EDEN — A street named in honor of a priest later accused of child sexual abuse has been renamed.
Kuder Street runs alongside St. Joseph of the Hills Church, and was named decades ago for the parish’s first pastor – Father William J. Kuder – who presided over the construction of the church in 1938. The church was dedicated with much fanfare in 1939, and Father Kuder was lauded for his leadership. He served as pastor until 1940, then went on to serve as pastor of St. Joan of Arc Church in Candler until his death in 1960.
In 1995, a former member of the Candler parish came forward to accuse the late priest of raping him when he served as an altar boy in the early 1950s, starting when he was 9 years old and continuing until he was 13. The abuse survivor said he knew of at least 10 other boys in his parish school who had been similarly molested, including his two brothers.
Responding soon after he had spoken to the victims and their families, then Bishop William Curlin made a public apology at the Candler parish, telling parishioners, “Although he has been dead for 35 years, his memory lives on. While many revered him as a devoted pastor, he was sexually abusing some of the young children in this parish community.”
In 2007, the Diocese of Raleigh – responsible for Father Kuder because the Diocese of Charlotte was not established until 1972 – paid a financial settlement to the man and his brothers, and agreed to unearth Father Kuder’s remains (which had been buried near their parents in Asheville) and move them to another cemetery.
Last fall City of Eden officials received a letter from one of Kuder’s victims asking them to consider changing the street’s name, given the abuse revelations.
City Planning Director Kelly Stultz, who said she had never heard of the allegations against Father Kuder, conferred with parishioners, who were also surprised to learn the information.
After a public hearing at their Nov. 20 meeting, City Council members agreed 4-2 to proceed with renaming the street.
Parishioners recommended renaming it Mansfield Street to honor Joseph Mansfield, one of the church’s founding members.
A textile executive in Eden, Mansfield and his family traveled for years to Greensboro or Danville, Va., for Mass until he rallied local Catholics to form their own faith community. The Raleigh diocese established a parish in Eden, and Mansfield helped support the construction of the church on Boone Road.
Diocese of Charlotte spokesman David Hains said the diocese has no objection to renaming the street.
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor