Aug 15, 2018 10 min read

The victim stated that the first time he came forward about this abuse was seven years ago when he informed his wife. The next time he spoke of the abuse was when he was in counseling. He said that approximately five years ago, he along with his mother and father, had a meeting with Bishop Zubik. According to the victim, Zubik responded by saying “he was sympathetic. He [Zubik] made it very clear that he believed in me. Asked me if — started to offer me certain things.” Zubik offered, “College tuition for my children, little bit of money, and then the last one was to pay for counseling.”

The victim stated that he ultimately refused Zubik’s offer because by taking the offer, the Diocese told him that:

you are going to have to meet with our lawyer and this and sign these documents that basically say you are done with — you can’t come after us. It is over. No public. Your mouth is closed.

He said the greatest insult was that by taking the offer, he would not be allowed to talk about the abuse and what he endured.

In addition to testimony, the victim provided a letter from a former classmate. Some of the excerpts from the letter read to the Grand Jury stated:

My first memories of [the victim] were in the third grade. He was well liked and popular with the students. He was funny. Once we got older, I remember seeing [the victim] less and less in the classes. When we asked, there was always a reason why he wasn’t there. The reason I most remember is that it was not our business. I remember seeing him sleeping in the room we called the health room. It was on the right near the exit stairs. It was the room we had physicals in when the doctor was there. It was also the room that we used when we weren’t feeling well. [The victim] was in there on more than one occasion. I remember wondering why he was always lying down there. I remember seeing him in there on a consistent basis. Another memory I have of [the victim] is in what was the learning center on the first floor. We were in a small tutoring group of some kind. (REDACTED)

The victim recalled being offended on by Schultz first, with the sexual assaults consisting of oral and anal sex and also Schultz ejaculating onto the victim’s face. He testifed that these assaults occurred in Schultz’s residence, next to the school, and, in the church. (REDACTED) The victim testified It started with me having a tummy ache . . . (REDACTED) when I became an adult, I realized what that stuff was.

The “stuff’ was Schultz’s seminal fluid.

Approximately six years ago, the victim met with Beaver County investigators to officially report the abuse. He stated that the Beaver County District Attorney’s Office contacted him and advised that nothing could be pursued because of the statute of limitations.

The victim concluded his testimony by stating that this abuse has had a destructive impact on his life “that consumes you.” When asked how important it was for him to be able to come into a grand jury after all of these years of wanting transparency, he responded, “This is the most important thing besides my wife and children on this planet in this world. This is a sign for hope.”

(REDACTED)