Rev. Patrick J. O'Connor
Summary of Case: O'Connor was removed from ministry in 2003 due to an allegation of having sexually abused a child in the late 1980s. He was cleared by the Vatican and reinstated in 2007. In 2008 another allegation surfaced, by a 27 year old man who reported he had been sexually abused by O'Connor when he was a teenager in 1997. O'Connor was again removed from ministry, and pleaded guilty in Sepember 2009 to corruption of a minor. He was freed on bond while awaiting sentencing.
Ordained: 1985
|
| Start | Stop | Assignment | Town/Accusations | State | Position | Notes |
1985 Cleveland bishop was Anthony Michael Pilla (1980-2006) |
1990 | St. Joseph's | Cuyahoga Falls • Accused in 2003 of having sexually a child in the late 1980s while at St. Joseph's. (Akron Beacon Journal [Ohio] |
OH |
|
St. Joseph's had a school with 320-257 students. |
| 1990 | 1996 | St. Basil the Great | Brecksville | OH | 3/3, 2/2 | |
| 1996 | 2001 | St. Jude | Elyria • In 2008 a man reported that he had been sexually abused as a 16 year old by O'Connor in 1997, while O'Connor was at St. Jude's. (Morning Journal |
OH | 2/2, 2/3 | Parish had a school with 543-511 students, and a CCD program with 421-348 students. |
| 2001 | 2003 | Borromeo Seminary | Wickliffe | OH | Religious Studies; Dean of Men | |
| 2003 | Elyria Police Department | Chaplain | ||||
| 2002 | 2003 | Sacred Heart of Jesus (Hungarian) | Elyria | OH | 1/1
|
Parish had a CCD program with 42 students. |
2003 Pilla was replaced as bishop by Richard Gerard Lennon (2006-) |
2007 | Administrative Leave | O'Connor was suspended from active ministry in Sept. 2003 due to an accusation of having sexually abused a minor in the late 1980s. (Plain Dealer Religion Reporter October 28, 2003) |
|||
| 2007 | Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine | Euclid | OH | Chaplain | ||
| 2007 | 2008 | Provincial House of the Sisters of the Most Holy Trinity | Euclid | OH | Chaplain | O'Connor was cleared by the Vatican and allowed to return to ministry in September 2007. (Plain Dealer December 4, 2007) He resigned in June 2008 after a new allegation of abuse surfaced. (The Plain Dealer July 8, 2008) O'Connor was indicted on a charge of sexual battery in Aug. 2009. He pleaded not guilty to that charge, and in Sept. 2009 pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of corruption of a minor. He was freed on bond while awaiting sentencing. (The Chronicle-Telegram September 16, 2009) |
Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1986-2009)
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 O'Connor'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