{{Short description|Closed Catholic house of formation}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox university | name = Casa Jesus | image = Casa Jesus Chicago 1.jpg | caption = The former Casa Jesus building at 750 Wabash Avenue. | type = Catholic Seminary | established = 1987 | closed = 2016 | founders = Arturo Perez and Silviano Filipetti | parent = Archdiocese of Chicago | religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic | address = 750 Wabash Ave <br> Chicago, IL, 60611 | city = Chicago | country = Illinois | coordinates = {{Coord|41.8964|N|87.6270|W|type:edu_region:US-IL|display=inline,title}} | campus_type = Urban }}
'''Casa Jesus''' (English: ''House of Jesus'') was a Roman Catholic house of formation of the Archdiocese of Chicago which opened in 1987. Its primary purpose was to educate Latin-American candidates for priesthood. It was closed in 2016 after a former rector was charged with the possession of child pornography.
==History==
=== Founding === Due to the increasing number of Spanish-speaking Catholics in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Fr. Arturo Perez and Fr. Silviano Filipetto had the idea of creating a house of discernment and formation where Hispanic men could prayerfully consider the priesthood. In 1987, both the archdiocese and Cardinal Joseph Bernardin accepted the proposal. The program, initially based out of the rectory of St. Casmir Church in Little Village, began recruiting young Latin-American men from around Chicago.<ref name="Rangel">{{cite news |last1=Rangel |first1=Julio |title=Casa Jesús marks 25 years helping men discern priesthood: Unique program focuses on the Spanish-speaking |url=https://www.chicagocatholic.com/chicagoland/-/article/2012/04/22/casa-jesus-marks-25-years-helping-men-discern-priesthood |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Chicago Catholic |date=April 22, 2012}}</ref><ref name="Puente">{{cite news |last1=Puente |first1=Teresa |title=The quest for priests |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-the-quest-for-priests/165297177/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=April 4, 1999 |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-the-quest-for-priests/165297177/ 4.1], [https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-priests/165297122/ 4.2] |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="CasaHistory">{{Cite web |date=October 14, 2015 |title=Casa Jesus |url=http://casajesus.org/history.html |access-date=February 13, 2025 |archive-date=October 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151014015650/http://casajesus.org/history.html |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>
Men participating in the program lived and prayed in community, learned English, and engaged in catechetical and youth ministry in the archdiocese.<ref name="Puente" /> Once proficient in English, men in the program transferred either to Mundelein Seminary or St. Joseph College Seminary, usually after a year.<ref name="CasaHistory" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=November 10, 2018 |title=25th Anniversary Celebration of Casa Jesus Seminary - Archdiocese of Chicago |url=https://legacy.archchicago.org/News/?id=127 |access-date=February 13, 2025 |archive-date=November 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181110023328/https://legacy.archchicago.org/News/?id=127 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> In 1990, due to parish mergers, Fr. Perez left the program and Fr. Filipetto continued as the director of Casa Jesus, before being succeeded as director by Fr. David Ford in 1992.<ref name="CasaHistory" />
In 1994, Fr. Michael Herman became the director and the program moved to the grounds of Notre Dame de Chicago parish, in part to be closer to the site of the program's English studies at the University of Illinois Chicago.<ref name="CasaHistory" /> It was also at this time that the program began to recruit internationally, initially in Colombia but then expanding to include Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, and other Latin American countries, drawing both from men who had prior seminary experience and those who had been working in the outside world.<ref name="Puente" /><ref name="CasaHistory" /> Herman continued in pastoral work in Chicago until the mid-2000s, when he left ministry to live as an out gay man.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Michael Herman |url=https://www.chicagohouse.org/michael-herman |access-date=April 4, 2025 |website=Chicago House |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lendman |first=John |date=June 18, 2008 |title=Gay former priest talks about the Catholic Church |url=https://windycitytimes.com/2008/06/18/gay-former-priest-talks-about-the-catholic-church/ |access-date=April 4, 2025 |website=Windy City Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="The Pillar-2025" />
