The Canadian public is becoming well aware of the treatment of indigenous students at Residential Schools over the decades, but abuse in schools operated by religious organizations is not limited to Indian Residential school settings. A good local example is Assumption College Catholic High School (“Assumption”) in Windsor, Ontario which was originally founded and operated by the Roman Catholic religious Order entitled the Basilian Fathers of Toronto, otherwise known as the Basilians.
In 1857 Assumption was founded on the grounds of what is now the University of Windsor. Today the University facility Dillon Hall is one of the buildings which the Basilians ran the school out of up until the mid 20th century. In 1957 the high school portion of Assumption moved to 1100 Huron Road where it still operates today though now as a school of the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board. The post-secondary portion remained and was a founding element of the University of Windsor.
Until 1971 the various incantations of Assumption accepted only male students, taught strictly Catholic education and a portion of the students resided at the school. It also relied heavily on Catholic priests from the Basilians as teachers and administrators. Unfortunately, a number of them over the years have faced allegations, lawsuits and/or criminal charges of sexually preying on students. What follows below in chronological order are the Basilian priests who have faced such allegations and at some point, worked at Assumption.
The earliest known sexually abusive Basilian priest at Assumption is Father Frederick Cahill (“Cahill”) who was a teacher at Assumption from 1953 to 1957, when Assumption was still located on the university grounds. While there are no allegations of abuse from Assumption, Cahill later was the subject of two lawsuits pertaining to his sexual abuse of male students while he taught high school in Calgary.
At the same time Cahill was at Assumption so was Father William Hodgson Marshall (“Marshall”) who briefly taught at the school between 1954 and early 1956. He abused a number of students during that brief time and was reported to the Basilians in 1956 but was simply transferred to another assignment. Marshall ultimately abused a number of boys across Ontario and was criminally convicted in 2011.
When Marshall left Assumption (1956) in came Father Robert Joseph Whyte (“Whyte”) who only served a year before a transfer out. Whyte, though not accused of abuse at Assumption, has faced numerous allegations of sexual abuse from Sault Ste. Marie all the way to Calgary. He was reported to the Basilians in 1977 out West but continued in ministry. He was criminally convicted in 1990 of a series of sexual assaults in Alberta.
Father Louis Purcell (“Purcell”), like Marshall and Whyte was only briefly posted to Assumption, from 1960 to 1962. Purcell faced no allegations from those years in Windsor but did from his time in Sault Ste. Marie in the mid 1970’s when a high school male athlete there accused him of sexual abuse in a recent lawsuit.
The year after Purcell left Assumption (1963) it is alleged in a civil lawsuit that Father James Ronald Cullen (“Cullen”) sexually assaulted a student on a couple of occasions at Assumption. Cullen who worked at the school from 1948-1982 served in the roles of Principal as well as Dean of Resident Students. He was heavily involved in coaching and has faced no other allegations at this time.
Father Leo Campbell (“Campbell”) was a Religion and English teacher at Assumption from 1974-1977. Though he faced only one allegation of abuse while in Windsor he has faced others later in his career.
Even as late as the early 1990’s there is sexual abuse alleged at Assumption. Father Joseph Redican (“Redican”) who was the Principal of Assumption from 1988 to 1994 is alleged in two separate lawsuits to have sexually exploited two different students while he was Principal there.
Finally, the Basilian priest Father John J. Stortz (“Stortz”) who was sued by three women in 1998 for sexual assault elsewhere, did serve some of his career at Assumption though the years are unknown.
Eight different Basilian priests who taught or served at Assumption between 1953 to 1992 have faced allegations of sexual abuse at some point in their careers. Three of those priests actually held the post of Principal of Assumption at some point.
If you know of more to this story, please feel free to contact us to correct, update or expand this unfortunate history of Assumption College Catholic High School located in Windsor, Ontario. It is never too late to seek either criminal or civil justice in Canada. Time tells all truth!
