Msgr. Thomas J. Feeney-Assignment

Msgr. Thomas J. Feeney

Summary of Case: Feeney held prominent positions in the diocese, including Chancellor and Vicar General. He has multiple allegations against him of sexually abusing children from the late 1940s to the 1960s. He died in 1981. The diocese acknowleded in May 2006 that the allegations against him were credible. Feeney has been the subject of multiple lawsuits. In a civil trial in September 2006 a man testified that Feeney abused him for six years, beginning when he was age 7. He was awarded $1.5 million by the jury. Another man testified that Feeney abused him in the late 1940s. Both men said some of the abuse occurred on bird-watching trips, and that Feeney would fondle them and slap their bellies. On its list in 2008 the diocese noted that Feeney had been accused of the abuse of 15 boys.

Ordained: 1937
Died: July 26,1981

Start	Stop	Assignment	Town/Accusations	State	Position	Notes
1937 Davenport bishop was Henry Patrick Rohlman (1927-1944)	1938	St. Ambrose College	Davenport	IA
1938 Baltimore bishop was Michael Joseph Curley (1921-1947)	1941	Catholic University	Washington	DC
1941	1942	Vice Chancellor	Davenport	IA
1942 Davenport bishop was Ralph Leo Hayes (1944-1966)	1948	Iowa Mercy Hospital	Davenport • In 2006 a man testified at a civil trial that Feeney abused him as a boy in the late 1940s. He said the priest would take him bird-watching, then fondle him and slap his belly .(Sioux City Journal, Sept. 15, 2006)	IA	Chaplain
1942	1953	Chancellor	Davenport	IA
1942	1953	Council of Administration/Diocesan Administrative Council	Davenport	IA
1942	1946	Diocesan Director Propogation of the Faith	Davenport	IA
1947	1953	Tribunal Notary	Davenport	IA
1948	1952	1430 Clay St.	Davenport	IA		The 1949-1952 Directories index Feeney as at 1430 Clay St.
1951	1953	Diocesan Director Pontifical Association of Holy Childhood	Davenport	IA
1952	1953	Mercy Hospital	Davenport	IA		Resident Chaplain
1953 Replacing Hayes as bishop was Gerald Francis O'Keefe (1966-1993)	1968	Sacred Heart Cathedral	Davenport • Lawsuit in 2005 by a man who claimed having been sexually and physically abused by Feeney beginning when he was age 7, ending 6 years later after he told his mother. Some of the abuse allegedly happened when Feeney would take the boy bird-watching, and involved fondling and slapping the boy's belly. (Quad-City Times August 6, 2005) The man had been the youngest altar boy at the Cathedral. His mother testified that she reported the abuse to a priest at Sacred Heart, but was told nothing could be done because of Feeney's "high position in the diocese." (Des Moines Register [Iowa] September 15, 2006) In 2006 the diocese acknowledged that Feeney abused children in the 1950s and 1960s. At least six victims had come forward (WCF Courier May 23, 2006).	IA	1/3 Working under Feeney were Revs. Edward C. Greer and Joseph P. Hines 1953-1959. Hines was the third priest until 1959, when he moved to the second spot, where he remained until 1961. Rev. Daniel J. Kelly arrived as third priest in 1959, moving to the second spot in 1967. Rev. Robert G. Mann was second priest 1961-1967. In 1967-1968, third priest was Rev. Lawrence J. Brafman.	The Cathedral had a school with 551-413 students. Hines has credible allegations against him. (Diocese of Davenport Creditors' Committee August 27, 2007)
1968	1981	Vicar General
1968	1981	St. Anthony's	Davenport	IA	1/3, 1/2 Working under Feeney were Rev. James E. Grubb 1968-1979, Rev. Michael J. Morrissey as third priest 1968-1969, Rev. James Janssen 1979-1980, and Rev. Rudolph T. Juarez 1980-1981.	Feeney died July 26, 1981. Janssen has been accused of abusing many boys over his 42 year career as a priest, including at St. Anthony's. (BA.org assignment record) Feeney's name was included on the diocese's list in July 2008 of credibly accused. (Diocese of Davenport, July 14, 2008)

Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: Kenedy & Sons, 1938-1982).

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 & 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 was last updated March 9, 2021.