Robert Casey became the fourth rector in 1998, serving in that role until 2003.<ref name="Bolletino" />
=== Move to Holy Name Cathedral convent === By 2006, after bring based out of Notre Dame du Chicago for over a decade, Francis George moved the program to a former convent at Holy Name Cathedral. Three years later that property also began to house the Polish counterpart of Casa Jesus, Bishop Abramowicz Seminary, which served a similar purpose for Polish-speaking men.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pozywio |first1=Alicia |title=Bishop Abramowicz Seminary finds new home |url=https://legacy.chicagocatholic.com/cnwonline/2009/0913/1.aspx |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Catholic New World |date=September 13, 2009}}</ref><ref name="CasaHistory" /> Fr. Octavio Muñoz, an alumnus of the program ordained in 2004, was named rector in 2009.<ref name="AA">{{cite web |title=Capetillo Octavio, Munoz |url=https://www.andersonadvocates.com/accused/capetillo-octavio-munoz/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241211192152/https://www.andersonadvocates.com/accused/capetillo-octavio-munoz/ |archive-date=December 11, 2024 |access-date=February 12, 2025 |website=Jeff Anderson and Associates}}</ref>
In 2012, both programs housed at the Holy Name convent were moved to facilities at St. Ita's Church to allow for major renovations at the Cathedral convent property. These changes to the building were in part to facilitate Cardinal George to reside in the convent along with the men in formation following his retirement.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 20, 2014 |title=Cardinal Reflects On Cancer Battle, Infamous Ex-Priest - CBS Chicago |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/cardinal-reflects-on-cancer-battle-infamous-priest/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 |website=CBS News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ahern |first=Mary Ann |date=October 20, 2014 |title=Cardinal George Talks Regrets, Beliefs Ahead of Retirement |url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/cardinal-george-talks-regrets-beliefs-ahead-of-retirement/62784/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=NBC Chicago |language=en-US |archive-date=August 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809000333/https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/cardinal-george-talks-regrets-beliefs-ahead-of-retirement/62784/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The renovations were completed in May 2013.<ref name="Puente" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Casa Jesus, Chicago, IL |url=https://jnka-architects.com/Projects/casa-jesus-chicago-il/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 |website=JNKA Architects |language=en-US |archive-date=November 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241112190943/https://jnka-architects.com/Projects/casa-jesus-chicago-il/ |url-status=live }}</ref> By 2012, 42 alumni of the program had been ordained priests for the Archdiocese of Chicago, with 260 men having participated in the program since its founding in 1987.<ref name="Rangel" /><ref name="Ahern" />
=== Closure === On July 7, 2015, Fr. Kevin Hays, who was replacing Muñoz as rector, was touring Muñoz's former apartment with an employee. A laptop was discovered that was streaming what appeared to be child pornography. The employee did not initially report the incident as he believed Hays would do so; however, Hays did not and stated he had not seen the images.<ref name=Goudie>{{cite news |last1=Goudie |first1=Chuck |last2=Weidner |first2=Ross |last3=Markoff |first3=Barb |last4=Tressel |first4=Christine |title=Chicago church official claims not to have seen child porn |url=https://abc7chicago.com/octavio-munoz-child-porn-charged-catholic-priest/1521363/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=ABC7 Chicago |date=September 21, 2016 |language=en}}</ref> The Chicago archdiocese contacted private investigators on July 20, 2015, but did not contact the police until ten days after the report.<ref name=Goudie/><ref name=Shuttered/>
