OKLA. CITY – Archbishop Paul Coakley announced Tuesday the addition of former Okarche Holy Trinity Catholic Church Priest Father Marvin Leven to the list of priests who have had a substantiated allegation of abuse of a minor. Leven, 94, is retired from active ministry.
The announcement was made in a press release from the archdiocese of Oklahoma City.
The alleged abuses did not occur while Father Leven was at Holy Trinity.
Archbishop Coakley added Father Leven to the list following an investigation by retired Oklahoma City Police detective Kim Davis. Davis was hired by the McAfee & Taft law firm at the request of the archdiocese to investigate older allegations of abuse of a minor.
According to the investigation, the archdiocese was contacted in 1993 by a former parishioner of Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Enid who reported allegations of abuse against Father Leven that started when the man was age 15 and recurred as a young adult at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond.
In 1995, as part of the archdiocese’s investigation, Father Leven was sent to Saint Luke Institute for an evaluation related to sexual abuse. In a letter to the diocese, professionals at the institute stated the allegations were possible and recommended Father Leven have no unsupervised contact with minors. They also recommended he seek intensive outpatient psychotherapy.
Father Leven was returned to the parish with the instruction that he “not be permitted to have ministerial contact with minors unless other adults are present.” A second allegation of inappropriate behavior with a minor at Saint Francis Xavier also was substantiated by the investigation.
These instances are included in the initial report released by McAfee & Taft in October 2019 in which Father Leven is referenced as “Father [redacted]” on pages 58 and 62-63.
Davis presented the results of the investigation to Archbishop Coakley and the archdiocesan Review Board. The Review Board determined the allegation to be substantiated and recommended Leven be added to the list. Based on the results of the investigation and the recommendation of the board, Archbishop Coakley has revoked Father Leven’s priestly faculties pursuant to canon (church) law.
Father Leven served at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Altus, Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Enid, Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond, Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Okarche, Holy Family Catholic Church in Lawton, Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Tulsa, Saint Eugene Catholic Church in Oklahoma City and Holy Family Cathedral in Tulsa. He retired as a parish priest in June 1999 but served as assistant chaplain at Mercy Health Center in Oklahoma City until 2013.
The full original report issued by McAfee & Taft and the clergy abuse list for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City can be found at archokc.org/clergyabusereport. To report abuse of a minor, contact the archdiocese’s Victim Assistance Coordinator at (405) 720-9878.
The archdiocese urges citizens to report abuse or suspected inappropriate behavior with a minor immediately. Contact local law enforcement, the state Department of Human Services at (800) 522-3511 and the archdiocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator. If a child is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1. Reporting situations include incidences involving priests, deacons, volunteers, youth, chaperones and employees of a parish, school or diocese.
