Brother Bernard Hartman

Brother Bernard Hartman SM was born in October 1939 in Pittsburgh, Ohio and is a Marianist Brother from the United States of America who was also a former teacher at St Paul’s College between 1972 to 1983 in the Melbourne suburb of Altona North. After joining the Marianist Order in the 1950s, Brother Hartman completed a Bachelor of Education and then a Master’s degree in counselling and guidance, teaching both in the USA and Australia, extending over the years between 1961 to the late 1990s.

The Society of Mary (or more commonly known as the Marianists) is a male clerical religious congregation of brothers and priests who have schools in a number of countries such as St Paul’s College in Victoria which they managed between 1965 to 1985 (inclusive). The Marianists are different to other religious congregations in that its structure is based on a discipleship of equals, in other words, both brothers and priest share equal status.

Supreme Court records show that Brother Hartman was a teacher and student counsellor at the College for 12 years between 1972 to 1984. During that period, Brother Hartman resided in accommodation on the campus of the College, and over time befriended a number of families and was often invited to attend at the homes of families of students at the College for meals and social occasions. In 1997, the Marianist Provincial in the USA, received a letter from the Archdiocese of Melbourne wherein it was alleged that Brother Hartman had abused young women in Melbourne in the 1970s. Following that letter, the Marianist Order removed Brother Hartman from any teaching duties and where he underwent psycho-sexual therapy.

In 2013, Brother Hartman was extradited from the US to Melbourne, Victoria to face child sex abuse charges made by three victims. He pleaded guilty to four charges of indecently assaulting two girls aged between five to 11 during the 1970s and was found guilty by a jury in May 2015 of one count of indecent assault and two counts of assault involving a male student between 1981 to 1982. In relation to the two young girls, Hartman had gained the trust of the girls’ parents and abused them while he was invited to their family homes for dinner. Hartman was sentenced to three years prison.

Brother Hartman in 2015 was also one of eight Marianists accused of molesting 19 students at the congregation’s main school in Pittsburgh - North Catholic High School.

Moody Law has in the past and is still representing clients who have made allegations of sexual and physical abuse against various religious congregations and clergy members at various schools and institutions around Australia.

We invite former victims to tell us confidentially what information they may have, and we will explain what options are available to help with these cases.

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