What a difference seven months makes. We finished the interview with Bill that night and I felt good. Good because I was able to do it! I talked about it to the press. Ok, I didn’t use my name, but I told my story to a reporter, and told his family face to face! Seven months earlier on a blustery, cold and rainy day in front of the civil courts building in downtown St. Louis “we” announced my civil case. I say we, but it was Ken Chackes (my lawyer) and David (Clohessy) along with several SNAP members who were able, at this point in their recovery, to go in front of the cameras. I on the other hand would not get in front of the cameras for any reason. I paced back and forth behind the cameras and reporters. At times I would hide behind the pillars in front of the civil courts building. No kidding. I wrote a statement and Ken read it for me. It said: “Perhaps tonight a sick pedophile would worry that the courts are taking this to heart and would be so fearful that he would leave that innocent child alone,”. I was John Doe (TF) on the filing. YES, the suit had the (TF) on it. I asked if this would be on the final draft. I did not want that in the papers. I was told: “The press does not print that part, they know you want to be kept anonymous.” This may have, at one time been true. Unfortunately not this time. That night the story ran on the TV news. Nothing about (TF). When they got to the part about “When asked about the case the archdiocese said...” I fully expected to hear “We have no comment until we have a chance to review the charges,” and  “This comes as a surprise to us,” or another one of their overused lines, but instead they said something I did not know, or expect!

“The archdiocese said Wednesday that it removed Christian from the ministry in 1995 “after an allegation of abuse of a minor over 20 years earlier was brought to the diocese.” “WHAT!?! No one had told me this! Not the Police, not the detective, not my lawyers, not David, SNAP no one!” I thought. How could this be after I had been going at this for over a year now, and no one told me!?! Turns out, I was told later, the “Church” had forgot to mention this to anyone until now.

Then there was the newspaper the next morning. I ran to the gas station, bought the paper, and read my story. I almost threw up!

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO)

March 4, 2004

“A Catholic priest accused in a lawsuit Wednesday of molesting a child three decades ago in Affton is also under criminal investigation, a spokesman for the St. Louis County prosecutor said.

Father Norman Christian is named in a suit filed in St. Louis Circuit Court that seeks unspecified damages from him and the Archdiocese of St. Louis. The plaintiff is identified only as “John Doe TF”

Police had arrested and questioned Christian last year after a complaint was made, said Don Schneider, executive assistant to Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch.

Schneider said his office is seeking additional information before deciding whether to present a case to a grand jury. He would not provide details.

The civil suit alleges that John Doe TF was sexually abused at age 11 by Christian at the St. George Church in Affton in the early 1970s.

The filing of the case was accompanied by a news conference by the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, with members holding signs outside the Civil Courts Building downtown.

The archdiocese said Wednesday that it removed Christian from the ministry in 1995 “after an allegation of abuse of a minor over 20 years earlier was brought to the diocese.”

Christian, now 68, lives in a “monitored environment,” said diocese spokesman Jim Orso. “He's in a place where he's watched. People are keeping an eye on him.”

Orso said Christian cannot exercise any form of public ministry.

Christian could not be reached Wednesday for comment.

The suit claims the Archdiocese was aware of Christian's “dangerous propensities” to abuse children, but kept them a secret and continued to put him in positions of authority over children.

Orso declined comment on the allegations.

John Doe TF issued a statement through his lawyer, Ken Chackes, saying he decided to act to protect others. “Perhaps tonight a sick pedophile would worry that the courts are taking this to heart and would be so fearful that he would leave that innocent child alone,” it said.

Chackes said his client is a former seminarian, now in his 40s, who is married, has children and works as an electrician.

The plaintiff was alone with Christian at the church rectory when he was molested in either 1972 or '73, Chackes said. The boy told his mother but she accepted the priest's account that nothing improper had happened, so no report was made to police at the time, Chackes said.

David Clohessy, national director of SNAP, said that now, “She believes her son.”

The archdiocese said that from 1961 until Christian's removal in 1995, he served at seven churches: St. Peter's in Kirkwood, Ascension in Normandy, Sacred Heart in Festus, St. George in Affton, Nativity in St. Louis, St. Adalbert in St. Louis and St. William in Woodson Terrace.

Let’s add this up: seminarian, electrician, married, in his 40’s. John Doe (TF) are you kidding me? I went straight home and called in sick for the rest of the week. I was sure the world had figured out that (TF) was Tim Fischer and as if on cue an old friend called me up the day the story ran. The first words out of his mouth were: “Hi is this John Doe TF?” then he laughed. I almost started to cry. We talked for awhile then he said something I’ll never forget: “I just wanted you to know,” he said “I’ve always respected you, now I admire you.” That was a very cool gift from God. It was just what I needed to keep going. I took the two days off work and I was a wreck during this time, but I was able to keep going. I did not fall back into deep depression, my fear did not over take me. The net of support people, I believe God

put together for me held and while beat up and terribly frightened a lot of the time, my corner men/women were able to keep me going in the tough rounds to the next bell.