Friday, September 4, 2009

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Two now-dead Jesuit priests - Augustine Feretti and Bernard Harris - who'd already been sued for abuse in other states spent part of their careers in Montana.

"We've already found about 15 people on the reservations here in Montana who were abused by Father Feretti," said Spokane attorney John Allison, who along with Seattle attorney Tim Kosnoff and others represent victims in the Jesuit case. "It's very difficult to find these people, and in many cases, they have no idea there's a case going on that could affect them."

Feretti, ordained in 1942 and known as Father Freddie, served in both Idaho and Washington. But he spent much of the 1950s and '60s in Montana, including time on the Flathead and Rocky Boy's Indian reservations.

"The damage done to Indian people by the church is profound," said Kosnoff, who said a meeting for victims on the Flathead will be held early in the fall. "And yet, so many people in the Indian community don't believe that anything will happen to the church. We're trying to make sure those people's voices are heard in this case."

Kosnoff and Allison said Feretti, who died in 1982, and Harris, who worked at St. Francis Xavier during an unspecified period of years, fit a pattern for abusive Jesuit priests. Harris, who was sued for alleged abuse of four Oregon siblings from 1968-1972, died in 1999.

Link (here)

Picture from Rocky Boys Indian Reservation (here)

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