INVESTIGATION: 7 accused Marianists spent time at UD, Chaminade
Brother Julius May, of Miamisburg, worked at the former Chaminade High School in 1928 and again from 1940 to 1946, when he served as principal and director of the religious community, according to a 1970 press release from the University of Dayton, where he died after the alleged misconduct in Pennsylvania.
At least four Marianist brothers accused in the Pennsylvania grand jury report have ties to the former Chaminade High School, the Dayton Daily News has learned. The newspaper’s review of the Pennsylvania report and other records is ongoing.
Earlier this week in a story published on DaytonDailyNews.com, the newspaper reported three Marianists accused of sexual abuse in Pennsylvania worked at the former all-boys school in the 1940s and 1950s.
None of the allegations in the report directly mention Chaminade High School, which merged with the all-girls Julienne High School in the 1970s to form Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School.
Chaminade Julienne’s president this week told the Dayton Daily News that administrators have received “no reports of impropriety from our students concerning vowed religious who work at the school.”
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The Marianists are members of the Society of Mary, a Catholic religious order of priests and brothers that sponsors Chaminade Julienne and the University of Dayton, both founded in 1850 as St. Mary’s Institute. Like other Catholic vowed religious, the Marianists take vows of chastity.
Brother May graduated from the University of Dayton in 1928. He taught at nine schools, according to the 1970 UD press release, including the former Hamilton Catholic High School in Hamilton from 1929 to 1931, and Covington Catholic High School in Covington, Kentucky from 1957 to 1960.
May then taught at North Catholic High School outside Pittsburgh from 1960 until early 1970.
According to the Pennsylvania grand jury, in 2011 an adult male reported when he was a student at North Catholic High School during the 1963-1964 school year, he had developed a medical condition known as orchitis, a form of mumps that settles in the testicles. He said May, who was a counselor at the high school, demanded to conduct a medical examination of his genitals. He refused and left May’s office.
In May 2014, a 66-year-old male reported he was inappropriately touched by May when he was a student at North Catholic during the 1962-1963 school year. He accused May of running his hand up his pant leg. The young man left before May touched his genital area, the report said. When he informed the principal of May’s actions, the principal passed off the experience as May just being friendly, the grand jury wrote.
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In 1970, May died in the University of Dayton’s health center after an extended illness, according to the press release announcing his death.
The University of Dayton released a statement Friday that said there is no record of May working at UD, or any allegations against him there.
UD said the school has “strong policies and procedures for sexual abuse allegations” and is not aware of credible allegations by University of Dayton students of sexual abuse against any Marianist religious working at the University since 2002.
“The University of Dayton has long had policies and procedures in place for handling any allegations of sexual abuse or harassment and any member of our community who feels they have been violated or made uncomfortable through unwelcome sexual behavior — no matter how long ago — is strongly urged to make a report, either through the University’s Equity Compliance Office or to civil authorities or both,” the school said.
Daniel Meixner, president of Chaminade Julienne, earlier this week released a statement.
“Along with other Catholic men and women in our nation and around the world, we are horrified by the news coming out of the grand jury report in Pennsylvania, and other reports of misconduct of members of the clergy of the Catholic Church,” Meixner said.
“We grieve for those who suffered any harm at the hands of priests and vowed religious who were entrusted to be their shepherds of faith,” Meixner said. “In our distress and anger, we join the call for accountability for them and for those bishops, priests, and religious leaders who protected or shielded them.”
“For many years, Chaminade Julienne has joined the efforts of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati to create a safe environment for our students through rigorous employee background checks and continued child protection training required of all employees and volunteers,” Meixner said.
Contact this staff writer at 937-259-2086 or will.garbe@coxinc.com.
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