Father James McDonnell – Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Assignment Record:

DatesAssignment
Approx. 1943 Ordained in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
1944 – 1950 Our Lady of Consolation Church, Philadelphia, PA
1951 – 1953 Church of the Epiphany, Philadelphia, PA
1954 – 1975 “U.S. Navy Chaplains”
1976 Annunciation B.V.M. Church, Brookline, PA
1977 – 1995 Maternity B.V.M. Church, Philadelphia, PA
Source:
  • The Official Catholic Directory, Kenedy & Sons

(The years listed above are the publication years of the Official Catholic Directory. According to the Directory, the assignments provided for a given year are effective as of January 1 of that year. This means that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year at a parish or school was likely at the same assignment for at least part of the previous year as well.)

Summary:
  • Father McDonnell died in 1995.
  • Father James McDonnell was accused of sexually abusing a male minor child on at least thirty occasions from approximately 1978 to 1979 when the male child was approximately thirteen to fourteen years old. At the time of the sexual abuse, Father McDonnell was assigned to Maternity B.V.M. Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The sexual abuse took place in locations including the rectory near Maternity B.V.M. Church.
  • The sexual abuse by Father McDonnell included the following: Father McDonnell performed oral sex on the boy and forced the boy to perform oral sex on Father McDonnell. On about two occasions, Father McDonnell also sodomized the boy.
  • The claim settled in April 2020 in the low six figures.