Assignment Record– Rev. Bernard J. Keenan

Summary of Case: In 2002 a man reported to the archdiocese that his brother had been molested by Keenan at the age of 8 in 1961, in the parish office of St. John's. Another child had told him that "all the altar boys" were molested by Keenan. Keenan died in 1966.

Ordained: 1948
Died: June 18, 1966

     

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1948

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

1949 St. Matthew's Dorchester MA 4/4 Parish had a school with 381 boys and 384 girls.
1949 1950 St. Agnes Reading MA 3/3  
1950 1955 St. Francis De Sales Boston (Roxbury) MA 3/3, 2/2, 2/3 Parish had a school with 183-134 boys and 156-136 girls.
1955 1966 St. John the Evangelist

Wellesley

• In 2002 a man reported to the archdiocese that his brother had been molested by Keenan at the age of 8 in 1961, in the parish office of St. John's. Another child had told him that "all the altar boys" were molested by Keenan. (2002 memo from Boston archdiocese)

MA 3/3, 2/3, 2/2

The 1966 Directory shows that St. John's had a school with 27 boys and 23 girls.

Keenan died June 18, 1966.


Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1949-1967)

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 Keenan'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 March 18, 2010.