Father Kevin Hederman, a priest of the St. Louis Archdiocese serving at a mission in Belize, has temporarily been removed from ministry.
The Archdiocese of St. Louis is aware of a lawsuit involving Father Hederman and the Archdiocese that was filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court late last month. The man filing the lawsuit said he was a student at Christian Brothers College High School when, he claims, he was sexually abused by Father Hederman in the early 1990s.
Msgr. Richard Hanneke, director of priest personnel for the archdiocese, said in a statement that “at this time, the archdiocese has not been able to investigate the allegation and we do not know if the claim is valid. Because we take all allegations of abuse very seriously, Bishop Robert Hermann has decided to temporarily remove Rev. Hederman from active ministry pending further review.”
The statement from Msgr. Hanneke asked anyone who has ever experienced abuse involving a clergy member to contact the Office of Child and Youth Protection at (314) 792-7704 or local authorities.
Father Hederman was ordained in 1975 and has served as an associate pastor and pastor. He was pastor of the former St. Barbara Parish in North St. Louis and North American Martyrs Parish in North County in the 1990s. In 1998 he was released for service in the Diocese of Belize in Central America.