Father Alfred Kunz, (April 15, 1931 - March 4, 1998), was a
CatholicThe word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective , meaning "universal". In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. For some, the term "Catholic Church" refers to the church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, made up of the Latin Rite and the 22...
priestA priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities. Their office or position is the priesthood, a term which may also apply to such persons collectively.Priests and priestesses...
who was found with his throat slit open in his
Roman Catholic churchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
in
Dane, WisconsinDane is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 799 at the 2000 census. Located in the Town of Dane, the village is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Dane is located at ....
. His murder has never been solved.
Kunz, though he continued to say the
Latin MassThe Tridentine Mass is a common name for the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. In this time period, it was the most widely celebrated form of the Catholic liturgy in the world.The term "Tridentine" is derived...
, also said the Mass in English and was in communion with his diocesan bishop, unlike many
traditionalist CatholicTraditionalist Catholics are Roman Catholics who believe that there should be a restoration of many or all of the liturgical forms, public and private devotions and presentations of Catholic teachings which prevailed in the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council...
s movement. "Father Kunz was a well-known expert in
canon lawCanon law is the body of laws and regulations made by or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
, so he knew how to walk the lines," Bill Brophy, a spokesman for the
Madison, WisconsinMadison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
Catholic
DioceseIn some forms of Christianity, a diocese is an administrative territorial unit administered by a bishop. It is also referred to as a bishopric or Episcopal Area or episcopal see, though strictly the term episcopal see refers to the domain of ecclesiastical authority officially held by the bishop,...
said shortly after his murder.
Prior to his death, Kunz had his own radio show and had been a close associate of
Malachi MartinMalachi Brendan Martin Ph.D was a former Jesuit priest, theologian, writer on the Catholic Church and professor at the Vatican's Pontifical Biblical Institute. He was also the author of sixty books which covered religious and geo-political topics. He was a controversial commentator for the Vatican...
, an author and
exorcistIn some religions an exorcist is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or other demon. A priest, a monk, a healer, a shaman or other specially prepared or instructed person can be an exorcist...
.
Father Alfred Kunz, (April 15, 1931 - March 4, 1998), was a
CatholicThe word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective , meaning "universal". In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. For some, the term "Catholic Church" refers to the church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, made up of the Latin Rite and the 22...
priestA priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities. Their office or position is the priesthood, a term which may also apply to such persons collectively.Priests and priestesses...
who was found with his throat slit open in his
Roman Catholic churchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
in
Dane, WisconsinDane is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 799 at the 2000 census. Located in the Town of Dane, the village is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Dane is located at ....
. His murder has never been solved.
Kunz, though he continued to say the
Latin MassThe Tridentine Mass is a common name for the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. In this time period, it was the most widely celebrated form of the Catholic liturgy in the world.The term "Tridentine" is derived...
, also said the Mass in English and was in communion with his diocesan bishop, unlike many
traditionalist CatholicTraditionalist Catholics are Roman Catholics who believe that there should be a restoration of many or all of the liturgical forms, public and private devotions and presentations of Catholic teachings which prevailed in the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council...
s movement. "Father Kunz was a well-known expert in
canon lawCanon law is the body of laws and regulations made by or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
, so he knew how to walk the lines," Bill Brophy, a spokesman for the
Madison, WisconsinMadison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
Catholic
DioceseIn some forms of Christianity, a diocese is an administrative territorial unit administered by a bishop. It is also referred to as a bishopric or Episcopal Area or episcopal see, though strictly the term episcopal see refers to the domain of ecclesiastical authority officially held by the bishop,...
said shortly after his murder.
Motives for murder
Prior to his death, Kunz had his own radio show and had been a close associate of
Malachi MartinMalachi Brendan Martin Ph.D was a former Jesuit priest, theologian, writer on the Catholic Church and professor at the Vatican's Pontifical Biblical Institute. He was also the author of sixty books which covered religious and geo-political topics. He was a controversial commentator for the Vatican...
, an author and
exorcistIn some religions an exorcist is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or other demon. A priest, a monk, a healer, a shaman or other specially prepared or instructed person can be an exorcist...
. After Kunz was murdered, Martin alleged that the priest had been killed by "Luciferians" and said Kunz had performed several
exorcismExorcism is the practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
s before his death. Martin said Kunz felt his life was in danger in the weeks before his murder. Kunz's friend,
Abbot Ryan St. Anne ScottAbbot Ryan St. Anne Scott, OSB , born Randell Dean Stocks, is a traditionalist Catholic priest currently living in Galesburg, Illinois. In August 2003 he converted a former nursing home into Holy Rosary Abbey, an independent Benedictine monastery. Ryan St...
felt Kunz's murder was related to Kunz's investigation of sexual abuse scandals in the diocese. The Dane County Sheriff's Department also investigated a
calf mutilationCattle mutilation is the apparent killing and then mutilation of cattle under unusual or anomalous circumstances. Sheep and horses have allegedly been mutilated under similar circumstances...
15 miles from Kunz's church the day before his murder that a farmer attributed to a
cultCult may popularly refer to a religious group with relatively few adherents whose beliefs or practices are regarded by others as strange or sinister.The term "cult" was originally used to denote a system of ritual practices...
. Kunz had allegedly been investigating reports of homosexuality and sexual abuse by priests within the diocese of
Springfield, IllinoisSpringfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 116,482 . Over 200,000 residents live in the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Sangamon County and adjacent Menard County...
. There were also allegations that Kunz had been involved with female parishioners.
"The motives are all over the place, anything from jealousy, power and control to betrayal and fear of exposure," Dane County Sheriff's Lieutenant Kevin Hughes said in 2001. "So take your pick at this point. We just don't know yet."
2008
Dane County Sheriff David Mahoney stated in March 2008 that his department no longer uses the term "intimate" in regard to the murder investigation of Father Kunz, which dispels any hint of impropriety. Mahoney is also willing to cooperate with "cold case" investigators, even though his department does not consider the Kunz investigation "cold."