Muñoz was removed from ministry and had his priestly faculties withdrawn on July 28, 2015, and was sent to treatment at the Saint Luke Institute.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statement on Charges Filed Against Father Octavio Muñoz Capetillo |url=https://www.archchicago.org/statement/-/article/2016/09/21/statement-statement-on-charges-filed-against-father-octavio-munoz-capetilloseptember-21-2016 |access-date=April 4, 2025 |website=Archdiocese of Chicago |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="AA" /><ref name="www.cbsnews.com-2016" /> In September 2016, Muñoz was charged with one count of possession of child pornography. He was then extradited from Maryland and arrested in Chicago the following August, facing a prison sentence of up to three years.<ref name="Shuttered" /><ref name="www.cbsnews.com-2016">{{Cite web |date=September 22, 2016 |title=Bail Set At $50,000 For Priest Facing Child Porn Charge - CBS Chicago |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/bail-set-at-50000-for-priest-facing-child-porn-charge/ |access-date=April 4, 2025 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Casa Jesus operations were quietly suspended in September 2016.<ref name="Ahern2">{{cite news |last1=Ahern |first1=Mary Ann |title=Archbishop Cupich Quietly Suspends Program Recruiting Latinos to Priesthood |url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/casa-jesus-chicago-archdiocese-suspension/108863/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=NBC Chicago |date=September 19, 2016 |archive-date=December 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241224123607/https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/casa-jesus-chicago-archdiocese-suspension/108863/ |url-status=live }}</ref> At the time of its closing, the seminary had 10 graduates studying at Mundelein Seminary, one at St. Joseph Seminary, and four at the College of Lake County.<ref>{{Cite web |last=CHICAGO • • |first=Por TELEMUNDO |date=September 16, 2016 |title=Suspenden las operaciones de Casa Jesús en Chicago |url=https://www.telemundochicago.com/noticias/local/suspenden-las-operaciones-de-casa-jesus/1947344/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Telemundo Chicago |language=es |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117072910/https://www.telemundochicago.com/noticias/local/suspenden-las-operaciones-de-casa-jesus/1947344/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2025 the Casa Jesus building began to house propaedeutic stage seminarians studying at Mundelein Seminary.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Living in community helps seminarians dive deep spiritually |url=https://www.chicagocatholic.com/chicagoland/-/article/2024/12/11/living-in-community-helps-seminarians-dive-deep-spiritual-1 |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=Chicago Catholic |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Propaedeutic |url=https://usml.edu/mundelein-seminary/formation/spirituality-year/ |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=USML |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Other misconduct allegations== At least 11 priests of the 42 men who graduated from the Casa Jesus program have either been removed from priestly ministry or been involved in criminal proceedings due to illicit sexual activity, leading Rod Dreher to describe the institution as "dogged with homosexual misconduct".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dreher |first=Rod |date=September 4, 2018 |title=Taking The Gay Priest Issue Seriously |url=https://www.theamericanconservative.com/taking-gay-priest-issue-seriously-roman-catholicism/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=The American Conservative |language=en-US |archive-date=July 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240715091857/https://www.theamericanconservative.com/taking-gay-priest-issue-seriously-roman-catholicism/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="The Pillar-2025">{{Cite news |last=Flynn |first=JD |date=April 3, 2025 |title=Archbishop Casey and Casa Jesus |url=https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/archbishop-casey-and-casa-jesus |access-date=April 3, 2025 |website=The Pillar |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Ahern" /> In 2002, Domingo Hurtado-Badillo, who prior had pled guilty to misdemeanor public indecency after being found performing a sex act on another man, was accused in a civil suit of taking fellow Casa Jesus students to gay bars in Chicago as well as sexually assaulting fellow students.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Falsani |first1=Cathleen |title=No formal policy on assault claims by adults - Even if relationship were consensual, 'It's sinful': George |url=https://infoweb-newsbank-com.oh0024.oplin.org/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&t=state%3AIL%21USA%2B-%2BIllinois&sort=YMD_date%3AA&hide_duplicates=2&maxresults=60&f=advanced&val-base-0=%22Casa%20Jesus%22%20&fld-base-0=alltext&bln-base-1=and&val-base-1=1985-2025&fld-base-1=YMD_date&docref=news/0F3D56B49E65B8FC |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |date=May 24, 2002 |pages=7}}</ref> In 2003, another priest alumni of the program reportedly committed a sexual assault in the Chicago suburb of Palatine.