Father James Graham
Diocese of Pittsburgh
Ordained: 1966
Suspended from ministry: 2012
Died: 2015
Assigned as Follows:
- 1966-1972: St. Lawrence O’Toole (Pittsburgh, PA)
- 1972-1974: St. Elizabeth of Hungary (Pittsburgh, PA)
- 1974-1978: St. Bernadette (Monroeville, PA)
- 1978-2012: St. Lawrence O’Toole (Garfield, PA)
Summary of Allegations Against Father James Graham:
Father James Graham was ordained a priest in 1966, who served in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. According to media reports, documentation from the Diocesan Review Board shows that three accusations of sexual abuse against Father Graham were reviewed and deemed credible in 2012, though it is not entirely clear from the report when the allegations were actually made for the first time.
The first victim was a man who died of a drug overdose in 2012. Shortly before his death, he authored a detailed letter outlining his abuse by Graham starting at age 9, and lasting about 2 or 3 years. The grand jury report is not clear as to where Graham was assigned at the time of the alleged abuse.
A second victim died in 2002. His sister told the Diocesan Review Board that after he was placed on the liver transplant list, he revealed to her that he and Graham had had sexual relations when he was only 15 years old. She brought the allegations to the Diocese of Pittsburgh after his death and offered sworn testimony as to the contents of her conversations with her brother for the internal review board’s consideration.
In April 2012, a third victim reported in an interview with the Clergy Office that Father Graham sodomized him when he was 16 years old on at least two occasions.
Bishop David Zubik permanently removed Graham from ministry in 2012 after the internal Diocesan Review Board deemed the three allegations “credible and substantiated.” The board did not find Graham to be credible, on the other hand. Therefore, the board recommended to the Bishop that Graham be removed from ministry.
Graham was named publicly as accused in a priest profile in the 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report. He died in 2015.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Pennsylvania, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Pittsburgh may have legal options, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.