Six accused priests worked in C-Falls

Six priests accused of sexually abusing children and who were exposed as part of a legal settlement with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena once worked at St. Richard’s Parish in Columbia Falls.

All six are dead now. Their names were posted online by the diocese on April 29 as a condition for settling hundreds of lawsuits filed by hundreds of people who claimed to have been sexually abused by priests, nuns and others since the 1930s.

The diocese has agreed to leave the list online for at least 10 years. The list includes names, dates and assignments of the perpetrators.

“The Diocese hopes that this step helps to provide a pathway to healing for those who have been abused and brings light into a dark and difficult chapter in our diocesan church,” an introductory note to the list states.

The six accused priests are:

• Harry Budori, ordained 1952, assigned to Columbia Falls in summer 1957, died in 2005.

• A.M.D. Gillen, ordained 1926 in Canada, assigned to Columbia Falls in 1950-1951, died in 1987.

• Robert Hartman, ordained 1947, assigned to Columbia Falls in 1965-1973, died in 1996.

• Dusan Okorn, ordained 1947, assigned to Columbia Falls in 1958-1963, died in 2010.

• Wilson Smart, ordained 1957, assigned to Columbia Falls in 1969-1974, died in 2006.

• Leonard Spraycar, ordained 1947, assigned to Columbia Falls in 1973-1978, died in 1984.