The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, has added a late priest who served in Emporia and Reading to its list of clergy with “substantiated allegations” of sexual abuse against minors.
Father Joseph Cramer led the Didde Catholic Campus Center, formerly Emporia State & Schooling, and Reading’s Assumption Parish before it closed and consolidated with Emporia’s Sacred Heart. He also served at numerous rural parishes, including Sacred Heart of Paxico, and churches in the Topeka and Kansas City areas. Cramer was ordained in 1977 and passed away three years ago at age 72. The archdiocese does not specify where the substantiated abuse allegations against both minors and a vulnerable adult took place, but it estimates the abuse time period between 1987-1992.
There are now nearly 30 priests on the archdiocese list of clergy facing substantiated claims of abuse. This does not necessarily mean the clergy members were convicted. Of those, there are several priests that served in local or area parishes:
*Lambert Dannenfelser, who served at Emporia’s Sacred Heart and Olpe’s Saint Joseph churches between his ordination in 1940 and his death in 2006. The archdiocese estimates abuse in 1989.
*Steven Lamping, who served at Emporia’s Saint Catherine and Olpe’s Saint Joseph churches between his ordination in 1929 and his last known status in 1995. The archdiocese estimates abuse in the 1950s.
*Francis Wendling, who served at Emporia’s Sacred Heart between his ordination in 1962 and his passing in 2017. The estimated abuse timeframe was the 1980s and 1990s.
The archdiocese has a special confidential report line, 913-276-8703, and a victim care advocate line, 913-298-9244, for people wanting to report abuse.
