Rev. John "Jack" Curley



Ordained: 1966

     

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1966

Boston archbishop was Richard James Cushing (1944-1970), followed by Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983)

1972 St. Francis of Assisi (South) Braintree MA

4/4, 3/3

Paul Shanley was the second priest 1967-1969.

Parish had a school with 298-235 boys and 309-226 girls.

Shanley was convicted in 2005 of child rape. He is alleged to have sexually abused many children-boys as well as girls- and many vulnerable adults.

1971   The Pilgrim Center Braintree MA Executive Director

The Pilgrim Center was a residence for trouble boys. The home was established in 1971, with the support of builder and developer Thomas J. Flatley. The center expanded in 1977 when a second property was purchased for its use. Curley is known to have directed the Center at least through 1983. (Boston Globe, Dec. 5, 1983)

Shanley mentions Curley and the Pilgrim Center in a July 1972 newsletter. (Boston archdiocesan documents, Shanely covering letter, July 1, 1972, p.10)

1972 1976 St. Gerard Majella Canton MA

3/3

In residence.

 

1976

Medeiros was succeeded by Bernard Francis Law (1984-2002)

1984 St. Augustine's (South) Boston MA

3/3, 4/4, 5/5, 5/6

In residence.

Parish had a school with 262-265 students.
1984 1986         Curley is not indexed in the 1985 or 1986 Directories.
1986 1987 Awaiting Assignment        
1987 1993 Our Lady Help of Christians Concord MA 2/2, 1/1, 1/2  
1993 1994         Curley is not indexed in the 1994 Directory.
1994 1997 St. Elizabeth's Medical Center Boston (Brighton) MA   Although Curley is indexed as at St. Elizabeth's in the 1995 through 1997 Directories, he is not listed in the Boston archdiocesan pages or the Hospitals section as there. The 1997 Directory indexes Curley as John H. Curley, s.j. (BO) and places him at St. Elizabeth's, at St. Mary's in Dedham, and as Absent on Sick Leave.
1996 1999 St. Mary's Dedham MA

4/4, 5/5

In residence.

Rev. John J. Dooher was pastor.

In a 2003 MA Attorney General's report Dooher is said to have met with pastors in parishes affected by abuse cases in the mid-1990s. Also, Bishop McCormack stated in a 2002 deposition that Dooher participated in archdiocesan conversations in 1994 about where to house abusive priests. Dooher was elevated to bishop in 2006.

Curley died Nov. 1, 1999


Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1967-2000)

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 Curley'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 Feb. 3, 2011