Draft #3 Fr. Othmar (Leo) Hohmann. Fr. Othmar (Leo) Hohmann

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1 1 Fr. Othmar (Leo) Hohmann Born: Leo Hohmann 1/28/1900 in Richmond, Minnesota Benedictine Life Professed: 9/22/1926 (26.65 years old) Ordained: 6/7/1931 (31.35 years old) Died: 1/24/1980 (79.99 years old) Known Assignments: ?? St. Francis Xavier Church, Bahamas 1945 Assistant Pastor of St. Boniface church, Hastings, Minnesota 1948 St James Catholic Church in Vernal, Utah St. Joseph Parish, St. Joseph, Minnesota ?? St. Francis Xavier Church, Bahamas 1932 to This period during and after Fr. Othmar Hohmann's pastorate in the life of St. Francis Parish was one of continued, tremendous growth and development, even as it was for the entire Bahamas Mission. The young Benedictine Missionaries who arrived, almost like a steady flowing down from Minnesota, did not only "stand tall" on the proverbial shoulders of their zealous precessors. True to their motto, "Ora et Labora (prayer and work)," they, too lived to the fullest, the Gospel of Christ Jesus. Each one shared his peculiar gifts and talents with the local people. Feb 7, St. Francis Xavier Church was designated the pro-cathedral of the Prefecture by Father Bernard Kevenhoester, OSB, the first Prefect Apostolic of the Bahamas. Father Bernard then installed Fr. Othmar Hohmann, OSB, as pastor of St. Francis Church. Fr. Othmar, a talented, friendly, dramatist, zealously continued the work of this predecessors: promoting enthusiastic congregational vocal praying; singing during liturgical services; giving catechetical instructions during evening services. His devout ministry to children and the sick was extraordinary and effective. The number of participating parishioners tripled and the school population doubled.

2 Assistant Pastor of St. Boniface church, Hastings, Minnesota Rev. Father Shea was celebrant, assisted by Rev. P. J. Ryan, pastor of the church and Rev. Othmar Hohmann, O.S.B., assistant pastor of St. Boniface church. Internment was in the church cemetery. Hastings Gazette, Friday August 10, St James Catholic Church in Vernal, Utah Father Othmar Hohmann helps on the construction of the St. James Catholic Church. Uintah County Library Regional History Center Date-Original St James Catholic Church in Vernal, UT St. Joseph Parish, St. Joseph, Minnesota A new pastor, Othmar Hohmann, OSB ( ), wished to capitalize on the home talent of the parish so formed the St. Joseph Players Guild which met in the second floor auditorium of the school. First, the stage was rebuilt. Then, for the next five years, memorable children s productions like Hansel and Gretel and Heidi played to appreciative audiences. Rooted in Christ, The Living Stone (The Church of St. Joseph), Page 31

3 3 Statement #1 (Via on May 13, 2010) Othmar was a beast. He preyed on young girls. I did not witness anything with the male gender. For myself, because I was involved in the parish as a young person, there were many occasions where I was a victim. My memory is blocked to a certain point. What I do remember is being grabbed by him with his huge, stubby, fat fingers, pulled closely to him where he would put his hands all over my body, underneath my skirt, rub against me, kiss me, and tear my clothes off in the church office at St. Joseph. I saw him put his hands under the skirts of other young girls, rub them against himself and kiss them. As he visited family homes on Sunday afternoons, he would gravitate to the young females and do his thing. Also, he produced theatrical performances in the St. Joseph Parish where I saw him many times doing his thing during rehearsals. His victims probably number in the thousands if he did this in other parishes. I have encouraged other women I know to come forward with their stories to you. Some might, and I know others will not, as they have not dealt with it themselves. A number of years ago, I contacted St. John's Abbey about this. Once again, I was a victim...not heard, dismissed and feeling alone.

