By Sharon Coolidge
The Cincinnati Enquirer

A man who was a server as a child at Our Lady of Victory Church in Delhi Township in the early 1980s Thursday accused the Rev. Lawrence Strittmatter of repeatedly molesting him, and said the Catholic priest even forced his way into the boy's home.

The lawsuit filed in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court is one of four this year that accuse Strittmatter, a former principal of Elder High School, of molesting boys in the 1960s, '70s and '80s.

A spokesman for the prosecutor's office said it would look into the claim the priest broke into a house. If Strittmatter were convicted of aggravated burglary, he could face up to 10 years in prison.

The lawsuit - filed against Strittmatter, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and its archbishop - says these crimes took place from 1982 to 1984. There is a 20-year statute of limitations.

The plaintiff, now in his 30s, was not identified in the suit.

Strittmatter's attorney, Perry Ancona, did not return a phone call Thursday.

Twenty-five men have claims pending against Strittmatter and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

The suit filed Thursday claims church officials knew or should have known that Strittmatter was a threat to children. It asks for at least $1 million.

The suit alleges:

• The plaintiff was a server at the church in 1982 when Strittmatter was the parish priest, and he attended the parish school.

• Strittmatter befriended the parents of the boy, then 12, and repeatedly invited him to the rectory. Strittmatter is accused of raping the boy at the rectory, racquetball clubs and at the boy's home while his parents were at work.

• Strittmatter gained access to the home without the boy's parents' consent, sometimes forcing his way inside, said attorney Bill Fecher, who represents the plaintiff.

Archdiocese spokesman Dan Andriacco said he believes the statute of limitations has expired in the civil suit.

Church officials say they never attempted to hide abuse allegations and have been as open about Strittmatter's case as victims would allow.

E-mail scoolidge@enquirer.com