Assignment Record– Rev. Robert F. Daly

Summary of Case: Daly left active ministry in 1984. He was later accused of molesting minors over a 15-year period in the 1970s and 1980s, and he was accused in a 2005 lawsuit of previous child sexual abuse. In June 2011 the Vatican announced Daly's laicization. At the time of the announcement Daly was working as a school psychologist in Kingston, MA; he was placed on leave by school officials who said the news of Daly's laicizaiton and earlier lawsuit was the first they knew there were accusations of abuse against him.

Ordained: 1967
Laicized: 2011

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: Kenedy & Sons, 1968-1986).

• Some Priest Abuse Claims Remain Open, By Sue Reinert, Patriot Ledger (Quincy, MA), March 8, 2005
• Archdiocese of Boston Announces Robert F. Daly, John Keane, Robert Knapp and Benjamin Mcmahon Are No Longer in the Clerical State, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, June 13, 2011
• Two with Local Ties Among 4 Defrocked Priests, MetroWest Daily News, June 13, 2011
• Vatican ousts 4 from clerical state, By John M. Guilfoil, Boston Globe, June 14, 2011
• Vatican Defrocks 4 Priests; 3 Served at South Shore Churches, By Lane Lambert, Brockton Enterprise, June 14, 2011
• School Psychologist Placed on Leave over Abuse Allegations, By Christian Schiavone, MetroWest Daily News, June 17, 2011
• Our Opinion: Time for Church to Honor Transparency Promise, The Patriot Ledger, June 21, 2011
• Boston Archdiocese Posts Sex-Abuse Database Online, By Joan Frawley Desmond, National Catholic Register, August 25, 2011

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.

This assignment record collates Daly'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 23, 2015.