Assignment Record– Bro. Damien (Patrick) Chong, O.Carm.

Summary of Case: Brother Damien (Patrick) Chong entered the Carmelite Order's Brothers' formation program in 1956 in
Akron OH. He made his first vows in 1958, and his solemn vows in 1961. His first three years as a religious brother were spent
assisting in the Order's House of Theology in Washington DC. From there he moved to southern CA, where he taught in Carmelite
high schools until around 1991. He was then transferred to Chicago IL, where he served as a parish associate pastor and prior. In
1997 Chong settled in Peabody MA, living at the Order's priory and working, primarily, at their "Chapel-in-the-Mall." In 2008
Chong's name was quietly added to the Los Angeles diocese's list of "names of clergy from a follow up review of Archdiocesan
files, and names of clergy involved in Clergy I litigation which were not previously posted." Chong died October 31, 2014. His name
was included on Attorney Garabedian's list in March 2016 of accused clerics named in civil claims resulting in settlements or arbitration awards.
A former Crespi High School in Encino CA student received a settlement in March 2015, claiming Chong sexually abused him repeatedly 1984-86.

Born: June 5, 1938
Simple Profession:
September 8, 1958
Solemn Profession:
September 8, 1961
Died:
October 31, 2014



 




Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1956

Cleveland bishop was Edward Francis Hoban (1945-1966).

1958 Carmelite Brothers' Formation Program Akron OH    

1958

Washington DC archbishop was Patrick Aloysius O'Boyle (1947-1973).

1961 Whitefriars Hall Washington DC Assistant for the House of Theology Community This was a house of theology for the Carmelite Order.
1961 1963          

1963

Los Angeles archbishop was James Francis McIntyre (1948-1970).

1967 Crespi Carmelite High School Encino CA Teacher  

1967

McIntyre was succeeded by Timothy Finbar Manning (1970-1985).

1974 Mt. Carmel High School Los Angeles CA Teacher  
1974 1976         Chong is not listed in the Directory for these years. He was likely at Mt. Carmel or Crespi.
1976 1984         Chong is not listed in the Directory for these years. He was likely at Crespi.

1984

Roger Michael Mahony replaced Manning (1985-2011).

1989 Crespi Carmelite High School

Encino

Chong was accused in a lawsuit settled in March 2015 of sexually abusing a Crespi High student 1984-86. His accuser said Chong would abuse him in his living quarters after inviting the boy to sleep there after football practice.

CA    
1989 1991         Chong is not listed in the 1990 Directory.

1991

Chicago archbishop was Joseph Louis Bernardin (1982-1996), follwed by Francis Eugene George, O.M.I. (1997-2014).

1997 St. Gelasius Chicago IL Associate Pastor and Prior  

1997

Boston archbishop was Bernard Francis Law (1984-2002), followed by Sean Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap. (2003-).

2014 St. Therese Carmelite Chapel-in-the-Mall Peabody MA Sacristan (North Shore Mall)  
  2014 Discalced Carmelite Monastery Danvers MA    
1999 2014 Our Lady of the Scapular Carmelite Priory Peabody MA   Chong died October 31, 2014.

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons)

Carmelite Staff, St. Therese Carmelite, Chapel-in-the-Mall, carmelite.com, downloaded June 27, 2013
Assignment Histories related to the L.A. archdiocese's Final Addendum to the Report to the People of God, BishopAccountability.org, February 2013
Brother Damien P. Chong, O.Carm, 76, Obituary, The Salem News, November 1, 2014
Ex-Crespi Carmelite student gets 5-figure settlement for alleged sexual abuse, By Brenda Gazzar, Los Angeles Daily News, March 28, 2016

 

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 Chong'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 April 11, 2016.