Fr. John Duggan – Diocese of Albany

| Jun 24, 2019 | Abuser Profiles, Catholic Church

Father John Duggan

Diocese of Albany

Ordained: 1957

Removed: 2002

Died: 2004

Assigned as follows:

  • 1957-1958:  Weston College (Boston, MA)
  • 1958-1959: Our Lady of Martyrs (Auriesville, NY)
  • 1959-1970:  Scranton Prep. High School (Scranton, PA)
  • 1968-1972: Loyola High School (Towson, MD)
  • 1972-1978: St. Agnes Hospital (Philadelphia, PA)
  • 1979-1980: Old St. Joseph’s (Philadelphia, PA)
  • 1980-1981: Faber House (Chicago, IL)
  • 1981-1983: Jos (Nigeria, West Africa)
  • 1983-1984: Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital (Camden, NJ)
  • 1984-1989: Scranton Prep. High School (Scranton, PA)
  • 1989-1993: St. Paul’s (Scranton, PA)
  • 1994-1995: Jesuit Fathers and Brothers Maryland Provincial Curia (Baltimore, MD)
  • 1995-2004: University of Scranton (Scranton, PA)

Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father John Duggan:

Fr. John Duggan was ordained a Jesuit priest of the Maryland Province in 1957. He worked in high schools and parishes in the Archdioceses of Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, Nigeria, and the Diocese of Albany and Camden, before returning to Scranton where he first started his career. According to media reports, in 1993, Duggan was sent for a psychological evaluation and admitted to sexually abusing young children in his early priesthood. He denied that any of the abuse occurred within the Diocese. Upon his release, Bishop Timlin reinstated Duggan to supervised ministry. He was also required to meet regularly with his aftercare counseling team.

In December 1996, an adult male reported to Bishop Timlin that he was sexually abused by Duggan in the 1970s when he was a teenager engaged in spiritual counseling at the Jesuit house in Scranton. A ban on Duggan’s parish work was imposed and he was restricted to convent and prison ministry.

In 1999, the same male reported that he believed Duggan was participating in unsupervised ministry. The Diocesan Review Board recommended to Bishop Timlin that the only ministries open to Duggan were the celebration of mass and the administration of sacraments in correctional facilities, nursing homes, and convents.

In May 2002, the male again contacted the Diocese and requested assurances that Duggan posed no threat to young people. Bishop Timlin then suggested to the Maryland Provincial that it would not be a good idea for Duggan to return to Scranton. The Provincial notified Bishop Timlin that Duggan had been removed from the Jesuit Community in Scranton.

The victim reported his sexual abuse to the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office but the statute of limitations had expired. According to paperwork, the Jesuit Community provided free tuition to the victim’s children and transferred Duggan from the Jesuit Community in Scranton.

In 2002, another man reported to the Archdiocese of Baltimore that his son was sexually abused by Duggan in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Duggan worked at Loyola Blakefield High School in Towson, Maryland during those years. He was at a Jesuit residence at the University of Scranton, Pennsylvania at the time of the report, and until his death in January 2004

In September 2002, Duggan’s name first appeared publicly on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s list of clergy credibly accused of sex abuse of minors.

In August 2018, Duggan’s name appeared publicly on the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report followed by the Diocese of Scranton’s list of clergy credibly accused of sex abuse of minors.

Duggan died in 2004.

Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Albany. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Albany, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Albany now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an email to [email protected] to discuss your options today.