When the Diocese of Nashville learns that the name of a man who served in the diocese appears on a List of Priests Accused of Abusing Minors released by another diocese or religious order, that information along with any other details available are presented to the Diocesan Review Board for their recommendation on the next steps.
With the advice of the review board, the names will be published as additions to the Diocese of Nashville’s list of priests accused of abusing minors.
It was recently discovered that Adelbert “Del” Holmes, a Glenmary Priest was removed from ministry in 1991 because he was found to have credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors. This was found credible by his admission of misconduct.
His name appears on the Glenmary list of accused priests. These allegations did not occur during his time ministering in the Lafayette, Tennessee, area. He died in 2013.
Adelbert Holmes was never assigned to the Diocese of Nashville, but during his time as a priest for the Diocese of Owensboro where he was assigned to parishes in Franklin and Scottsville, Kentucky, he was involved in organizing and establishing Holy Family Church in Lafayette, Tennessee. His additional assignments include the Dioceses of Charlotte, Little Rock, Richmond, Savannah, and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
The current practice in handling a new notification is that the diocese includes him on its List of Priests Accused of Abusing Minors as well as a notification to the parish where he was involved.
The Diocese of Nashville encourages anyone who reasonably suspects abuse to report the allegations to civil authorities. For more information about the diocese’s Safe Environment Program, visit https://dioceseofnashville.com/safe-environment/.
