ERIE (PA)
Erie Times-News [Erie PA]
December 13, 2024
By Ed Palattella
Monsignor John B. Hagerty headed Prep in 1984-89 and died in 2013. During investigation of allegations, ‘several victims came forward to share their stories of abuse,’ Catholic Diocese of Erie says.
Key Points
- The Catholic Diocese of Erie has updated Monsignor John B. Hagerty’s name on its Public Disclosure List of priests and laypeople to state that he has been “credibly accused” of sexual abuse
- Hagerty, who died 11 years ago at 83, served in other roles in diocese in addition to leading Cathedral Prep
- Hagerty’s family says they have “zero doubt Monsignor is resting peacefully in God’s loving arms”
Nearly a year after it opened an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse against a former headmaster of Cathedral Preparatory School, the Catholic Diocese of Erie has determined the claims to be credible.
The diocese has placed the name of Monsignor John B. Hagerty, who led Cathedral Prep from 1984-89 and who died at 83 in 2013, on its publicly disclosed list of priests and laypeople who have been “credibly accused” of sexual abuse, including child sexual abuse.
The diocese in January announced that it had placed Hagerty’s name on the list as “under investigation” for sexual abuse.
The change in Hagerty’s status on the what the diocese calls its Public Disclosure List was made on Nov. 25, according to the list and to the diocese.
The diocese did not publicly announce the change from “under investigation” to “credibly accused.” But the diocese confirmed the change in a statement to the Erie Times-News after the newspaper inquired about the new status for Hagerty.
“The Diocese of Erie updated its Public Disclosure List on Nov. 25 as new allegations concerning Msgr. John B. Hagerty necessitated a change after several victims came forward to share their stories of abuse,” according to the diocese’s statement. “Prior to updating the list, the Diocese of Erie contacted pertinent parishes and schools where Msgr. Hagerty served in the past.
“We value truth and transparency while respecting all victims’ privacy and dignity. Pastoral care and compassion for victims, and the protection of children and vulnerable adults, continue to be a top priority of the Diocese of Erie.”
The diocese did not release details on the nature of the allegations or how many victims had come forward.
The Erie Times-News asked Hagerty’s family about the diocese’s findings.
“The entire Hagerty family has zero doubt Monsignor is resting peacefully in God’s loving arms … right where he belongs,” Chris Hagerty, Monsignor Hagerty’s cousin and a former president of Cathedral Prep, said in an email. “We will forever remember his final words of wisdom: Smile, Pray and Be Kind.”
Disclosure list has grown to more than 90 names
The 13-county diocese has regularly updated the Public Disclosure List since Erie Catholic Bishop Lawrence T. Persico created it in April 2018. He issued the first list four months before the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office released its landmark grand jury report on abuse in Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania.
Following the release of the Public Disclosure List and the grand jury report, the Catholic Diocese of Erie paid $16.6 million to abuse victims through a compensation fund.
The fund stopped taking claims in 2019, five years before the diocese started its investigation of Hagerty. The diocese said it “continues to offer and pay for counseling services to victims at the victims’ request.”
The diocese started the Public Disclosure List with 51 names. The change in Hagerty’s status brings to 92 the number of people on the Public Disclosure List who the diocese has determined have been “credibly accused” of abuse and who are barred from working or volunteering with children in connection with the diocese or a parish, school or other Catholic institution in the diocese.
The list includes those accused of child sexual abuse, those accused of other inappropriate conduct with minors and those accused of failing to prevent abuse they knew was happening.
The “credibly accused” on the list are made up of 38 clergy and laypeople who are living and 54 who are deceased. The Public Disclosure List also includes two priests who are “under investigation.”
One of the two is the Rev. Michael Allison, who died at 60 in 2020, and held positions at Mercyhurst Preparatory School in Erie and with the Shenango Valley Catholic School System in Mercer County. The diocese named Allison as “under investigation” at the same time it placed Monsignor Hagerty in that category in January.
Hagerty left behind money for scholarships
Though well-known for his leadership role at what was then the all-boys Cathedral Prep, Hagerty held other positions in the diocese. The Erie native was first assigned to Cathedral Prep in 1955, immediately after he was ordained, and taught at Prep until 1957.
He went on to hold posts at St. James Church in east Erie and St. Mark Seminary and at other diocesan churches and institutions before he served as headmaster at Cathedral Prep from 1984-89. After serving at other churches, Hagerty retired as a priest in 2005, though he came out of retirement to teach Latin at Prep in 2012-13. Prep became co-educational following its merger with the all-girls Villa Maria Academy in 2022.
Hagerty’s influence continued after his death. Following the wishes in his will, Hagerty’s estate bequeathed hundreds of thousands of dollars to be used for scholarships at Cathedral Prep and other institutions, including Kennedy Catholic High School in Hermitage.
The diocese said only one of the scholarships bears his name: the Monsignor John B. Hagerty Scholarship Endowment for Kennedy Catholic High School, an endowment that falls under the Catholic Foundation of Northwest Pennsylvania.
The Erie Times-News asked the diocese how Hagerty’s change in status might affect the financial legacy that his bequests created.
“The Diocese of Erie is aware that funds from the late Monsignor Hagerty’s estate have been allocated as directed in accordance with his wishes,” the diocese said in a statement. “The leadership of each Catholic school, parish, foundation or other institution has full discretion to manage those funds independently.”
Prep says Hagerty name will stay on athletics and events center
In 2018, Cathedral Prep renamed its athletic complex on West 12th Street the Hagerty Family Events Center. Prep said an anonymous donor had retained naming rights to the facility, which opened in 2010, and asked that the school name the complex after the Hagerty family, including Monsignor Hagerty.
Cathedral Prep will keep the name of the Hagerty Events Center, said the school’s president, Kevin Smith. The Erie Times-News asked Smith about the change in Hagerty’s status on the Public Disclosure List and whether it might affect the center’s name.
“As a Catholic school community, we prioritize and support all efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of our students as we help them develop as young men and women of vision in spirit, mind and body,” Smith said in an email.
“Concerning the Hagerty Family Events Center, it was named in honor of many individuals in the Hagerty family who have attended and supported our schools and community throughout the years, and the site will retain its name.”
Contact epalattella@timesnews.com or 814-870-1813. Follow him on X @ETNpalattella.