Rev. Daniel J. Nealon

Summary of Case: Nealon was accused in the late 1980s of sexually abusing a deaf boy of about 13 years of age. He says he was exonerated. He left the priesthood, became a lawyer, and was last known to be a divorced father of two girls. He admitted to having "affairs" with women as a priest, but denies abusing the boy.

Ordained: 1981

     

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1981

Cleveland bishop was Anthony Michael Pilla (1980-2006)

1986 St. Martin of Tours Maple Heights OH

3/4, 3/3

 

 Parish had a school with 275-300 students.
1986 1987 St. Mary's Elyria OH 3/3 Parish had a school with 424 students.
1987 1989 St. Augustine's

Cleveland

• In the late 1980s Nealon was accused of sexually abusing a 13 year old deaf boy from North Olmsted. (Cleveland Plain Dealer
April 11, 2002)

OH 2/2  
1989 1992 St. Catherine's Cleveland OH 1/1 Administrator Parish had a school with 249-240 students.
1992 1995 Absent on Leave    

 

 

 Nealon left the priesthood and became a lawyer. He was last known to be a divorced father of two girls. He has denied the allegation of abuse of the boy, but admitted to "affairs" with women while a priest. (Plain Dealer [Cleveland, Ohio]
May 5, 2002)


Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1982-1995)

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 Nealon'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 Dec. 2, 2009