Assignment Record– Rev. Edward M. Keohan

Summary of Case: Keohan was accused in a January 2003 lawsuit of having fondled a boy 1983-1985, beginning when the boy was age 13. Keohan denied the allegation. He was kept in ministry until August of that year, and reinstated in March 2005 after the Archdiocesan Review Board deemed the allegations "unsubstantiated." Keohan died September 12, 2015.

Ordained: 1959
Died: September 12, 2015

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1961-2009)

• 16 Priests Named for First Time in Sexual Abuse Lawsuits, At least three still active; total of accused at 130, By Michael Rezendes and Matt Carroll, Boston Globe, January 30, 2003
• 70 abuse cases filed vs. church, By Robin Washington and Tom Mashberg, Boston Herald, January 30, 2003
• 3 Area Priests Accused in Recent Suit Are Still in Parishes, In '02, charges prompted diocese to impose leaves,
By Sacha Pfeiffer, Boston Globe, March 5, 2003
• O'Malley Places 4 Priests on Leave, Archdiocese Reviewing Sex Abuse Allegations, By Jenna Russell, Boston Globe, August 24, 2003
• Diocese Returns Priest to Active Ministry, By David Abel, Boston Globe, March 23, 2005
• Accused Priest Holds No Grudge, Salem News [Salem MA], March 28, 2005
• Boston Archdiocese Posts Sex-Abuse Database Online, By Joan Frawley Desmond, National Catholic Register,
August 25, 2011
• Reverend Edward M. Keohan, O'Donnell Funeral Home, accessed October 4, 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 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 Keohan'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 October 4, 2015.