Priests who worked in La Grange, Berwyn on archdiocese's sex abuse list

Two Catholic priests who worked at churches in La Grange and Berwyn are included in documents released by The Archdioceses of Chicago as part of a settlement with victims of sex abuse by priests.

One, Thomas J. Job, worked in La Grange at St. Cletus Parish as an associate pastor from 1976-82. Job was ordained in 1970 and was forced to resign in 1991 after multiple allegations of misconduct surfaced.

Job was accused of teaching boys in seventh grade through early high school how to masturbate and abusing them in the church's rectory, as well as at a family home. A letter was also included in the released documents that showed Job apologizing to one of the boys.

Likewise, Robert Mayer, who worked at churches in Cicero and Berwyn, was accused in a civil suit in 1983 that alleged he exposed himself to several altar boys in 1982 at St. Edna's in Arlington Heights.

Documents show that Cardinal Joseph Bernadine refused to remove Mayer despite earlier allegations in addition to those alleged in the civil suit. Mayer was then transferred to three other churches, including St. Dionysius in Cicero where he worked from 1988-89 and to St. Odilo's in Berwyn, where he worked in the early '90s. According to the released documents, other allegations were recorded against Mayer during that time.

Mayer was removed from St. Odilo's after more allegations surfaced that he was fraternizing with parish boys and he was accused of sexual misconduct with a 20-year-old. A female victim later came forward, and Mayer was indicted in 1991 on four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse for sexually touching the then-13-year-old girl when she came to the rectory for tutoring. He was convicted in 1992 and was sentenced to three years in prison.