Three pastors, formerly at St. Andrews Catholic Church, are alleged to have committed, or are charged with, child sexual abuse. It was back in 2010 that a CNN Special Report used Granite
Falls as the setting for a story involving an 82 year old priest,
Francis Markey, who died in jail in 2012 while facing charges of raping a
15-year-old boy in Ireland 40 years ago.
According
to a statement issued then by the New Ulm Diocese, Markey filled in at
St. Andrews Catholic Church in Granite Falls during an approximately
three month period during the spring of 1982. Over those three months, a
community’s worst fears would be realized as CNN would bring to light
the voice of an anonymous local resident living across the street from
the church alleged that he was abused by Markey as a child.