Assignment Record– Rev. Philip A. Mathews

Summary of Case: Philip A. Mathews was a Camden NJ priest, ordained in 1967. He assisted in Berlin, Laurel Springs and Margate parishes before going on a leave of absence in 1973, which was his status until 1978. His whereabouts during that time and beyond are unknown. Mathews was accused in a lawsuit settled in February 2015 of sexually abusing a boy, about age 10, in an Atlantic City hotel in the mid-1960s.

Ordained: 1967

 

 

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1967

Camden bishop was Celestine Joseph Damiano (1960-1967), followed by George Henry Guilfoyle (1968-1989).

 1970 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

Berlin

• Accused in a lawsuit settled in February 2015 of sexually abusing a boy, about age 10, at an Atlantic City hotel, while assigned to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

NJ 3/3, 2/2 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel had a school with 691-720 students.
1970 1971 St. Lawrence's Laurel Springs NJ Assistant  
1971 1972 Blessed Sacrament Margate NJ 4/4 Blessed Sacrament had a school with 291 students.
1972 1973         Mathews is indexed in the 1973 Directory as at 1845 Haddon Ave., Camden, which was the address for chancery offices.
1973 1978 Leave of Absence       Mathews is last indexed in the 1978 Directory.

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons 1968-1978)

• Recent Priest Abuse Settlements, Boston Globe, March 28, 2016
• Assignment Histories for 16 Clerics Named in Recent Settlements by Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, Researched by BishopAccountability.org, March 28, 2016

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 Mathews' 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 April 11, 2016.