Assignment Record– Rev. Edward M. Keohan

Summary of Case: Keohan was accused in a January 2003 lawsuit of having fondled a boy 1983-1985, beginning when the boy was age 13. Keohan denied the allegation. He was kept in ministry until August of that year, and reinstated in March 2005 after the Archdiocesan Review Board deemed the allegations "unsubstantiated." Keohan died September 12, 2015.

Ordained: 1959
Died: September 12, 2015

   

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State/Country Position Notes

1959

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

1961 St. John's Haverhill MA associate pastor  
1961 1966 Society of St. James the Apostle   Peru missionary  

1966

Boston archdiocese

1970 St. Charles Woburn MA 4/5, 3/4, Parish had a grade school with 333-296 boys and 360-301 girls, and a high school with 186-154 girls.

1970

Cushing was succeeded by Huberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983).

1971 Absent on Leave        
1971 1972 St. Charles Woburn MA 3/4, 3/5 Parish had a grade school wtih 267-320 boys and 259-305 girls, and a high school with 122-127 girls.

1972

 

1984 St. Rose of Lima

Chelsea-Everett

Keohan was ccused in a January 2003 lawsuit of fondling a 13 to 15-year-old boy St. Rose parishioner from 1981 to about 1983. Keohan denied the abuse. His accuser received a settlement.

MA 5/5, 3/6, 2/4, 2/5, 2/4 Parish had a grade school with 490-426 students, and a high school with 207-220 girls.

1984

Bernard Francis Law succeeded Medeiros(1984-2002).

 

 

2008 Salem Hospital Complex/North Shore Medical Center Salem MA Chaplain

This included Boston Salem Hospital; Boston North Shore Children's Hospital; Boston Shaughnessy Rehabilitation Hospital.

Although placed on leave 2003 until 2005, Keohan continues to be listed in the Directories at this assignment.

1985 1987 St. Anne's Salem MA 2/2 In residence.  

1987

Richard G. Lennon served as interim bishop after Law resigned (December 2002-June 30, 2003).

2003 St. Mary's (Italian) Salem MA

1/2, 1/1

Administrator

St. Mary's closed in 2003.

2003

Sean Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M. replaced Law (July 1,
2003-).

August 2003 Our Lady of Lourdes Revere MA Administrator

 

August 2003 2005 Administrative Leave       Keohan was placed on leave in August 2003, due to the allegation he fondled a boy in the 1980s. He was reinstated in March 2005 after the Archdiocesan Review Board deemed the accusations to be "unsubstantiated."
2005 2009 Immaculate Conception Salem MA

3/3

Senior Priest in residence.

Retired.
2009   St. Margaret's Beverly Farms MA    
    Regina Cleri Boston MA resident This is an assisted living facility for retired priests.
  2015 Marion Manor Boston MA resident Keohan died September 12, 2015.


Sources
: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1961-2009)

16 Priests Named for First Time in Sexual Abuse Lawsuits, At least three still active; total of accused at 130, By Michael Rezendes and Matt Carroll, Boston Globe, January 30, 2003
70 abuse cases filed vs. church, By Robin Washington and Tom Mashberg, Boston Herald, January 30, 2003
3 Area Priests Accused in Recent Suit Are Still in Parishes, In '02, charges prompted diocese to impose leaves,
By Sacha Pfeiffer, Boston Globe, March 5, 2003
O'Malley Places 4 Priests on Leave, Archdiocese Reviewing Sex Abuse Allegations, By Jenna Russell, Boston Globe, August 24, 2003
Diocese Returns Priest to Active Ministry, By David Abel, Boston Globe, March 23, 2005
Accused Priest Holds No Grudge, Salem News [Salem MA], March 28, 2005
Boston Archdiocese Posts Sex-Abuse Database Online, By Joan Frawley Desmond, National Catholic Register,
August 25, 2011
Reverend Edward M. Keohan, O'Donnell Funeral Home, accessed October 4, 2015

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 Keohan'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 October 4, 2015.