Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Robert J. Vonnahmen

This page outlines the assignments, credible allegations of child sexual abuse, and institutional actions involving Fr. Robert J. Vonnahmen, as part of the Injury Lawyer Team’s legal representation of survivors in Illinois clergy abuse cases.

• Primary Entity Name: Robert J. Vonnahmen
• Common Variations / Aliases: Father Robert J. Vonnahmen, Fr. Robert Vonnahmen, Rev. Robert J. Vonnahmen, Robert Vonnahmen
• Role/Title at Time of Incident: Parish Priest, Camp Director, Youth Ministry Leadership
• Current Status: Deceased

Public Identification and Clergy Status

Fr. Robert J. Vonnahmen was publicly identified as a credibly accused priest by multiple Church and government entities, including:

• The Catholic Diocese of Belleville
• The Illinois Attorney General’s Office (2023 investigation and public database)

Public records describe Vonnahmen as a longtime priest of the Diocese of Belleville who held both parish ministry responsibilities and sustained leadership roles connected to youth programming, including decades of involvement at Camp Ondessonk in southern Illinois. 

Public investigative material attributes allegations to a large number of survivors and describes a pattern of abuse spanning multiple decades, with locations documented both in Illinois and outside the state.

• Entity that Listed Him: Diocese of Belleville, Illinois Attorney General’s Office (2023)
• Reason for Listing: Credible allegations of child sexual abuse; removal from ministry; later public disclosure through diocesan lists and statewide investigative findings

Key Status Facts

Ordination Year: 1956

Primary Diocese: Diocese of Belleville, Illinois

Reported Survivors: 23

Known or Reported Abuse Locations in Public Records: St. Clair County, Illinois; Johnson County, Illinois; additional locations documented outside Illinois, including Indiana and the Bahamas

Diocese Claim of First Report: November 1992, as reflected in state investigative narrative summaries

Restrictions: Removed from ministry in 1993

Laicization: 2007

Criminal Convictions: None publicly recorded

Public Disclosure: Placed on Diocese of Belleville public list dated October 18, 2018; included in Illinois Attorney General clergy abuse investigation resources released in 2023

Died: 2016

Assignment History

Primary Diocese: Diocese of Belleville

Parish Assignments (as documented in public reports):

• Saint Patrick, East St. Louis, Illinois (1956)
• Saint Philip, East St. Louis, Illinois (1956–1964)
• Saint Joseph, Elizabethtown, Illinois (1964–1982)
• Saint Joseph, Elizabethtown, Illinois (1984–1993)

Non-Parish Assignments:

• Camp Ondessonk, Ozark, Illinois, leadership role documented across multiple decades (1958–1984)
• Additional work connected to Catholic retreat and travel related operations described in public reporting, including activity associated with the San Damiano retreat property in Pope County, Illinois (dates described in public reporting during his post removal years)

Known Allegations

Publicly documented allegations include conduct described as ranging from inappropriate sexual contact to forced sexual acts. Investigative summaries attribute allegations to as many as 23 survivors and describe abuse occurring during the time he held authority and access to children through Church and camp settings.

A key feature of the public record is the repeated reference to Camp Ondessonk as a location where alleged abuse occurred. Survivor accounts and case filings describe minors being targeted in settings where they were isolated, supervised, or dependent on adults in authority. 

One survivor account provided to investigators describes being singled out for special treatment at camp and then being assaulted while housed alone in a remote cabin.

Public investigative material also indicates that concerns about Vonnahmen were raised to Church leadership years before his removal. Those records describe fellow clergy urging diocesan leadership to investigate him for child sexual abuse as early as the late 1960s.

These were followed by additional warnings raised again in the mid 1970s. Later action involved removing him from the camp leadership role before his eventual removal from parish ministry.

Civil litigation also plays a significant role in the public record. Multiple lawsuits alleged sexual abuse by Vonnahmen, including:

• A federal court suit publicly announced in August 1993 alleging abuse at Camp Ondessonk in 1981
• A St. Clair County civil suit filed in May 1994 alleging abuse occurring between 1977 and 1980

Summary: Fr. Robert J. Vonnahmen was credibly accused of sexually abusing minors; public investigative records attribute allegations to as many as 23 survivors, describe repeated internal warnings to Church leadership decades before decisive action, and confirm his removal from ministry in 1993 and laicization in 2007.

Overseeing Authorities During Key Periods:

• Bishop Albert Rudolph Zuroweste, Diocese of Belleville (1948–1976)
• Bishop William Michael Cosgrove, Diocese of Belleville (1976–1981)
• Bishop John Nicholas Wurm, Diocese of Belleville (1981–1984)
• Bishop James Peter Keleher, Diocese of Belleville (1984–1993)

Institutional Actions and Review

Public investigative narrative summaries state that diocesan records reflected an internal timeline in which the diocese claimed it first received notice of abuse allegations in November 1992, even though other diocesan records described concerns being raised to bishops decades earlier. 

