Two men today sued a former Roman Catholic priest and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph alleging that the priest sexually abused them when they were altar boys.John Doe B.B. of Kansas, 52, contends that the Rev. Thomas Reardon abused him in 1968 in the St. Elizabeth rectory in Kansas City after his mother asked the priest to explain “the facts of life” to the 12-year-old boy.
John Doe M.D. of Missouri, 46, contends Reardon abused him at St. Gabriel’s parish in Kansas City when he was in the fifth to eighth grades.
Reardon, who has 14 other such Jackson County lawsuits pending against him, has denied all the allegations.
The diocese has not seen the lawsuits, does not yet know who the plaintiffs are and is not in a position to comment on them, a spokesperson said. She said Reardon has not worked as a priest since 1989.
Reardon, 65, was ordained in 1967 and served at St. Elizabeth’s parish from 1968 to 1971, followed by St. John Francis Regis from 1972 to 1973, then Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception from 1974 to 1977.
He was at Church of the Santa Fe in Buckner in 1978, then St. Gabriel the Archangel from 1979 to 1981, then back at Regis from 1982 until 1989.
During his priesthood, Reardon also served as the administrator of Camp Little Flower in Raytown, which provided educational camping for children age 7 through 12.
In the 1980 Official Catholic Directory, he also was listed in charge of the Catholic Youth Organization.
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