4 4 Statement #2 (Via on April 25, 2011) Fr. Othmar Hohmann would make his rounds, visiting St. Joseph Parish families on, I believe, Sunday afternoons. When he was to come we kids were told to be on best behavior and we girls were to dress up in the short frilly dresses of the time. Othmar was seated in the living room. My parents would be in the adjacent room, the kitchen, getting the coffee and cookies, and astonishingly, with them that close by, he would grab me and pull me up onto his lap and deftly put his fingers up the leg hole of my panties and fondle and grope, carrying on all the time as if nothing was happening; he was so quick and expert at it and it was so confusing because he was so brazen with my parents just in the next room within earshot so I'd think it was all okay with them, it must have been, otherwise how could he have done it so brazenly? Surely they knew and approved! I was six years old at this time and we had just moved to St Joe from St Cloud. Later, when I was seven or eight, I was involved in a school play directed by Othmar. I had many rehearsals with him and he had lots of access to me. I don't know what happened then - it continues to be a blank. I recall hiding there in the dark, under the stage with all the folding chairs that were stored in that low dark space. Just not sure what exactly I was hiding from. I know that there are things that happened that I don't admit to myself yet, that my story is not filled with all the details. But I know that I have been horribly betrayed; that for many years I blamed myself, wanted to kill myself and believed myself evil and damned; even able to contaminate 'good' people! Can you imagine going into a confessional and knowing that you have this sexual sin you're supposed to confess, but it's Othmar on the other side of the screen and the penances received would keep you on your knees forever in the church saying all those Hail Marys and Our Fathers...and everyone would know how evil you were just because of the length of the penance Othmar would have imposed on you/me? My parents would never have believed me. Othmar acted like nothing was going on so he would have denied everything and I was always being told how good everyone in our small safe town was, so I had to be wrong. What a mess. There is much more I can say about the effect of the hypocrisy and abuse on my life - it has taken decades away from me. The losses have been tremendous and there is much grief yet to go through. But I have come to the point where I can really blame THEM rather than myself, and that's a huge step forward, albeit a little late in life. Now I'm angry, and that's good and just. Forgiveness will have to wait a while.

5 5 Statement #3 (Signed Document dated October 10, 2011) I was sexually abused by our parish priest as a young girl in St. Joseph, Minnesota around The priest who I just knew as Father Othmar of the Benedictan Order visited our home one summer when I was about 5-6 years old. ( I have recently learned his last name is Hohmann.) I may have been younger, but I have a hard time placing exactly when this occurred. Father Othmar would come to visit and sit in the kitchen, talking for a long time to my mother. My father was working. My mother was a busy lady and so eventually she would leave the room to fold laundry, attend to my little brother in the other room, clean something, etc. The priest seemed to overextend his stay, much to my mother s irritation. Fr. Othmar would always tell me how sweet I was and how much he liked to hold me and he would ask mom if he could hold me. She said this was fine. In her mind it was likely an honor when the parish priest would visit as well as show appreciation for her daughter. While she was gone in the other parts of the house, Father Othmar would set me on his lap, press my body against his, force me to kiss him on the lips and cheeks, run his hands all over my body under my clothes (including my breasts and genitals), and penetrate my vagina with his finger. As a young girl, I didn't understand why he was breathing so heavy, sweating, and seemed so excited. After going through this for minutes, my mother would return into the room. He would quickly then excuse himself and leave. This occurred maybe 4-6 times. After the last incident, I felt so upset, strange, and frightened that I told my mom after he left what he did. When Father Othmar came to visit again, my mother would not let me get close to him. So he stopped coming to visit. Yet every Sunday I had to sit in the pew with my family and honor him as the powerful representative of God elevated before us on the altar. I also had to go to the Confessional as a young girl and be alone with him in the dark closet and tell him my sins!!! And sometimes for the next 5~6 years he would grab me, hug me, and kiss me in an overly affectionate manner (that I detested) even when there were other people around. He acted as if he was the jolly parish priest who loved children. Since he put on such well-loved community plays using so many children, the parish folk thought he was just a wonderful guy who loved children so much. For example, I was an angel in the play "Hansel and GreteI which he directed and produced. I stayed away from him as much as I could, but never talked of what Fr. Othmar did to me until I was in my 30's and began seeing a counselor about this. This experience was very disturbing to me and affected my life in my ways, as did many other aspects of my Catholic experience.

6 6 Hansel & Gretel #1 St. Joseph Church Hansel & Gretel #2 St. Joseph Church

7 7 Fr. Othmar Hohmann, 1965 Parents & Family Jacob L. Hohmann married Annie Trautlein, who was born in Fountain City, Wis., daughter of Henry and Frances (Shellhauner) Trautlein, the former of whom was a veteran of the Civil war, spent his declining years as a farmer near Eau Claire, Wis., and died December 19, Mr. and Mrs. Hohmann have six children: Leo, Ida, Marie, Paul, Regina and Alphonse. (History of Stearns County)