(16) Two former Austin priests among 14 accused of sexual abuse

On Dec. 16, the Diocese of Winona released a list of 14 priests, including two former Austin priests, accused of sexually abusing minors.

Louis G Cook, who was ordained in 1958, served at Austin’s Queen of Angels Catholic Church in 1970, and Austin’s St. Augustine Church in 2000, according to the diocese. He died in November 2004 at 80 years old.

Jack L. Krough, 64, was ordained in 1976 and began serving at Austin’s St. Augustine Church and Pacelli Catholic Schools in June 1976. He also served at St. Edward’s Catholic Church in Austin and Brownsdale’s Our Lady of Loretto in 1996. His ministerial privileges were suspended in June of 2002 indefinitely. Laicization, or the process of permanently removing his ministerial privileges, is pending. Krough lives in Barron, Wis.

The list also included two priests who served in Albert Lea, one who served in Brownsdale and one in Hayfield.

It’s unclear whether Krough or Cook were accused of sexual abuse in Austin.