June 7, 2019
Re: David Malsch
As Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Superior, I reach out with sympathy to offer my apologies on behalf of the Catholic Church for the clergy sexual abuse of the past in our Diocese. I am committed to a “no cover-up” policy for any report of abuse, and am working toward a transparency disclosure list of abuser priests in our Diocese.
In response to the State of Wisconsin and Lincoln County notices that David Malsch has been approved by the court to be released from his custodial treatment, I again offer my sincere apologies to the many victims and their families who suffered abuse by the former Fr. Malsch. As Bishop I fully support the law enforcement work and court system’s accountability and incarceration of Mr. Malsch for the past 26 years.
David Malsch is no longer a Catholic priest. When the allegations were made against David Malsch in 1993, a diocesan priest and other professionals immediately reported him to the proper legal authorities, and cooperated with law enforcement and diocesan investigations. David Malsch was removed immediately from priestly and parish ministry, and has never functioned again as a priest. He was laicized by the Congregation for Clergy in Rome, Italy, in response to the Diocese of Superior petition, and his priestly faculties were removed permanently. He was charged, prosecuted and convicted in 1993 in Marathon County (Wausau), and was sentenced to prison and custodial treatment by the judge for the Child Enticement felony crime he committed.
To be clear, David Malsch can not and should not present himself in any way as a priest. Most importantly, the Diocese of Superior is committed to dealing with all clergy abuse, and we continue to pray for the healing of all abuse victims.
Sincerely in Christ,
Most Rev. James P. Powers
Bishop of Superior
Sex offender to be released
An 80-year-old sex offender and ex-priest will be living in Gleason.
David Malsch, who had convictions for enticing male minors and possessing child pornography, will be released in Lincoln County.
The website Bishopaccountibility.org indicates Malsch was serving at St. Patrick, Superior, in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
He was accused of grooming and molestation during that time, but the website does not clarify when those accusations were formally made against Malsch.
He moved to St. Joseph, Rhinelander, in the 1980s. While at St. Mary, Tomahawk, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, he molested again and was placed on leave.
He was convicted in Marathon County Circuit Court in 1993 and served prison time in Indiana and Oshkosh before being sent to a Missouri facility for troubled priests with sexually violent behaviors.
There, he was found guilty on a federal charge of possessing child pornography for photos found in his room. He spent nine years in a federal prison, and then was released back to Wisconsin to finish his sentence.
He has been officially removed from the priesthood.
Malsch will be on the sex offender registry for the remainder of his life. He will be on intensive supervision and GPS monitoring.
His release date is June 19.
