WAUKESHA — Fr. John Schreiter, senior priest of the archdiocese, was cleared of sexual misconduct and was returned to ministry earlier this month, according to an item in the Jan. 27 St. John Neumann Parish bulletin.
Under the heading, “The good news,” the item reads, “… on Jan. 17, Fr. John stopped into the office to personally bring us the good news. Fr. John met with Archbishop (Jerome E.) Listecki that morning, and the archbishop informed him that the review board determined that the allegation was unsubstantiated and that Fr. John is restored to ministry in the archdiocese.”
Ten days before Fr. Schreiter’s previously scheduled retirement as pastor of St. John, he was removed from his duties as pastor, due to an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor more than 30 years ago. The allegation surfaced as part of the Milwaukee Archdiocese’s Chapter 11 proceedings.
Your Catholic Herald reported in June 2012 that according to Julie Wolf, communications director for the archdiocese, the allegation involved one incident and is not related to a prior accusation against Fr. Schreiter in 2004 found to be unsubstantiated.
At the time, Wolf said the current allegation against Fr. Schreiter was in the hands of a private investigator. After that person thoroughly investigates the matter, she said the information would be turned over to the Diocesan Review Board which will make a recommendation to Archbishop Listecki on how to proceed “whether that be fully restricted, laicized or returned to ministry.”
The archdiocesan review board is headed by former Lt. Gov. Margaret Farrow.
