Renee Penton-Jones raised her son and daughter mostly as a single mother. Though she is Methodist, her ex-husband and kids were Catholic, and she relied “on the safety” of the Catholic Church for support. The Casper resident enrolled her children in Saint Anthony School and had them take part in church activities. The Christian education and physical activity her children received “meant the world” to Penton-Jones. 

Last month, Penton-Jones’ son, James Stress, told her “that there was going to be a discussion with the church” about things that had happened to him as a boy. He didn’t want to talk about it with her then. She “really had no clue” what her son’s words could mean. 

On March 31, Stress and two others filed a lawsuit alleging that a former Wyoming youth minister, Doug Hudson, who once worked at Our Lady of Fatima Church, had sexually assaulted them in the 1990s when they were boys. According to the complaint, Hudson had “plied” each of them “with copious amounts of alcohol.” 

The lawsuit also named the Diocese of Cheyenne, which oversees parishes throughout Wyoming, and Our Lady of Fatima Church as defendants, stating that they failed to “supervise and control” the youth minister, which allowed for the alleged sexual assaults to occur.

Penton-Jones learned about the allegations last week through a news article that a friend sent to her. She was busy at work preparing for an Easter buffet and initially read only the headline. Then she sat at her desk and read the whole story. “It was just very disturbing, very upsetting, very shocking,” she told WyoFile. She called her son after to see that he was OK. And she wrote a comment on Facebook reacting to the news: 

“As a single mother raising two children, I TRUSTED that they were safe within the arms of the Catholic Church. I TRUSTED that my son would be in a loving and caring, Christian environment when he was with the youth counselor hired by the church,” Penton-Jones wrote. 

“I couldn’t have been more wrong and I can never undo the pain and suffering inflicted on my child. My heart breaks for him and the others who were subjected to this cruel and inhumane treatment right under the eyes of the church. I pray to God that there will be acknowledgement, apologies and accountability.” 

Penton-Jones said she was unsure whether she could look to the church as the same place of safety that it had been to her for so long. “I would have to think about that,” she said. “There’s a lot of emotion. There’s anger. There’s frustration, like I told you, guilt, there are so many things that go through your head. How did I miss it? What didn’t I see?” 

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Cheyenne initially declined to comment on the lawsuit, but told WyoFile that the diocese planned to respond publicly to the allegations “in the near future.” 

The diocese shared its statement with WyoFile on Tuesday. The message refrains from commenting on the specific accusations in the lawsuit because the matter “is now the subject of active litigation.” At the same time, it expresses the diocese’s “awareness of the seriousness of such claims and its concern for all individuals who may be affected.” 

“The Diocese recognizes that allegations of abuse — particularly those involving minors — can cause deep pain and lasting harm,” the message states. “Any person who comes forward with such allegations deserves to be heard with respect and compassion.” 

The Diocese of Cheyenne, the statement continues, “remains committed” to protecting children and vulnerable people and upholding policies and procedures “to promote safety, accountability, and compliance with civil and Church law.” 

“Out of respect for the legal process and all parties involved, the Diocese will refrain from further public comment while the matter proceeds,” the statement reads. 

“All I can say is that I respect that there’s recognition,” Penton-Jones told WyoFile after a reporter read the statement to her. 

When the lawsuit was filed, WyoFile attempted to contact Hudson through multiple avenues. None of those attempts were successful. A new court summons for Hudson lists a Kentucky address. 

“I trusted him implicitly,” Penton-Jones said of Hudson. “I trusted the church with my children. So it was a huge shock.” If she had the opportunity to say something to Hudson, she would ask him “a lot of whys” and “How could you?” 

Local Catholic Church members and others have reached out to Penton-Jones to “express their love and disappointment and prayers for healing and accountability.” 

“It’s been a blessing to me,” she said. “To know that there’s so much positive in such a horrible situation, it’s comforting.” 

Her “overwhelming thought is that the church be held responsible.” 

“An apology would be ideal,” Penton-Jones said. “I can’t answer for my son. Good grief. I don’t know how you recover from that. How it affects your whole life.”