These accounts describe clergy reporting alleged misconduct at Camp Ondessonk to diocesan leadership in 1968 or 1969, followed by additional reports in 1976 or 1977, and then again in 1985, after which Vonnahmen was removed from camp leadership. 

Public reporting from 1993 states that Vonnahmen was relieved of duties pending investigation as the diocese confronted multiple allegations involving clergy.

The Diocese ultimately removed Vonnahmen from ministry in 1993, but public narrative material indicates that removal occurred long after repeated internal warnings. 

Years later, the Vatican dismissed him from the clerical state, and public reporting dated April 24, 2007 described the laicization as an action taken by Pope Benedict XVI, with a diocesan statement explaining that Vonnahmen was permanently barred from functioning as a priest.

In addition to his listing in state investigative resources, Vonnahmen was placed on the Diocese of Belleville public list of clergy removed from ministry dated October 18, 2018, which is a list of Illinois clergy with credible substantiated allegations.

Timeline

1956 — Ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Belleville

1956 — Assigned to Saint Patrick, East St. Louis, Illinois

1956–1964 — Assigned to Saint Philip, East St. Louis, Illinois

1958–1984 — Leadership role at Camp Ondessonk, Ozark, Illinois

1964–1982 — Assigned to Saint Joseph, Elizabethtown, Illinois

1968–1969 — Public investigative narrative describes fellow priests urging the diocesan bishop to investigate allegations of abuse connected to the camp setting

1976–1977 — Public investigative narrative describes additional suspicions raised to a new bishop; no immediate removal from ministry is described in that record at that time

1977–1980 — Alleged abuse period in later St. Clair County civil litigation, with the plaintiff described as a minor during the alleged abuse

1981 — Federal lawsuit allegations describe two incidents of abuse at Camp Ondessonk when the plaintiff was 13

1983–1985 — Public records list reported abuse locations as unknown for this period

1984 — One survivor narrative provided to investigators describes an assault occurring during the summer, including the survivor reporting blood on his underwear the next morning

1984–1993 — Returned to assignment at Saint Joseph, Elizabethtown, Illinois

August 18, 1993 — Federal lawsuit filed in Benton, Illinois, publicly announced on August 20, 1993, alleging abuse at Camp Ondessonk in 1981 and asserting diocesan responsibility

1993 — Removed from ministry, as reflected in state investigative listing data and public reporting about diocesan action

May 2, 1994 — Civil complaint filed in St. Clair County Circuit Court, captioned against Vonnahmen and the Diocese of Belleville, alleging abuse between 1977 and 1980

1995 — Public reporting states the federal lawsuit referenced above was dismissed on statute of limitations grounds

April 24, 2007 — Public reporting states Vonnahmen was dismissed from the clerical state by Pope Benedict XVI

October 18, 2018 — Listed on Diocese of Belleville public list of clergy removed from ministry

May 23, 2023 — Included in Illinois Attorney General clergy abuse investigation resources and database release

2016 — Died

Speak With an Attorney

If you or someone you know was sexually abused by Fr. Robert J. Vonnahmen or any Catholic clergy member in Illinois, you may still have legal options. The Injury Lawyer Team represents survivors of clergy abuse across the state. 

Contact us to book a confidential consultation with an Illinois clergy abuse attorney. We are here to help you understand your rights and take legal action.

Sources

• Illinois Attorney General, Abusive Clerics and Religious Brothers, Robert J. Vonnahmen (ordination, assignments, reported survivors, reported abuse date and location entries, first report year, public list date, status actions)
• Illinois Attorney General, Survivor Narrative, Robert J. Vonnahmen (internal warnings described in 1968 or 1969 and 1976 or 1977; removal from camp in 1985; survivor narrative of abuse at Camp Ondessonk; diocese first notice stated as November 1992)
• Illinois Courts, Appellate Court of Illinois Fifth District, Benton v. Vonnahmen, order referencing the filing date May 2, 1994 and alleged abuse period 1977–1980
• Bishop Accountability, St. Louis Post-Dispatch article archived August 20, 1993, describing a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday August 18, 1993 alleging abuse at Camp Ondessonk in 1981
• Bishop Accountability, Belleville News-Democrat article archived April 24, 2007, describing laicization, diocesan statements, and reporting that the federal suit was dismissed in 1995
• Catholic Diocese of Belleville, Clergy Removed from Ministry list dated October 18, 2018

No criminal conviction is implied unless explicitly stated in public court records or official Church reports.

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