Assignment History– Rev. Richard J. Ahern, C.S.S.

Summary of Case: RIchard J. Ahern was a priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata (Stigmatines), ordained in 1954. He was assigned to Stigmatine parishes in the in the Archdioceses of Boston and New York, and the Dioceses of Richmond, VA and Springfield, MA. Additionally, he was Director in the 1960s of Camp Elm Bank in Wellesley, MA. From 1985 until his death in 2001 Ahern resided at St. Joseph's Hall, which was a retirement home for priests and brothers at the Stigmatine's headquarters in Waltham, MA. He was Administrator of the residence from 1988 on. There are several unexplained gaps in Ahern's assignment history.

The Stigmatines were aware of allegations of child sexual abuse against Ahern at least as early as 1979. Four men are known to have come forward, one alleging abuse as a sixth and seventh-grade altar boy in VA in the 1959-1961, and three others reporting that Ahern sexually abused them at Camp Elm Bank in Wellesley, MA in the 1960s. The boys were said to have been ages 11 to 15, and the abuse allegedly spanned the decade.

By 1988 Ahern's ministry was restricted. He died in February 2001.

Born: April 12, 1927
Ordained: June 12, 1954
Died: February 1, 2001

1954

Archdiocese of Boston

Archbishop was Richard James Cushing (1944-1970).

1955

Diocese of Springfield MA

Bishop was Christopher Joseph Weldon (1950-1977).

1957

Archdiocese of New York

Archbishop was Francis Joseph Spellman (1939-1967.)

Noted in the Directory to have been at corner of Ferris and Park Aves

This was a mission of Our Lady of Moutn Carmel in White Plainw.

1958

Diocese of Richmond

Bishop was John Joyce Russell (1958-1973).

Woodbridge

• In an letter to Boston's Cardinal Law a man stated that Ahern sexually abused him during 1959-1961, when he was in sixth and seventh grades and an Our Lady of the Angels altar boy.

1960s

Archdiocese of Boston

Archbishop was Richard James Cushing (1944-1970).

Wellesley

• Ahern was accused in a 1993 lawsuit of the sexual abuse of a boy, ages 14-15 in 1964-65 at Camp Elm Bank and on trips to NYC and Biddeford, Maine. The alleged victim said that, the first time it happened, Ahern had two other teen boys pin him down while the priest masturbated him. Stigmatine father Leo Landry was also accused of abusing the boy at Camp Elm Bank.

• Another man came forward in 2002, alleging he was sexually abused by Ahern at Camp Elm Bank when he was age 11 in 1962.

• In another lawsuit a man claimed that Ahern sexually abused him at camp in 1969, when he was 14 years old.

1961

Archdiocese of Boston

Archbishop was Richard James Cushing (1944-1970).

1967

Diocese of Springfield MA

Bishop was Christopher Joseph Weldon (1950-1977).

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel had a school with 156-204 students.

1976

Archdiocese of Boston

Archbishop was Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983).

Ahern is not indexed in the 1980 Directory, nor is he listed in the diocesan pages as at his previous or next assignments.

The Stigmatines knew at least as early of 1979 of allegations against him of the sexual abuse of minors.

1980

Diocese of Springfield MA

Bishop was Joseph Francis Maguire (1977-1991).

1985

Archdiocese of Boston

Archbishop was Bernard Francis Law (1984-2002).

St. Joseph's Hall was a retirement residence for priests and brothers. Per a 7/17/85 memo, Ahern was to assist at Sacred Heart in Waltham.

A May 1986 letter from the Stigmatine Provincial, Rev. Joseph Henchey, to Boston archdiocese Vicar General, Rev. Robert J. Banks, reveals that Ahern was assisting Rev. Paul Shanley on Sunday mornings at Shanley's parish in Newton, rather than at St. Joseph's in Waltham. Shanley was the subject of numerous allegations of child sexual abuse; he was convicted in 2005 of the sexual abuse in the 1980s of a young boy. The letter refers to Ahern's "previous difficulties, " mentions several Stigmatines in California, and states that "a further difficulty" was that Ahern's mother needed him to be nearby in Massachusetts.

Ahern was given limited faculties in at least 1988, 1989 and 1990. He died February 1, 2001.

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.

Source: Official Catholic Directory (Kenedy & Sons, 1955-2002).

• 8.18.93 Letter re allegations of abuse by Ahern and others
• Description of 1959-61 Abuse
• Michael Moe et al. v. The Trustees of the Stigmatine Fathers, Inc. aka Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata et al, Cause No. 05-0059, 6.4.08
• Restricted from Springfield MA & Difficulties in Lynn
• Abuse Alleged at Wellesley Seminary, by Matt Carroll, The Boston Globe, August 10, 2002
• Crisis in the Church, Archdiocesan Mix-Up, by Walter V. Robinson, The Boston Globe, December 12, 2002
• Crisis in Church, Sordid Tales Emerge as More Priest Files Opened, by Robin Washington, The Boston Herald, December 12, 2002
• The missing names from Cardinal O'Malley's list of accused clerics, The Boston Globe, November 20, 2011
• Survivors of Clergy Abuse to Meet, by Bronislaus B. Kush, Telegram & Gazette, March 21, 2012
• Stigmatine Biography
• Boston Faculties Record
• Letter Documenting Ahern's Work with Shanley


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 Ahern's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with the allegations against him, as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegations 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 July 6, 2018.