Father Lawrence Gibbs, considered Joliet’s “most notorious priest abuser,” was recognized early on in seminary as a “poor candidate” for the priesthood.  The Diocese of Joliet received repeated warnings about the character and propensities of Father Gibbs.  Although in 1964 the faculty at St. Mary of the Lake seminary voted against allowing Gibbs to continue with his vocation and subsequently asked him to leave, Gibbs continued on at St. Procopius seminary.  Again his superiors informed the Diocese of Joliet that Gibbs “bears watching.”  In 1971, Gibbs applied for ordination into the Diocese of Joliet but after three hours of deliberations, the Seminary Board voted 9 to 0 against allowing Gibbs to be ordained.  During their deliberations a number of the Board members stated that they cannot recommend him for the priesthood and they eventually gave him three options: 1) seek laicization, 2) take a leave of absence working as a layman and returning to an extended diaconate, or 3) continue as a deacon indefinitely.  Although he was subsequently rejected by the Diocese of Rockford in 1971 and again by the Diocese of Joliet in 1972, noting he “seems to lack good judgment and prudence,” Bishop Blanchette for reasons unknown ordained Gibbs in May 1973 as a priest of the Diocese of Joliet.  Problems arose almost immediately with Gibbs, and he was abruptly transferred to and from a number of parishes in Lombard, Lockport and Glen Ellyn.  During the latter half of the 1970s, allegations surfaced regarding Gibbs sexually abusing boys at a cabin.  Although Bishop Imesch was directly notified that several families intended to file charges against Gibbs, he simply transferred him to a different parish.  Numerous parishioners came forward to express their concerns, but Gibbs was still allowed access to children.  In 1992, the Diocese of Joliet finally suspended Gibbs from public ministry.

Read the secret priest file on Father Lawrence Gibbs

Originally a Trappist monk, Father Lowell Fischer requested incardination into the Diocese of Joliet in 1962.  Fischer wrote to Bishop Blanchette and explained that he had worked with young boys for the past four years, but that his “extremely active work” caused many “misinterpretations and misunderstandings.”  When Fischer left the monastery, his former abbot cautioned Bishop McNamara to put Fischer under “careful surveillance of a good experienced pastor . . . lest in his naiveté, he might make some serious mishap.”  Over the course of the next few years, Fischer made it well-known that he enjoyed working with youth, and many commented that he had a “winning way” with boys and that although he was reluctant to form close relationships with other priests, he made notable effort to “gain better report with the school boys.”  In 1975 Fischer abruptly resigned from St. Scholastica Parish and announced he was moving to Hawaii and going on “sabbatical” so he would not end up “in bad health or a nervous breakdown.”  A year later, Fischer made clear that he could not return to the Diocese of Joliet because of the “lies, slander, and accusations” against him.  He spent the next eighteen years in Hawaii before returning to Joliet in 1993 under restriction.  Although multiple allegations of abuse involving Fischer came to light, he was not officially removed from ministry until 2002 when a young man came forward and reported that Fischer had not only begun sexually abusing him in 1968, but that he eventually moved to Hawaii with Fischer.  In general, Fischer abused boys in multiple locations, including St. John the Apostle, Holy Ghost, St. Scholastica, and within the Diocese of Honolulu.  When Fischer abused boys, he often referred to the abuse as “sharing.”

While Father Myles White was still in seminary, concerns arose regarding not only his temperament but also his ability to keep the vow of chastity.  In 1967, the Diocese of Joliet stressed that it was of “paramount importance” that White be fully aware of what the law of celibacy requires and the necessity for White to provide an “explicit statement concerning celibacy.”  In 1968, the Chancellor of the Diocese of Joliet is made aware that White engaged in acts of “imprudence” with young men, but the Bishop did not feel the problems were “serious enough” to stop White’s ordination.  After he was ordained, White was transferred multiple times for a variety of unknown “personal problems” or “mistakes” before becoming pastor of St. Boniface in Monee from 1978 through 1988.  He also served as pastor of St. Martin in Kankakee from 1988 until July 1992, when he was arrested on charges of child molestation.  Notably, a video surfaced of White sexually abusing a young man and when the police went to White’s home, they found him destroying photographs of him and the young man.  White soon admitted to sexually abusing children during a number of his assignments within the Diocese of Joliet.  White was removed from ministry and served prison terms in both Illinois and Indiana.