We at Horowitz Law find ourselves filled with the deepest admiration and gratitude when we read about Catholic parishioners like these: “The parents of several St. Ann’s altar boys went to the Vermont State’s Attorney in 1979 with complaints that Fr. Alfred Willis had sexually abused their sons.” Imagine that, in 1979 – 45 years ago!
That was five years before the first predator priest in the US made national headlines, Fr. Gilbert Gauthe of Louisiana. That’s 23 years before the eruption of news accounts in Boston about dozens and dozens of child molesting clerics there and simply awful moves by archdiocesan leaders to keep those crimes hidden. (And not to be picky, but long hidden church records, later revealed through litigation, show that it was even earlier, in the early 1970s, when the head of the seminary where Fr. Alfred Willis was enrolled “called the director of priest development for Vermont’s Catholic Church to report a potential worry” about the then-seminarian’s behavior.)
“In the years to come,” the Burlington Free Press newspaper pointed out, Vermont church officials “received dozens of reports of Willis acting out sexually in Burlington, Montpelier, Milton, and places out of state. All went no further than a personnel file unseen by parishioners or police.” In essence, by coming forward in 1979, these Vermont parents gave Vermont’s then-Bishop John Marshall a gift. He had the opportunity to take decisive action to help hurting victims and safeguard vulnerable children, and did so years before most of the public had ever heard the phrase ‘pedophile priest.’
So how did Marshall react when those parents went to authorities about Fr. Willis? To his credit, Marshall put the cleric on leave. To his discredit, Marshall then sent Fr. Willis to a notoriously secretive – but unsuccessful – church ‘treatment center’ for ‘troubled’ priests in New Mexico. When the priest was brought back to Vermont, Marshall transferred him twice to unsuspecting parishes. And you won’t be surprised to learn that in each of those assignments, Fr. Willis allegedly assaulted more children. Eventually, the Vatican laicized – or defrocked – this abuser. So kids are now safe from him, right? Sadly, no. As best we at Horowitz Law can tell, Willis is still alive and was last believed to be living somewhere in Virginia, like Fr. Paquette, another Vermont predator profiled recently on this blog.
No Catholic official is monitoring or supervising him. No Catholic official – again, as best we can tell – has bothered to alert anyone who may be living near Willis of his whereabouts or crimes. Thankfully, over the years, several of his victims have done the one brave, responsible, and effective thing they could do: they sued Willis and the Vermont Catholic officials – from Bishop Marshall on down – kept their mouths closed and put kids in harm’s way.
- A decade ago, one victim settled for $170,000.
- In 2006, at least two suits were filed against Fr. Willis.
- In 2007, another was one and an earlier one settled.
- In 2008, another case against him was resolved out of court, again for $170,000.
- In 2010, another new suit was filed against him.
- In 2013, a case against Fr. Willis was settled.
So again, we can appreciate the fact that some of those children who he assaulted have grown into brave, strong adults who were able to seek justice in the courts (but who, no doubt, are also still deeply wounded). But we can’t help but cringe with sadness to think about some of his victims who aren’t able to come forward or, worse, have passed away, still carrying to their graves the hurt and shame that a child molesting cleric and his callous church supervisors caused them.
Fr. Willis spent time at St. Anthony’s parish in Burlington, St. Augustine’s parish in Montpelier, St. Ann’s parish in Milton, Missionhurst Retreat Center in Arlington, VA, and at Via Coeli – a church ‘treatment’ center – in Albuquerque, NM. He is also accused of having sexually abused a boy in a hotel room in Latham, NY, and trying to abuse the same boy later that year in Derby, Vermont. Fr. Willis is a native of Patchogue, NY, and attended St. Mary’s Seminary.
The attorneys at Horowitz Law have a long history of representing survivors of child sex abuse. If you or someone you know was abused by a priest in the Diocese of Burlington, please contact Horowitz Law today for a free consultation. We can help you understand your legal options and fight for the justice you deserve. The Burlington Diocese has filed for federal bankruptcy protection, and strict deadlines will soon be set by the bankruptcy court. Please contact our law firm at 888-283-9922 or e-mail sexual abuse lawyer Adam Horowitz at [email protected] for a free consultation to discuss your options today.