Marmion Academy teacher charged with sexual assault, abuse of student

A Marmion Abbey monk has been charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor who was a student at Marmion Academy in Aurora.

Joseph Charron, who has been a member of the monastic community for 41 years, appeared in a Kane County bond call Wednesday morning. Judge Julia Yetter set his bail at $300,000.

According to prosecutor Hannah Thayer, the abuse and assaults happened between Dec. 24, 2008, and July 12, 2015.

The contact began when the minor was a student. It continued after he graduated from the Aurora school, according to a news release from the Aurora Police Department. Charron - who also is called Brother Andre - was a teacher at the academy.

Marmion Academy is a Roman Catholic high school for boys.

When the victim reported the abuse in 2021, Marmion Academy put Charron on administrative leave and barred him from the school and from performing ministerial functions, according to police.

Police say Marmion Abbey and school officials cooperated with the investigation.

Yetter ordered that Charron, 66, have no contact with people under 18. He would need to post $30,000 to be released pretrial.

Charron turned himself in to the police early Wednesday morning.

The Aurora Police Department is investigating the case.