Catholic church

If you’ve driven west on I-70, you’ve probably seen two church towers off in the distance, about 10 miles east of Hays in the tiny town of Victoria, Kansas.

If you haven’t been curious enough to stop and check it out, you should.

A project in the works for more than 20 years was completed last week when Holy Savior Catholic Church held a dedication and blessing for its new church.

The new church and school, Holy Savior Catholic Academy, were part of a $9.1 million campaign. The new campus is at 3000 E. 13th St. North, just west of Hillside. 

“The dedication of our people, parishioners of Holy Savior, has made all of this possible,” said Father James Billinger, pastor of Holy Savior.

The Catholic Diocese of Dodge City on Wednesday released a list of 12 clerics or seminarians with substantiated allegations of abuse against minors.

The diocese said five of the priests were assigned to the Dodge City diocese, while five others worked at some point in the diocese but allegations against them were made in other dioceses. Two others were seminarians.

The Catholic Diocese of Wichita says an independent audit has substantiated sexual abuse allegations involving minors against nine priests.

The diocese released the report today following a review of more than 1,300 files by the Wichita law firm Fleeson Gooing. Many dioceses in the state and around the country have issued similar reports. Of the nine priests involved, six died after being removed from the ministry. The other three were removed in the 1990s. Seven of the nine were ordained in the 1950s or earlier.

TOPEKA — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said Tuesday that it has opened dozens of investigations into alleged sex abuse by Catholic clergy after 119 people came forward in recent months saying they were victims.

The KBI called for tips from the public in February and continues to seek information. Agents have launched 74 cases so far in 33 counties.

SNAP, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, praised the news in a statement.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says it is investigating reports of sexual abuse by clergy in the state’s four Catholic dioceses.