Jesuit Offenders Intro.
  P.J. Stephenson s.j.
    Peter Beer s.j.
  Noel Bradford s.j.
  Willi Kovac
  John Byrne s.j.
  Joseph Craig s.j.
  Richard Galbraith s.j.
Paul Schulze s.j.
Brenton Lewis s.j.
W. "Bill" Marum
Eldon Hogan
  Tim. Carter s.j.
Philip. Wallbridge s.j.
  G. (Mac) Larkin s.j.
Richard (Donal) Lane s.j.
  Henry Sneddon s.j.
Brian Purcell s.j.
  Stan Hogan s.j.
Larry Kean
  J.R. Boylan s.j.
Michael O’Mahoney s.j.
  Victor Higgs s.j.
  Peter Quin s.j.
  Celso Romanin s.j.
Brian O'Reilly
Glen Walls
Boarders Master A
  Theo Overberg s.j.
  Peter Kelly s.j.
James McInerny s.j.
David Rankin s.j.
  Patrick O'Sullivan s.j.
Lawrence Leonard s.j.
  Paul McMahon
  Leo Flynn SJ
  Stephen Hamra
  Philip Astley SJ
  Colin Fearon
  Kevin Carroll s.j.
  Peter Bohrsmann
  W. "Bill" James

PERSONS OF INTEREST
  Walter Logue SJ
  Malcolm Joseph

Known Sex Abuser

Peter Beer s.j

♦ March 12, 2021 - Fr. Peter Beer SJ will not be charged with indecent assault.

1946–50 student at St. Ignatius College, Riverview.
1957-59 Burke Hall, Kew.
? Unknown
1967 1st term, St. Louis school, Perth.
? Unknown
1969 Xavier College, Kew.
1970-72 Catholic University of America in Washington
1974-75 Lonergan Center at Regis College, Toronto.
1976 diocesan seminary in Melbourne.
1977-98 Union Theological Institute of the Sydney College of Divinity.
Currently at Canisius House,102 Mona Vale Rd., Pymble, Sydney.


He was a Scholastic at Burke Hall for 3 years 1957-1959. A real peak period for abuse at Burke Hall.
Andrew Hamilton s.j. (Eureka Street website) described him as "strap happy" at Burke Hall.

1967 1st. term only. At St. Louis Jesuit boys school in Claremont, Perth, WA.
(The Jesuits ran the School until 1971, when it was handed over to the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth.)
Peter Beer s.j. was at Xavier College senior school for 1969 only.
Such a short stay at a school always raises suspicions.

A former student says that Peter Beer SJ was banned from teaching after he "left" Burke Hall.
The Society of Jesus has serious questions to answer about what happened and how they placed boys in danger by placing him at St. Louis school, Perth and Xavier College after Burke Hall.

For some period in the 1960's he studied in the USA.
After Xavier College 1969 he went back to North America for more study.

He would invite boys into his room, which was situated close to the senior boarders' dormitory, after hours and give them beer and let them smoke cigarettes.
One of my friends told me that Beer tried to grope his genitals.


Another former students recalls he and some friends were drinking beer and smoking in the senior boarders locker room when Peter Beer caught them.
Beer said come with me and took them to his room.
There Beer allowed them to drink and smoke and gave them more beer and a cigar and Peter Beer joined in the drinking.
The boy said after that he and others went to Beer's room to drink and smoke at least 4 times.

True story: The two boys remember this clearly, one even has a letter he wrote to his father in 1969 describing the night out.
Father Peter Beer takes two boys out to dinner on a Saturday night.
He is the Boarders’ Master at a Xavier College, the boys are boarders, age 17.
They drink good wine and smoke at a quality restaurant.
He then takes them to see the movie Romeo and Juliet (directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli, and stars Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. 1968).

This outing was financed by his twin brother Dr. J.C. Beer, a Sydney surgeon.
This movie at the time was quite scandalous because of the love scene between two young people.
(Movie buff note: In the film Cactus Flower, Walter Mathau takes Goldie Hawn to see the movie).

So, you have to wonder what is the purpose of them all seeing a beautiful young man naked.
Sex is good and beautiful is the message from the movie, young love has a certain beautiful innocence.
This is all grooming of the boys by the priest, quite sophisticated grooming, elevating the boys to a more adult world, , "call me Peter" , its very flattering to the boys.
Father Beer obviously had sexual intentions, its like a scientific experiment, you put all the elements together and see what reaction you get at the end.
On this occasion nothing sexual eventuated. That never deters a sex abuser, its all part of the process, sometimes you win, sometimes its just groundwork.
Many questions:
Why does Father Beer want sexual activity with adolescent boys?
It is taboo, yet he pursues it, why?
How much of it is about sex and how much about power?

Peter Beer has denied verbally to me (phone) that these events occurred! (02 October 2018)

There are much more serious crimes as well yet to be made public.
Is it curious that he spent only one year at Xavier senior school?
Did someone decide he had to be kept away from students?
_________________________________________________________
A spiritual director for god's sake !
Courses in how to abuse boys and get away with it I think.
__________________________________________________________

Anecdote from ex-student at Burke Hall:
Previously the only known info from Burke Hall was Andrew "twisty" Hamilton s.j. describing Beer as "strap happy".

