Father Timothy Dolan turned a blind eye to the sexual abuse of children by Fr. LeRoy Valentine at the Church of the Immacolata in Richmond Heights, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, in the late 1970s.

And worse.

I know because I was one of those children.

I'm also one of the survivors by then (auxiliary) Bishop Dolan lied to in March 2002.

O'Leary Case & Cardinal Dolan

Please be assured there is not a single priest or deacon of the Archdiocese of New York against whom there has been a credible and substantiated claim of abuse against a minor currently in ministry.

That's what Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, said, in part, in a 2018 letter to the Catholics of New York City.

A statement that made me laugh out loud, given the Cardinal Dolan that I know.

My name is Chris O'Leary and I'm a survivor of the Catholic sex abuse crisis.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s I was sexually exploited, abused, assaulted — raped — at The Church of the Immacolata in Richmond Heights, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.

Abuse that was witnessed — at least in part — by then Father and now Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

And ignored.

New York was ++Dolan's reward for jobs well done in St. Louis and Wilwaukee.

Executive Summary

Cardinal Timothy Dolan turned a blind eye to the sexual exploitation and abuse of me and others by Father LeRoy Valentine at the Church of the Immacolata in St. Louis while ++Dolan was just Father Dolan and a parish priest at the Church of the Immacolata in St. Louis.

And worse.

When I went to ++Dolan for help in 2002, he lied to and Gaslighted me while he was working directly for the Archdiocese of St. Louis as an auxiliary bishop.

• Cardinal Dolan's Sins

Dolan and Valentine

Cardinal Dolan and my abuser, Father LeRoy Valentine, lived and worked together at Immacolata from the Summer of 1977, when Fr. Valentine was ordained and assigned to Immacolata, until the Summer of 1979, when ++Dolan left Immacolata for Washington D.C.

Immacolata 1978 or 1979

Which is why it's weird that, despite Cardinal Dolan being one of the most prominent, powerful, and longest-serving members of the hierarchy in the United States — and the well-publicized failings of his peers, including Cardinals McCarrick, Wuerl, Law, Rigali, and Burke, among others — the press is strikingly incurious when it comes to the direct, historical involvement of Timothy Cardinal Dolan in the sex abuse crisis that has imperiled the Catholic Church.

The press, both secular and religious, isn't afraid to ask Cardinal Dolan what should be done — and what he's doing — with respect to the crisis.

But nobody seems interested in what ++Dolan himself did during those dark days.

Where he was and what he did.

And did NOT do.

1977-1979

Then Fr. Timothy Dolan knew — he saw with his own eyes — at least testing and grooming, if not the sexual exploitation and abuse, of me and others by Fr. LeRoy Valentine at the Church of Immacolata.

Father Dolan knew and saw that Valentine was having boys over for parties and wrestling. he also knew and saw that Valentine was taking boys up to his room alone.

Two other guys — at least — can attest to this.

2002 Early March

++Dolan was asked to investigate Fr. Valentine and accepted the assignment despite the conflict of interest.

In early March 2002, ++Dolan immediately, without any investigation, and despite his conflict of interest, told me nothing happened.

I know Fr. Valentine well.

We were at the seminary together.

We lived and worked together at Immacolata.

I know Leroy Valentine didn't do any of the things he's being accused of.

I know he would never do anything to hurt a child.

That my memories of Father LeRoy Valentine didn't mean anything.

Sending me on a 10-year, psychological wild goose chase.

Where I went from misdiagnosis to misdiagnosis.

I assume by design.

So as to run out the Statute of Limitations.

Did Dolan Not Understand?

Some have suggested to me that then Father and now Cardinal Timothy Dolan didn't understand what he was seeing.

And that was why nothing changed.

But why then were multiple moms, upon seeing the same behavior by Fr. Valentine, sufficiently disturbed that they reported what they had seen to Sr. Helen, our principal?

And why did certain of those moms know to act to protect their own kids, if not any other kids?

Testimony

I've recorded my testimony about what happened at Immacolata and St. Louis, and Cardinal Dolan's involvement in it, in multiple forms, including as an MP3...

• Dolan, Immacolata, and Valentine (MP3)

...and a longer video overview...

This piece is a high-level, linear telling of the sins of Timothy Cardinal Dolan.

The 2018 Letter

Please be assured there is not a single priest or deacon of the Archdiocese of New York against whom there has been a credible and substantiated claim of abuse against a minor currently in ministry.

The 2018 Pastoral Letter from Cardinal Dolan contains that statement.

But what's it worth?

Given that Cardinal Dolan, at Immacolata and then while working for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, at least, demonstrated the ability to turn a blind eye to the sexual abuse of children and then lie to and Gaslight those same children when they were adults.

As for the phrase "credible and substantitated," that's a completely arbitrary standard that is only applied when convenient.

And denied when it's not.

As I know all too well, given my personal experiences with the ways of Cardinal Timothy Dolan.