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ramirez |first=Margaret |date=August 22, 2006 |title=Accused priests asked to move out of home |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/234468843/?match=1&terms=%22casa%20jesus%22 |work=Chicago Tribune |pages=2–3}}</ref> In 2015, Luis Stalin, a former participant in the Casa's program, said that he would go to gay bars in Chicago and bring fellow seminarians with him, stating celibacy was ignored by seminary staff.<ref name="Ahern">{{cite news |last1=Ahern |first1=Mary Ann |title=Former Insiders Question Vocational Program That Brings Young Men From Latin America to Chicago |url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/former-chicago-seminarians-question-vocational-program/89777/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=NBC Chicago |date=November 16, 2015 |archive-date=December 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241220165730/https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/former-chicago-seminarians-question-vocational-program/89777/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Two priests with ties to the program were arrested in Miami in 2016 for lewd conduct after allegedly being engaged in a sex act in a parked car.<ref name="Shuttered">{{cite news |title=Chicago Priest Arrested in Miami Has Ties to Shuttered Program |url=https://www.ncregister.com/news/chicago-priest-arrested-in-miami-has-ties-to-shuttered-program |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=National Catholic Register |date=September 4, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Niles |first1=Christine |title=Casa Jesus: Gay Seminarian Pipeline Set Up by Cdl. Bernardin |url=https://catholiccitizens.org/news/81042/casa-jesus-gay-seminarian-pipeline-set-up-by-cdl-bernardin/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Church Militant |via=Catholic Citizens of Illinois |date=September 8, 2018}}</ref> A graduate of the program, Xamie Reyes, was removed from priestly ministry in the Chicago archdiocese in 2025 following accusations of sexual misconduct with seminarians.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-27 |title=Cardinal Cupich's Chicago Priest Accused of Grooming Seminarians |url=https://soulsandliberty.com/cardinal-cupichs-chicago-priest-accused-of-grooming-seminarians/ |access-date=2025-11-01 |website=Souls and Liberty |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Archdiocesan priests celebrate jubilee milestones |url=https://www.chicagocatholic.com/chicagoland/-/article/2025/06/04/archdiocesan-priests-celebrate-jubilee-mileston-4 |access-date=2025-11-01 |website=Chicago Catholic |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=CNA |title=Chicago priest removed amid allegations of sexual misconduct with seminarians |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/267285/chicago-parish-priest-removed-amid-allegations-of-sexual-misconduct |access-date=2025-11-01 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}}</ref>
== Notable alumni ==
* José Maria Garcia Maldonado<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nguyen |first1=Lily |title=Pope Francis appoints 5 auxiliary bishops for Chicago - Biweekly Newspaper for the Diocese of Richmond % |url=https://catholicvirginian.org/news/pope-francis-appoints-5-auxiliary-bishops-for-chicago/ |work=Biweekly Newspaper for the Diocese of Richmond |date=December 23, 2024 |archive-date=January 5, 2025 |access-date=February 12, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250105114339/https://catholicvirginian.org/news/pope-francis-appoints-5-auxiliary-bishops-for-chicago/ |url-status=live }}</ref> * Alberto Rojas<ref name=Rangel/>
== Rectors/directors ==
# Fr. Silvano Filipetto: 1987–1992<ref name="CasaHistory" /> # Fr. David Ford: 1992–1994<ref name="CasaHistory" /> # Fr. Michael Herman: 1994–1999<ref name="CasaHistory" /> # Fr. Robert Gerald Casey: 1998–2003<ref name="Bolletino">{{cite web |title=Resignations and Appointments |url=https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2025/02/12/250212c.html |access-date=February 12, 2025 |website=Holy See Press Office |publisher=Dicastery for Communication}}</ref> # Fr. Alejandro Garrido: 2003–2009<ref name="CasaHistory" /> # Fr. Octavio Muñoz: 2009–2015<ref name="CasaHistory" /> # Fr. Kevin Hays: 2015<ref name="Goudie" />
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago}}
Category:1987 establishments in Illinois Category:Archdiocese of Chicago Category:Seminaries and theological colleges in Illinois Category:2016 disestablishments in Illinois