Rev. John E. Magel

Summary of Case: Magel was removed from active ministry in June 2002 , after he was accused in a lawsuit of having exposed himself to a group of boys on a camping trip in around 1970. The archbishop determined that abuse had not occurred and returned Magel to ministry in March 2003.

Ordained: 1960

   

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1960

Louisville archbishop was John Alexander Floersh (1924-1967)

1967 Holy Family Louisville KY

3/3

 

 Parish had a school with 675-747 students.

1967

Floersh was succeeded by Thomas Joseph McDonough (1967-1981)

1971 Our Mother of Sorrows

Louisville

• Accused in a 2002 lawsuit of having exposed himself to a group of boys at Our Mother of Sorrows in the late 1960s or early 1970s. (Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
July 16, 2002)

KY 2/3 Parish had a school with 386-277 students.

1968

Following McDonough as archbishop was Thomas Cajetan Kelly, O.P. (1981-2007)

1982 Diocean Bookkeeper/Accountant/
Controller
 Louisville KY   Magel is listed in the Directories under these as Rev. John E. Magel, C.P.A.
1971 1974 St. Elizabeth of Hungary Louisville KY 2/3 Parish had a school with 333-296 students.
1974 1979 St. Philip Neri's Louisville KY 1/1  
1979 1987 St. Bartholomew's Louisville KY 1/2 Parish had a school with 233-204 students.
1987 1995 St. Michael's Fairfield KY 1/2, 1/1  
1987 1995 All Saints Taylorsville KY   This was a mission of St. Michael's in Fairfield.

1995

Kelly was replaced by Joseph Edward Kurtz
(2007- )

2009 Retired Louisville KY   Magel was removed from active ministry in June 2002, due to an allegation that he had exposed himself to some boys on a camping trip in around 1970. He was returned to ministry in March 2003 by Archbishop Kelly, who had concluded that there was no evidence of child abuse. (Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
March 24, 2003)


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

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 Magel'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 Jan. 15, 2010