SAN ANTONIO – Patti Koo and Barbara Garcia Boehland stood outside the Archdiocese of San Antonio on Friday to voice their concerns about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
"We're calling on the Bishop (Gustavo) Garcia-Siller for truth and transparency, for the sake of protecting our children and vulnerable adults for the healing of survivors of clergy abuse,” said Koo, who is the San Antonio chapter leader of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP.
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Koo believes at least four names are missing from the archdiocese's list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse.
"The four names that were not on the list (were) credibly accused and spent time in San Antonio. The first one is Father Gerald Funcheon," Koo said.
The other three names, according to Koo, are Joseph Gutierrez-Cervantes, Robert Koerner and Michael Charland.
In response to the names, the archdiocese released the following statement:
"The Archdiocese of San Antonio does not have any records or reports concerning allegations of sexual abuse of minors here against the four individuals named by SNAP March 8. Also, these men were not priests of the archdiocese: Gerald Funcheon was a Crosiers priest and later a priest of the Diocese of Lafayette, Indiana, who also served as a military chaplain; Joseph (Jesse) Gutierrez Cervantes was a member of the Christian Brothers; Robert S. Koerner was an Oblate priest; and Michael Charland was an Oblate as well. In San Antonio, Charland was at Oblate College of the Southwest and Koerner was at the Oblate Madonna Residence under the auspices of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Funcheon was assigned to Lackland Air Force Base and Wilford Hall Medical Center by the U.S. Military Ordinariate. Former Brother Gutierrez-Cervantes was at Christ the King Parish in 1970, and later at Cordi-Marian Sisters Villa. The other person identified, Galeb Mokarzel, was included on the San Antonio list on Jan. 31 with a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor. He is under the direct supervision of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate and retired without ministry in 1997. He is living under supervision with a safety plan at an Oblate retirement facility.
Anyone with any information regarding these individuals is asked to initially contact law enforcement, and then the archdiocesan Office of Victim Assistance and Safe Environment at (210) 734-7786 or toll-free (877) 700-1888. Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, MSpS, and the staff of the archdiocese are committed to assisting in the healing process for victims and survivors of sexual abuse by clergy or church personnel."
SNAP also took issue with retired priest Galeb Mokarzel.
Mokarzel was included on the archdiocese's list, and according to that list, he has one allegation against him from the 1960s.
Currently, he's under supervision at the Oblate Madonna Residence, but Koo worries because there are two schools nearby.
"SNAP is very skeptical about claims of supervision. It only takes seconds to abuse a child, and just because he's older, he's 88 years old, does not mean he cannot abuse a child," Koo said.
Koo is asking that Garcia-Siller alert the schools and parents of students who attend them.
SNAP and the archdiocese are also asking anyone who may be a victim to come forward and report it to the police.