Assignment Record – Rev. Lawrence "Larry" Reuter, s.j.

Summary of Case: A Jesuit priest of the Chicago Province ordained in 1971, Rev. Larry Reuter taught and served as president at Loyola Academy in Wilmette IL for many years, ministered at Chicago's Loyola University and at its medical center in Maywood IL, and was a long-time weekend assistant at an Oak Park IL parish. Reuter was removed from active ministry in March 2010 after Province officials discovered that he had at some point admitted to an "inappropriate relationship" with an 18-year-old Loyola Academy student during the time he was president. His victim received a settlement in the 1990s. A second former Loyola Academy student came forward in May 2010 alleging he was sexually abused by Reuter in the late 1980s, beginning when the former student was a junior and occurring over a two-year period.

Ordained: 1971

1971

Chicago archbishop was John Patrick Cody (1965-1982), follwed by Joseph Louis Bernardin (1982-1996).

Wilmette

• Reuter admitted at some point to having had an "inappropriate relationship"- while he was Academy president - with an 18-year-old Loyola Academy student. Reuter was kept in ministry until March 2010, when his personnel file was reviewed by the Province and the admission discovered.

• In May 2010 second former Loyola student came forward with allegations that Reuter sexually abused him in the late 1980s. This accuser said he went to Reuter for guidance and that the priest became his mentor and friend. He said the abuse started his junior year and went on for two years.

1990

Bernardin was succeeded by Francis Eugene George, o.m.i. (1997-2014).

Reuter was removed from active ministry in March 2010 after Province officials discovered his admission of abuse of a male high school student decades before. That former student received a settlement from the Jesuits in the 1990s.

Not long before his removal Reuter told Ascension pastor, Rev. Larry McNally, about the past "inappropriate relationship" with the 18-year-old Loyola Academy student. Per McNally, the Jesuits weren't forthcoming with the reason for Reuters' removal and parishioners were demanding information. McNally said he went to the Provincial, Rev. Timothy Kasicki, s.j. and, as a result, Kasicki sent out a letter which appeared in Ascension parish's May 2 bulletin. Kasicki's explanation was that Reuter "admitted that he had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a young adult."

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1972-2010)

• Priest Booted from Ministry for "Inappropriate Relationship", Chicago Breaking News, May 3, 2010
• Years Later, Jesuits Oust Abuser from Ministry, Chicago Public Radio, May 4, 2010
• Former President of Loyola Academy Removed from Active Ministry, By Tara Malone, Chicago Tribune, May 3, 2010
• Former Loyola Academy Priest Admits to Relationship with Student, NBC Chicago, May 3, 2010
• Former Student Accuses Ex-loyola Academy Principal of Abuse, By Duaa Eldeib, Chicago Tribune, May 4, 2010
• Continued Abuse Revelations Belie Reform Claims, Say Victims, By Dick Johnson and Bj Lutz, NBC Chicago, May 4, 2010
• Priest "Stunned" by Former Colleague's Sex Abuse Admission, By Dick Johnson and BJ Lutz, NBC Chicago, May 5, 2010
• 2nd Loyola Academy Abuse Victim Comes Forward, By Jullie Unruh, WGN, May 6, 2010

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 Reuter'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 November 10, 2014.