"Beer was not a sexual perpetrator but a physical one where he would line the whole class of boys up on either
side of the classroom at Burke Hall and get one side to ask a question in Latin to the other side.
Most of the class were strapped and sometimes mercilessly up to six times.
This went on every day over an entire year to the point where many students were wetting
their beds at night in fear of his classes the next day
( I knew this went on over some years.).
He seemed to enjoy the strappings enormously. "


Another ex-student says:
One particularly close friend of mine whose parents lived in New Guinea and whom he saw once a year is still inclined at times to stutter.
He told me this was a consequence of frequent and severe thrashings by Beer who he would be happy to throttle if he ever came across him.
And Another ex-student says:
There were rumours of Peter Beer s.j. giving beer and cigarettes to boys at Burke Hall.
This ex-student made a compensation complaint to Towards Healing in 2007, about a different staff member,
he mentioned Peter Beer's behaviour in his complaint. The assessors must have interviewed Beer because they said
Peter Beer had said to them that "he didn't think he'd done anything wrong".

So in 2007 Peter Beer s.j. was interviewed by the Towards Healing assessors (Paul Murnane et al.).
What did they ask him? Is there a record of that interview?

There is not a photo of Fr. Peter Beer anywhere on the internet,
even his book publisher doesn't show one, very unusual, books always show a pic of the author.


Friday March 12, 2021
Two and a half years after a statement was made to Victoria police, by a former student of Xavier College, alleging serious sexual assault, Victoria police has decided not to charge Fr. Beer with any offence.
Fr. Beer resides at Canisius House. 102 Mona Vale Rd, Pymble NSW 2073 and is a former Retreat Director there.

Police say that this decision is based on the assessment that a conviction is unlikely.
This highlights the difficulties of prosecuting an alleged crime when there are no witnesses.
Fr. Beer denies all allegations so the prosecutor faces the all to common "he says - she says" situation.

Even though Fr. Beer is a known liar and has a history of severe physical and emotional abuse of young students and known history of grooming boys and attempted sexual assault at Xavier College in 1969 this "tendancy" evidence is of no help.

The police prosecutor has decided the complainants evidence would not be convincing enough to get a conviction.
The man who made the compliant said he is disappointed but not surprised by the decision.
The police prosecutor is in effect a judge and jury before there is a judge and jury.

More than 140,000 sexual assaults were reported to Australian police in the 10 years to 2017.
Police rejected nearly 12,000 reports on the basis that they did not believe a sexual assault occurred.
Police “cleared” or resolved more than 34,000 – or 25% of – sexual assault investigations without making an arrest or taking any legal action. Only 20% to 29% of reported sexual assaults even lead to a charge being laid.
Research from NSW showed that 74% of alleged offenders in adult sex offence cases in the high court were acquitted of all charges.
♦ www.theguardian.com

The courts are overloaded, the police are overworked by the enormous number of sexual assault reports.
Decisions have to be made and thousands of victims watch the alleged offender get away with it.
This is how justice works.

There are lingering questions around Fr. Beer and the Society of Jesus.
He was sent out of Burke Hall by the Rector in 1959 and the Rector promised Beer would never work in a school again, then he appears at St. Louis School, Perth for 1st term only in 1967.
Why such a short stay?
After 1 year at Xavier College in 1969 he was sent to North America.
Why?
Then never taught in a school again.
Why?
Answers to these questions could be in the Jesuit Archives at Campion House, Kew.

Peter Beer SJ is Director of the Lonergan Centre, Canisius College, Pymble, Sydney, New South Wales.
He joined the Jesuit Order, graduated in arts at Melbourne University,
was ordained to the priesthood and pursued
doctoral studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, graduating in 1972.
He was awarded a travelling scholarship for postgraduate research at
the Lonergan Center at Regis College, Toronto,
in 1974-75 where he studied Lonergan's seminal works,
Insight and Method in theology.

After teaching at the diocesan seminary in Melbourne,
in 1976 he was appointed to the Union Theological Institute of the Sydney College of Divinity,
where he taught systematic theology and methodology until 1998.
He has published a number of articles applying Lonergan's transcendental method.

In 1979, he invited Professor Frederick Crowe, of Regis College,
on a lecture tour to the Australian capital cities.
After this successful tour, he invited others to join with him in setting
up a Lonergan workshop that meets regularly for the presentation of papers and discussion.

Books by Peter Beer
An Introduction to Bernard Lonergan
This book aims to help form a basis for inquiry into Lonergan's achievement in his new approach to the great philosophical questions..
Who's Who At Canisius - Our Team
CANISIUS SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS
Peter Beer sj
Peter Beer sj is a Lonergan scholar and specialises in giving 30-day & 8-day
retreats especially to priests, as well as being an experienced spiritual director.

www.canisiusspirituality.org.au
http://jesuit.org.au/community/jesuit-profiles/