ST BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — St. Bonaventure University has removed the name of a priest from the school's administration building, formerly known as Hopkins Hall, after it was discovered that he was accused of sexual abuse.
The school said it was unaware that the namesake of the building, Msgr. James Hopkins, had been accused of multiple acts of sexual abuse. This spring, some investigative reporting by a student-journalist, Sean Mickey, revealed the connection.
"We didn’t realize that Hopkins was on a list of priests accused of sexual abuse, but when Sean inquired about it when he saw his name, I confirmed with the Diocese of Erie that Hopkins was on the list, and that he had more than one abuse claim,” said Tom Missel, chief communications officer. “Kudos to Sean for bringing it to the university’s attention.”
The sign bearing Hopkins' name in front of the building has been removed. Hopkins was labeled one of 41 "predator priests," by a grand jury in Pennsylvania. He attended St. Bonaventure in the 1890's and died in 1957.
"It’s reprehensible what’s been uncovered and heartbreaking for the families who’ve been victimized," said University President Dr. Dennis DePerro. "It doesn’t matter that the abuses in this case might have happened a century ago. Anytime a story surfaces like this, anyone who’s been a victim of sexual abuse feels the pain."
The building will now be called the Administration Building until it is renamed at a later date. School officials say finding a new name for the building is not a priority right now.
