Msgr. John A. Close- Assignment Record

Msgr. John A. Close

Summary of Case: Close was one of twenty-one priests placed on administrative leave by the Philadelphia archdiocese March 7, 2011 pending an investigation for credible allegations involving sexual abuse or inappropriate behavior with minors. As of June 2011, there were two known accusers, both male and both who said Close sexually abused them as young teens, one in 1969, the other from 1992-1994. Close denies the abuse. One said he tried to report the abuse to the archdiocese in 1998, but they did not respond to his call. The archdiocese did investigate in 2004, but deemed the allegations "unsubstantiated". Both accusers said they reported the abuse to police, but were told Close could not be investigated due to the statute of limitations.

Ordained: 1969

Start	Stop	Parish	Town/Accusations	State	Position	Notes
June 1969 Philadelphia archbishop was John Joseph Krol (1961-1988)	June 1972	Christ the King	Philadelphia • In 1998 a man reported to the archdiocese and the Philadelphia police that he had been sexually abused by Close when he was in 8th grade at Christ the King school, in 1969. He stated that the abuse occurred in the parish sacristy and at Close's beach home in Margate, NJ. The man said that he told his mother after several months, who then told the parish pastor, Rev. Robert McGee. (Philadelphia Inquirer June 12, 2011)	PA	2/3	Parish had a school with 671-605 boys and 642-647 girls. Close's accuser claimed in 2011 that the police told him in 1998 that the statute of limitations had expired, and that the archdiocese did not return his phone call. Later in 1998 the accuser was convicted of murder and received a life sentence. The archdiocese investigated the report in 2004, and declared that it was "unsubstantiated".
February 1971	June 1972	Serra Club of Philadelphia	Philadelphia	PA	Chaplain
June 1972	September 1972	St. John the Evangelist	Philadelphia	PA	Assistant pastor
June 1972	July 1984	Cardinal O'Hara High School	Springfield	PA	Faculty
1972	1976	Blessed John Nepomucene Neumann	Bryn Mawr	PA	3/3, 2/2	Parish had a school with 205-130 students.
1976	1977	St. Madeline	Ridley Park	PA	5/5 In residence.	Parish had a school with 473 students.
1977	1982	St. Eugene's	Primos	PA	3/3, 4/4 In residence.	Parish had a school with 248-186 students.
June 1982	June 1987	Assisi House	Aston	PA	Chaplain	This was a home for retired Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia.
July 1984	June 1987	St. James Catholic High School for Boys	Chester	PA	Faculty
June 1987 Anthony Joseph Bevilacqua succeeded Krol (1987-2003)	July 1990	St. Mary of Providence Center	Elverson	PA	Chaplain	This was a retirement center for the elderly, as well as a center for spirituality, retreats, and days of recollection.
1987	1990	St. Pius X High School	Pottstown	PA	Principal	School had 550 students.
July 1990	May 1994	Archbishop Wood Catholic High School	Warminster • In the Spring of 2011, after a friend told him of Close's supspension, a second man reported to the archdiocese and then the police that Close sexually abused him from 1992-1994, beginning when he was a 14 year-old Freshman at Archbishop Wood High School.	PA	Principal	School had 1,500-1,200 students. The police told this accuser that they couldn't investigate Close because the statute of limitations had expired. The man stated that he had never before told anyone about the abuse, and that he has struggled with severe anxiety, depression and alcohol abuse.
1990	1991	St. Jude's	Chalfont	PA	3/3 In residence.	Parish had a school with 293 students.
Nov. 1991	May 1994	Regina Coeli Residence for Priests	Warminster	PA	Director/Administrator	This was a home for aged priests of the archdiocese.
May 1994	June 1996	St. Michael the Archangel	Levittown	PA	1/4	Parish had a school with 750-780 students, and a religious education program with 430-468 students.
1996	1997					Close is not indexed in the 1997 Directory, nor is he listed at his previous or subsequent assignments.
Nov. 1997	June 2011	Legatus, Philadelphia Chapter	Philadelphia	PA	Chaplain	Legatus is "designed exclusively for top-ranking Catholic business leaders and their spouses", per it's website, legatus.org. Close was known to be the Philadephia chapter's chaplain still in June 2011. (Philadelphia Inquirer June 12, 2011)
June 1996	June 2000	Theological Seminary of St. Charles Borromeo, Overbrook	Wynnewood	PA	Vice rector for institutional advancement	Close is first referred to as "Monsignor" in the 1999 Directory.
2000 Krol was replaced by Justin Francis Rigali (2003- )	2006	Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul	Philadelphia	PA	1/5, 1/6	The Cathedral had a religious education program with 75-20 students.
2000	2006	Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (La Milagrosa)	Philadelphia	PA		This is a chapel of the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul.
2006	2011	St. Katharine of Siena	Wayne	PA	1/2, 1/3	Parish had a school with 402-414 students, and a religious education program with 457-415 students. Close was removed from active ministry March 7, 2011 after a grand jury report found that he, among 37 other archdiocesan priests, had been accused or suspected of sexual abuse or misbehavior with children. (New York Times March 8, 2011) Close denied the abuse. Twenty-one of the 37 were suspended pending further investigation. (Philadelphia Inquirer March 9, 2011)

Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1970-2010)

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 and 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 Close'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 June 14, 2011