Remember the Survivors.com

Nashville, TN - Since November 2018 when the Diocese of Nashville published the names of priests who have been accused of the abuse of minors based on the review of its files, additional information from sources outside of the diocese has become available.

Following a review by the Diocesan Review Board of this additional information, the Diocese of Nashville is publishing the names of seven men who served as priests and one who served as a religious brother in the Diocese of Nashville who have been accused of the abuse of minors. All but one of these men are deceased.

This update reflects a continuing effort to publish information about past abuse as additional information becomes available.

This process of reviewing and acting on additional information is consistent with the diocese’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and pastoral outreach. The full list is published on the diocesan website at www.dioceseofnashville.com.

As victims advocacy groups, other dioceses around the U.S., and religious orders publish names of priests who been accused of abuse and more information becomes available to the Diocese of Nashville, the diocese has acted on that information.

The Review Board is made up of professional lay people not employed by the diocese and one priest. They have a wide range of expertise in responding to and treating sexual abuse and include the mother of a victim of sexual abuse by a priest.

Most importantly, the diocese continues to urge anyone who knows of or suspects that child abuse has taken place, to report it to civil authorities and to the diocese. The victims assistance program is available to victims of abuse, no matter how long ago that abuse might have taken place.

The names and assignments in the Diocese of Nashville according to official records of the Diocese of Nashville are listed below. While priests have formal assignments, they often have duties in other parishes of the diocese, so any of the men listed could have potentially worked in other parishes or locations.



• GANSMANN, Kenneth, a Franciscan Priest. Born Dec. 22, 1909; ordained June 24, 1935 for the Order of Friars Minor; died May 21, 1974. His assignments included: St. Vincent de Paul Church in Nashville.

• KEMPER, James A. Born Feb. 7, 1915; ordained March 21, 1942; incardinated in the Diocese of Memphis in 1971; died Nov. 23, 1993. His assignments included: Associate Pastor of the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville; Associate Pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Knoxville; Pastor of St. Patrick Church in McEwen; Pastor of St. Dominic Church in Columbia; Pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Humboldt; Pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church in Murfreesboro; Pastor of St. William Church in Shelbyville; Associate Pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Chattanooga and Chaplain of the Newman Club; Associate Pastor of Holy Rosary Church in Memphis; Pastor of St. James Church in Memphis. Worked also in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.

• EMALA, Walter M. Born June 14, 1925; ordained May 31, 1952; incardinated in the Diocese of Memphis in 1971; died Feb. 20, 2008. His assignments included: Associate Pastor of St. Ann Church in Nashville; Associate Pastor of St. Anne Church in Memphis; West Tennessee Area Scout Chaplain; Associate Pastor of Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville; CYO Director for the East Tennessee Deanery; Pastor of St. Patrick Church in McEwen; Associate Pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Memphis; Associate Pastor of St. Ann Church in Bartlett. Worked also in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the Diocese of Harrisburg.

• STREDNY, Anthony G. Born Oct. 15, 1928; ordained June 15, 1957; incardinated in the Diocese of Galveston-Houston in 1971; died 2018. His assignments included: Associate Pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Memphis; Associate Pastor of Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville; Associate Pastor of Holy Rosary Church in Memphis; Associate Pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Chattanooga; Associate Pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church in Harriman; Associate Pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church in Memphis.

• IAZZETTA, Frank. Born June 5, 1942; ordained May 20, 1967, for the Diocese of Trenton; resigned the priesthood in 1993; died March 14, 2007. His assignments included: Assistant Pastor of St. Edward Church in Nashville; Assistant Spiritual Director of the Nashville Cursillo Group; Administrator of St. Paul Church in Tullahoma.

• PRATT, James F.X., A Jesuit priest. Born July 20, 1954; ordained June 14, 1986, for the Society of Jesus; recalled and removed from ministry by the Society of Jesus in 2003. His assignments included: Campus Minister of Vanderbilt University; Diocesan Coordinator of Campus Ministries; Director of Permanent Deacon Formation.

• RICHARDSON, Peter R., a Glenmary priest. Born June 16, 1958; ordained 1986 for the Glenmary Home Missioners; died March 26, 2014. He had no parish assignments in Nashville and was employed directly by the Glenmary Home Mission Society at its research center in Nashville.

• WRIGHT, Bill. Deceased; dates unknown. A Glenmary religious brother, not a priest. He had no parish assignments in Nashville and was employed directly by the Glenmary Home Mission Society at its research center in Nashville.