Assignment Record– Rev. Frederick J. Bistricky

Summary of Case: Bistricky has been the subject of multiple accusations. In 1974 parents of teens in a CYO group at the same parish wrote letters to Milwaukee Archbishop Cousins complaining of inappropriate sexual behavior and permissiveness with their children. Bistricky was reprimanded and sent to counseling. In 2002 a man reported to the archdiocese that Bistricky sexually abused him in the 1970s, when the man was 13 to 16 years-old. He said Bishop Sklba had been informed of the abuse in 1997 and assured him and his family that Bistricky would be kept away from children. The man was incensed in 2002 when he discovered that Bistricky was helping out at a parish. The accusations were deemed credible but the DA said prosecution wasn't possible due to the statute of limitations. In 2005 there was an accusation that Bistricky forced an 11-year-old boy in 1968 to disrobe so he could inspect the boy's genitals. Another man filed a claim as as part of the the archdiocese's 2011 bankruptcy filing that Bistricky sexually abused him - including rape - when the man was an altar boy in the early 1970s. Bistricky died in 2006.

Ordained: 1965
Retired: 1995
Died: 2006

11/30/65

Milwaukee archbishop was William Edward Cousins (1958-1977).

Milwaukee

• Bistricky was accused in 2002 of having sexually abused a boy at this parish during this time, beginning when the boy was 13, and ending when he was 16 years old. His accuser said Bistricky had boys in the CYO play strip poker while he watched, masturbated in front of them and had them do the same in front of him and tried to sodomize the accuser.

• A former St. Augustine's teacher wrote in a July 2003 email to the archdiocese that there were "credible allegations" against Bistricky during the 1974-75 school year. The former teacher wrote that Bistricky was "abusing teenage boys and setting up boys to do things to each other while [Bistricky] watched."

• A 2002 investigation of Bistricky yielded the discovery that in 1974 parents at St. Augustine wrote to Archbishop Cousins complaining about the priest's behavior with their teenagers, including encouraging them to "streak" and "moon," appearing naked in front of a group of boys and girls on a CYO trip, taking nude photos of boys. Cousins reprimanded Bistricky, and he was ordered to receive counseling.

• In 2005 an accusation was made that in 1968 Bistricky forced an 11-year-old boy to disrobe and have his genitals "inspected."

• After the archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in 2011 a man filed a claim that Bistricky sexually abused him as a young altar boy in the early 1970s. He said he went to the priest for advice because he was worried his dad would go to hell for killing people during WWII. He said Bistricky reassured him, then began to sexually abuse him after mass each Sunday, starting with twisting the boy's nipples and leading to rape. The man claimed, too, that he told the parish pastor of the abuse, but nothing was done.

Parish had a school with 377-256 students.

In March 2002 the Milwaukee DA determined the allegations were credible, but could not be prosecuted due to the statute of limitations.

6/15/76

Cousins was succeeded by Rembert George Weakland, O.S.B. (1977-2002).

This was a Chancery position.

A 1994 psychological evaluation concluded that Bistricky had an "active sexual fantasy life with some indications that they may have been acted upon in the past with teen aged boys."

Bistricky is not indexed beyond the 2003 Directory.

In July 2002 Bistricky was fully restricted from ministry.

He died in 2006.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1966-2003)

• Priest-Abuse Victims Share Their Grief, By Tom Heinen and Marie Rohde, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, October 23, 2002
• Group Warns about Accused Retired Priest, Fliers Distributed near Man's Home on Northwest Side, By Tom Heinen,
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, July 3, 2003
• Made Whole, Made Holy, By Megan Twohey, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,
March 1, 2004
• List of 43 Abusive Priests Released, Dolan Names Only Diocesan Clergy in Long-Awaited Move, By Tom Heinen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [Wisconsin], July 10, 2004
• Restricted Diocesan Priests Due to Substantiated Reports of Sexual Abuse of a Minor, Archdiocese of Milwaukee, July 9, 2004, Updated After 11/26/07
• Archdiocese Bankruptcy Could Seal Documents, TMJ4, January 6, 2011
• Archdiocese of Milwaukee List of Clergy Offenders, Archdiocese of Milwaukee, March 3, 2012
• Bistricky documents, Archdiocese of Milwaukee
• Details Emerge on Misconduct of Priests in Racine County, by Alison Bauter, July 3, 2013
• Ahead of Pope Francis’ Visit, Survivors of Sexual Abuse Take Stock, By Vivian Yee, New York Times,
September 15, 2015

Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Bistricky's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on September 16, 2015.