A quick refresher on the sins and crimes of Richard Lavigne, the worst of all the bad priests in the Catholic diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts: In 1972, Lavigne murdered Danny Croteau, the sweet and innocent 13-year-old boy who the priest had been molesting for years. Also, we know that Lavigne sexually assaulted multiple dozens of others — mostly altar boys — during the 1970s, 80s and up until 1991. As I explained in the first three episodes (1 2 3) of Unholy Fathers, the Catholic diocese of Springfield, along with local DA and others, covered up for Lavigne. Until 1991, when a brave teenager came forward with a thorough and horrifying accounting of the three years of abuse he suffered at the hands of Lavigne.

In today’s episode, we’re going back in time, to February 2019, when I knocked on the door of Richard Lavigne’s dead parent’s house in the western Massachusetts city of Chicopee for the murderer’s ONLY media interview, ever. Thing is, despite my hidden recording equipment, Massachusetts law prevents me from using the audio. (Laws vary from state to state.) However, here’s a pic of the then-78-year-old murderer sitting in his living room, during our interview, before he gave me a tour of his abode.

This podcast episode is a verbatim account of my conversation with the murderer Lavigne. Obviously since this was initially published five years ago, a lot has changed since. However, there is a specific update to this episode that is pertinent in today’s climate of cover-up and distraction.

The day after my interview with Lavigne in February 2019, I drove to the Springfield Chancery — aka the Diocese’s headquarters — and knocked on enough doors until the church’s local spokesman Mark Dupont agreed to meet with me in a vestibule for a brief conversation.

My goal: specifically ask about the allegations Lavigne made regarding Father John Klekotka, the pastor of Lavigne’s first parish when the murderer was a young priest. 

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To say Dupont was non-reactive would be an overstatement. The diocese spokesman claimed not to know anything about Father Klekotka and declined to answer any questions and ignored several follow up emails.

Here’s the thing, in late May of 2021, a year-and-a-half after today’s podcast episode initially aired, the Diocese of Springfield released an updated list of bad priests, including an additional 40 new names of priests credibly accused of molesting children.

And on that list: the aforementioned Fr. John R. Klekotka, the pastor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus parish in Easthampton, Massachusetts. Church officials, however, were still hesitant to convict the now-dead priest who shuffled his mortal coil — hopefully to hell — in 1974. Fella can’t defend himself from beyond the veil, church officials argue, so his name is on the list with an asterisk of sorts. 

The available info about Klekotka from the diocese — not surprisingly — is less than scant. Here’s the official version: Fr. John R. Klekotka served as a priest for almost 50 years until he kicked the bucket. The “nature of reported conduct” is “sexual abuse of a minor” for a seven year period, from 1963 until 1970. According to the diocese, it was the sole credible allegation.

And if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to the Vatican for sale. Cheap 

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