas Catholic Middle School (Opelousas, LA)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Sr. Cheryl Ann Porte:
Sr. Cheryl Ann Porte took her final vows with the Marianites of the Holy Cross religious order in 1975, and served in the Diocese of Lafayette. According to media reports, in 1980, the Marianites received an allegation that Sr. Porte was sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. The alleged abuse began in 1978 when the girl was a 12-year-old student at Opelousas Catholic Middle School.
According to media reports, Sr. Porte began grooming the victim with "nightly phone calls, letter and poetry writing, and gifts." The alleged abuse occurred during overnight stays at Porte's family home, the Marianites of Holy Cross mother house in New Orleans, and at Porte's convent in Opelousas. The abuse ended in 1980 when a neighbor witnessed Sr. Porte kissing the victim in a car outside the convent. The neighbor made an anonymous tip to the Marianites regarding the abuse, and Porte was removed from her position. In a 2002 meeting with the victim, the Marianites acknowledged "an inappropriate relationship." She was removed from her position soon after.
In 2002, Sr. Porte was serving as a nun in O'Fallon, Illinois. Her obituary places her at middle schools in New Orleans, Morgan City, and Opelousas during her teaching career.
Sr. Cheryl Porte died in New Orleans in April 2020
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