Catholic Diocese of Geraldton

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Geraldton is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Perth. The diocese covers the mid-west of Western Australia. It was established on 30 January 1898 as part of the Diocese of Perth than the Diocese of Geraldton split off from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Perth. Figures for 2014 show that the Diocese served 29,700 Catholics in 16 parishes and 24 missions with 18 priests (12 diocesan, 6 religious), 35 lay religious (10 brothers, 25 sisters), and 3 seminarians.

Like many other dioceses around Australia, the Diocese of Geraldton has being involved in allegations and matters dealing with child sexual abuse. Two well known perpetrators who were convicted on child sexual abuse in the diocese were Father Denis McAlinden and Father Adrian Van Klooster.

Father Denis McAlinden started abusing young children in 1949, before he was incardinated in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle as a parish priest. The NSW Special Commission of Inquiry in relation to Father Denis McAlinden and Father James Fletcher in 2013 found that the Catholic Church has extensive knowledge of Father McAlinden sexually abusing children as young as four and five between 1949/1950 to the early 1990s. The Special Commission of Inquiry also found that, by 1976, both Bishop Leo Clarke and Monsignor Patrick Cotter were aware of complaints about Father McAlinden’s sexual abuse of children. In particular, it found that Bishop Clarke received a letter dated May 1976 from Monsignor Cotter, in which Monsignor Cotter stated that Father McAlinden had an inclination to interfere (touching only) with young girls aged perhaps 7 to 12 and that he had admitted to some ‘indiscretions’. Consequently, due to his behaviour in NSW, the Catholic Church suggested that Father McAlinden be moved to the remote Diocese of Geraldton in a bid to cover up his actions. Unfortunately, this did not stop Father McAlinden from sexually abusing other children in the Diocese in Geraldton. In October 1981, Father McAlinden was appointed parish priest at Wickham in the Diocese. He was later charged with sexually abusing a child in Geraldton diocese. Father McAlinden died in 2002.

Father Adrian Van Klooster was another priest who started his religious service in the state of New South Wales. During the 1970s he left the Diocese of Wollongong and became a relieving priest in the Diocese of Geraldton. In the 1979 directory of the National Council of Priests, he was listed as the Parish Priest in charge of the Wickham parish near Port Headland. In January 2003, Father van Klooster, pleaded guilty to indecently dealing with five children, four incidents of indecently recording children and one count of possessing child pornography while in service in the Diocese of Bunbury. However, Moody Law has recently represented a client who was sexually abused by Father van Klooster when he was serving in the Diocese of Geraldton in the late 1970s.

We invite former victims of Father Denis McAlinden and Father Adrian Van Klooster to tell us confidentially what information they may have, and we will explain what options are available to help with these cases.

Call us or complete the confidential enquiry form below.