Former Our Lady of Grace Church Priest Sexually Abused Edina Boy, Lawsuit Alleges

A former priest at Edina's Our Lady of Grace Church was sued last week for sexually abusing a teenage parishioner in the 1970s.

The Rev. Jerome C. Kern is accused in the lawsuit of committing "sexual battery" against an Edina boy from 1972 to 1976, according to a Star Tribune report. Kern had been moved to Edina from a St. Paul church in 1969 after parents informed the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul that he had sexually touched their two young sons.

Attorneys for the plaintiff, a man now in his 50s, said their client is one of at least ten people abused by Kern. Jeff Anderson & Associates is preparing three more lawsuits against him, attorney Mike Finnegan told the Star Tribune.

“What’s interesting about this case is that Kern has had a low public profile, but already we know about 10 victims,’’ Finnegan said. “At this early stage of the game, that’s a large number.’’

The archdiocese is also named in the lawsuit and accused of letting Kern stay in contact with children despite obtaining information about his sexual misconduct between 1966 and 1969 at St. Mark's Church in St. Paul. 

Kern sexually abused the Edina boy on multiple occasions when he was 12 to 16 years old, the lawsuit alleges, touching him and making him perform oral sex.

The archdiocese issued a statement saying it would investigate claims and that Kern was removed from the ministry in 2002.

“We are completely committed to ensuring the safety of children and young people who have been entrusted to our care,’’ reads the archdiocese’s statement.

Kern, 72, is living in a home for retired priests in St. Paul.

The lawsuit is at least the 19th filed against the archdiocese since May, when a state law took effect lifting the statute of limitations on cases alleging sex abuse by clergy.