Assignment Record– Rev. John P. Carroll

Summary of Case: Ordained for the Boston archdiocese in 1953, John P. Carroll assisted in parishes in Arlington and Braintree until early 1963, when he was sent to the Pittsburgh PA diocese on "lend lease." He had been removed from a Boston area parish and sent to PA due to a "true allegation" that he had engaged in "sexual misconduct" with a woman. He worked in PA until 1972 in the towns of Elizabeth, Elrama, Greentree, Penn Hills, Springdale and Versailles. Carroll returned to the Boston archdiocese, working in parishes in Lowell, Dedham, Newton and Quincy parishes. He was also a hospital chaplain.

In 1997 a man sought Carroll out at his MA parish to ask if Carroll remembered raping him when he was an altar boy in the early 1960s at a parish in the Pittsburgh diocese. Carroll said the man was mistaken and reported the visit to Cardinal Law; Carroll stayed in active ministry until December 2003. Boston archdiocesan officials stated they first notified the Pittsburgh diocese in December 2003 about the allegations against Carroll; Pittsburgh diocesan officials didn't warn local parishes where Carroll had worked until August 2014, when Boston informed them that steps were being take toward Carroll's laicization. Carroll has been living in a Boston-area assisted living facility. In September 2015 his case remains "in process."

Born: 1928
Ordained: 1953

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: Kenedy & Sons, 1954-2005).

• Confidential Memorandum, to the file of Rev. John Carroll '53, from Rev. William F. Murphy, September 11, 1997, Documents produced by Boston Archdiocese
• Confidential Memorandum, Complainant Contact, September 4, 2003, Documents produced by Boston Archdiocese
• Boston Archdiocese Posts Sex-Abuse Database Online, By Joan Frawley Desmond, National Catholic Register, August 25, 2011
• Clergy with Braintree Ties on List of Accused Priests, By Joseph Markman, The Patch, September 2, 2011
• PA- Victims Thank Church for Outreach Effort, By Judy Block, Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, June 17, 2014
• Allegation of abuse surfaces against former Pittsburgh priest, By Janice Crompton And Peter Smith, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 17, 2014
• Priest accused of molesting child in Elizabeth 50 years ago, By Bill Zlatos, Tribune-Review, August 17, 2014
• DA Says Statute of Limitations Prevents Action against Accused Priest, By Bill Zlatos, The Tribune-Review, August 18, 2014
• Group Criticizes Diocese's Handling of Accused Priest, By Peter Smith, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 19, 2014
• Retired Priest-Abuse Story, The Sentinel, August 20, 2014
• Categories of Accused Priests, Archdiocese of Boston, accessed September 15, 2015

Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy & Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy & Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Carroll's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on September 15, 2015.