Assignment Record – Rev. Joseph C. Dooley, s.j.

Summary of Case: A Jesuit priest of the New England Province ordained in 1941, Dooley's early career was spent in parishes and schools in Jamaica. Subsequently he was assigned briefly to Boston College High School in MA, followed by several-year stints at Cheverus High in Portland ME and Fairfield College Preparatory School in CT. He returned to Boston College High in 1958 where he remained until his death in 1983. In 2000 the Portland diocese received a call from a woman who said Dooley sexually abused her "many years ago." Her age at the time of the alleged abuse was not ascertained. Another woman reported to the diocese in 2002 that Dooley sexually abused her when she was 3 to 11 years-old, from 1956-1964. She said the abuse occurred in Portland and on Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

Ordained: 1941
Died: July 31, 1983

1941

Vicariate Apostolic of Jamaica bishop was Thomas Addis Emmet, s.j. (1930-1949).

Preston Hill (School with 114 students); Port Maria (School with 36 students); Alms House Hospital; Mile Gullly, Preston Hill (School with 100 students); Annotta Bay, Oracabessa, May River (School with 110 students); Mt. Joseph (School with 74 students).

Preston Hill (School with 114 students); Port Maria (School with 36 students); Alms House Hospital; Mile Gullly, Preston Hill (School with 100 students); Annotta Bay, Oracabessa, May River (School with 80 students); Mt. Joseph (School with 60 students).

1946

Boston archbishop was Richard James Cushing (1944-1970).

1951

Hartford bishop was Henry Joseph O'Brien (1945-1968).

The Bridgeport diocese was established Aug. 6, 1953. Its bishop was Lawrence Joseph Shehan (1953-1961).

1954

Portland bishop was Joseph Edward McCarthy (1932-1955), followed by Daniel Joseph Feeney (1955-1969).

Portland

• A woman called the Portland diocese in 2000 to report that she was sexually abused by Dooley "many years ago." The Jesuits said they did not know her age at the time of the alleged abuse.

• Another woman called the diocese in 2002 to report that Dooley sexually abused her repeatedly when she was 3 to 11 years-old, from 1956-1964. She said the abuse occurred at her family's home in Portland, ME and at a home in Cape Cod, MA. The abuse is said to have involved Dooley rubbing the girl's vagina with his fingers and rubbing his unexposed penis up and down the side of her leg.

1958

Cushing was succeeded as Boston archbishop by Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983).

BC High had 1, 109 -
1, 992 students, all boys.

Dooley died July 31, 1983.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1942-1984)

• Maine AG Document Production, May 27, 2005
• Maine AG Document Production, PDF page 16-17, July 8, 2005


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 Dooley'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 Oct. 21, 2014.