Assignment Record– Rev. Robert J. Maher

Summary of Case: Robert J. Maher was ordained for the Harrisburg diocese in 1937. He was an assistant in York, Columbia and Lebanon parishes, later pastoring parishes in Harrisburg and Hanover. From 1948-61, Maher was Diocesan Superintendent of Schools; he resided at a girls' orphanage for most of that time. For 15 years he also held a position with the Diocesan Examiners of Clergy. He retired in 1975 and died in 1990. In August 2016 the diocese publicly acknowledged that Maher was among priests of the diocese with credible allegations against him of child sexual abuse. The allegations were reported to the diocese in 1994, regarding "an incident that took place in the 1960s."

Ordained: 1937
Died: June 19, 1990

1937

Diocese of Harrisburg

Bishop was George Leo Leech (1935-1971).

St. Rose's had a school with 194-204 students.

1961

Leech was succeeded as Harrisburg bishop by Joseph Thomas Daley (1971-1983).

Hanover

• In February 1994 the diocese received allegations of child sexual abuse against Maher, said to have occurred in the 1960s. The diocese did not acknowledge this publicly until August 2016.

1975

William Henry Keeler replaced Daley as Harrisburg bishop (1983-1989), followed by Nicholas Carmen Dattilo (1989-2004).

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.

Source: Official Catholic Directory (Kenedy & Sons, 1938-1991).

• Diocese: Three priests added to list of alleged abusers, By Brandie Kessler, ydr.com, August 29, 2016


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 Maher's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with the allegations against him, as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegations 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 August 29, 2016.