George G. Epoch (April 18, 1920 - September 30, 1986) was a Canadian priest, a member of the Jesuit Fathers of Upper Canada. From 1971 to 1983, Epoch abused over 120 children at the Jesuit mission of Wikwemikong and St Mary's church of Cape Kroker and Saugeen, all of which are first nations reserves in Ontario, Canada.[2]: 38- [3]
George G. Epoch | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 18, 1920 Kenilworth, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | September 30, 1986 (aged 66)[1] |
| Occupation | Former priest |
| Known for | Sexual abuse |
| Ecclesiastical career | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Ordained | 1952 |
Congregations served | Holy Cross Church, Wiikwemkoong St Mary's Church, Cape Kroker |
Life
editIn 1938, he began his Jesuit studies in Guelph. Epoch was ordained as a Jesuit priest on June 22, 1952.[4] He died in residence at the Holy Cross Mission at Wikwemikong in 1986.[5]
Sexual abuse allegations
editReports of sexual abuse by father Epoch are recorded as early as 1985.[2]: 28 In 1990, claims of sexual abuse by father George Epoch began to be publicized.[6][7] The abuse claims concerned his work in three Jesuit missions on first-nations reserves in Ontario, Canada: Wikwemikong, St Mary's church of Cape Kroker and Saugeen.[8]
In 2018, a class action lawsuit filed against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax–Yarmouth claimed that in 1962, Epoch assaulted a young boy in the garment room of the church, and later in Epoch's room at the priest's communal residence.[9][10][11]
Reparations
editOn August 30, 1992, The Jesuit Fathers of Upper Canada publicly apologized for Epoch's abuse of the children.[5] The next year, after negotiations, they paid financial settlements to over 100 of the abused children.[12]
References
edit- ^ Acknowledged pedophile priest’s activities pre-date his ordination Sudbury.com
- ^ a b K. Daly (27 October 2014). Redressing Institutional Abuse of Children. Palgrave Macmillan UK. ISBN 978-1-137-41435-9.
- ^ Jacoby (22 February 1997). Les enfants de Duplessis : à l'heure de la solidarité. Protection du citoyen. pp. 42–. GGKEY:WJS3U24PPN2.
- ^ http://archives.algomau.ca/main/sites/default/files/2013-056_005_019.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ a b "Justice Department - KAUFMAN REPORT - Jan 2002". novascotia.ca. Archived from the original on 2019-09-17. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
- ^ Douglas Richard Letson; Douglas Letson; Michael Higgins; Michael W. Higgins (1995). The Jesuit Mystique. Loyola Press. pp. 98–. ISBN 978-0-8294-0865-2.
- ^ Ontario reports. 2004.
- ^ "Jesuits compensate abuse victims". Ammsa.com.
- ^ "Harvard Street residents go to court over bikeway plan". 10 August 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-10-06. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
- ^ Thomson, Aly (3 August 2018). "N.S. man alleges priest sexually abused him in proposed class-action suit". Archived from the original on 4 August 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ "Sex abuse claim sparks lawsuit against Catholic diocese in Nova Scotia - CBC News". Archived from the original on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
- ^ "The secret life of 'one of the most prolific sexual abusers in Canadian history' - CBC News". Archived from the original on 2018-08-23. Retrieved 2018-08-27.