Bishop Accountability
 
 
    

Deposition of Bishop John B. McCormack

This page provides the full text of Bishop John B. McCormack's deposition, together with all 85 exhibits. McCormack was deposed in five sessions, beginning on June 3, 2002, and ending on November 22, 2002. His testimony provides a review of many archdiocesan documents relating to Paul Shanley and other accused priests, and it offers a detailed retrospective on McCormack's service under Cardinal Law.

Law named McCormack his Secretary for Ministerial Personnel in November 1984, and made him his first Delegate, a position created by the 1993 Sexual Misconduct Policy. McCormack was both Secretary and Delegate until 1994, when Paul E. Miceli became Secretary and Brian Flatley became Delegate. McCormack was ordained auxiliary bishop of Boston in 1995 and became bishop of Manchester in 1998.

Below we offer links to McCormack's testimony during the five days, followed by links to the exhibits. We are also providing links within the deposition to each exhibit, to facilitate your reading. We have completed those detailed exhibit links for the first day's testimony.

Note: This transcript of Bishop John B. McCormack's deposition is a reader's copy, provided for educational purposes with links to the exhibits. Original page numbers appear at the top of the text to which they pertain and are set within square brackets, along with occasional editorial notes. For ease of use, the line numbers that may be consulted in the official transcript are not displayed here. Every effort has been made to create exhibit links that are correct and to ensure the accuracy of the text. Please bring any errors to our attention.

Deposition

* Day 1: June 3, 2002
* Day 2: August 15, 2002
* Day 3: September 27, 2002
* Day 4: October 1, 2002
* Day 5: November 22, 2002

Exhibits

To open an exhibit, click on the exhibit number in the left column. To go to the place in the deposition where the exhibit is marked for discussion, click the page number in the right column. The exhibits have been carefully redacted by the lawyers involved, but if information that should have been redacted has mistakenly been allowed to stand, please let us know, and we will correct our posted copy and notify the lawyers.

Day 1: June 3, 2002


Number

[Exhibit]

Page

1

John B. McCormack Social Worker's License

18

2

NASW Policy Statements Code of Ethics

23

3

Code of Massachusetts Regulations, Title 258: Board of Registration of Social Workers

37

4

File Notes; Mahan Case, dated 10-21-94

45

5

Memorandum dated 6-26-97 from Sister McCarthy to Father Mahan

49

6

Document entitled "The Problem of Sexual Molestation by Roman Catholic Clergy: Meeting the Problem in a Comprehensive and Responsible Manner"

76

7

Statement of Bishop McCormack dated 5-2-02

100

8

The Five Principles to Follow in Dealing with Accusations of Sexual Abuse, June 1992

109

9

Memorandum dated 5-18-94 from Sister Mulkerrin to Father McCormack [Matte]

117

10

Memorandum dated 3-18-94 [Hanlon]

117

11

Letter dated 9-27-93 from Mr. MacLeish to Mr. Rogers [Lane, Surette, Roche, Mahan, Towner, O'Sullivan, Shanley, Tourigney, Breton, Atwater, Barrett, Dwyer, Dunn, Forry, Paquin, Mullin, Hickey]

118

12

Document entitled "Personal and Confidential, Reverend Ronald Paquin[,] St. John's Parish, Haverhill

150

13

The Union Leader Article dated 5-2-02 [Shanley]

176

14

Letter dated 4-29-85 from Ms. Higgs to Bishop Law [Shanley]

183

15

Letter dated 5-15-85 from Rev. McCormack to Ms. Higgs [Shanley]

201

16

Memorandum dated 5-24-85 from Father McCormack to Father Banks [Shanley]

206

17

Letter dated 5-15-85 from Rev. McCormack to Ms. Higgs with handwritten note [Shanley]

209

18

Letter dated 6-4-85 from Rev. McCormack to Rev. Shanley

209

19

Letter dated 4-2-79 from Mr. McGeady to Cardinal Medeiros [Shanley]

225

20

Three-page Handwritten Document [Birmingham]

225

21

Document dated 2-12-87 [Birmingham]

225

22

Letter dated 4-4-87 to Bernard Cardinal Law [Birmingham]

225

23

Letter dated 4-14-87 from Rev. McCormack [Birmingham]

225

24

Two-page Handwritten Document dated 10-14-92 [Birmingham]

225

25

Two-page Handwritten Document dated 10-13-92 [Birmingham]

225

26

Handwritten Document dated 10-14-92 [Birmingham]

225

27

Memorandum dated 6-2-02 from Mr. Hogan to Mr. Sherman [Birmingham]

225

28

Four-page Document dated 11-4-64 [Birmingham]

225

29

Memorandum dated 6-2-02 to Mr. MacLeish [Birmingham]

225

30

Letter dated 2-2-95 to Mr. Contrera [Birmingham]

225

31

Memorandum dated 6-1-02 from Mr. Coleman to Mr. MacLeish [Coughlin]

262

32

Letter dated 6-4-85 from [Mr. Pollard] [Rosenkranz]]

[266]


Day 2: August 15, 2002

33

Transcript Excerpt of Cardinal Law

23

34

Letter dated 11-21-89 from Father Shanley to Cardinal Law

79

35

Letter dated 12-7-89 from Cardinal Law to Father Shanley

81

36

Letter dated 12-22-89 from Cardinal Law to Father Shanley

95

37

Memorandum dated 2-6-90 from Father McCormack to Father McCarthy [Shanley]

110

38

Memorandum dated 2-2-90 from Father McCormack to Bishop Banks [Shanley]

115

39

Letter dated 1-16-90 from Reverend Shanley to Reverend McCormack

174

40

Handwritten Notes dated 1-22 [Shanley]

185

41

Memorandum dated 1-22-90 from Father McCarthy to Father McCormack [Shanley]

196

42

Letter dated 1-16-90 from Bishop Banks to Reverend Behan [Shanley]

196


Day 3: September 27, 2002

43

Memorandum dated 5-9-90 from Father Ryan to Reverend McCormack [Shanley]

66

44

Memorandum dated 12-13-89 from Reverend Shanley to Clergy Fund Advisory Com

93

45

Memorandum dated 6-5-90 from Father McCormack to Reverend Shanley

104

46

Letter dated 5-13-90 from Father Shanley to Bishop McCormack

104

47

Letter dated 6-5-90 to Reverend Shanley

104

48

Letter dated 10-25-90 to Reverend Shanley

118

49

Letter dated 11-20-90 from Reverend Shanley to Reverend McCormack

126

50

Memorandum dated 12-11-90 from Father McCormack to Bishop Hughes [Shanley]

135

51

Letter dated 12-11-90 from Cardinal Law to Reverend Shanley

149


52

Letter dated 3-14-91 from Reverend Shanley to Reverend McCormack

174

53

Letter dated 2-14-94 from Reverend McCormack to Reverend Shanley

195


Day 4: October 1, 2002


54

Newspaper Article dated 9-29-02 [Roland Cote]

19

55

Letter dated 3-14-91 from Reverend Shanley to Reverend McCormack

36

56

Letter dated 3-14-91 from Reverend McCormack to Reverend Shanley

40

57

Letter dated 5-10-91 from Reverend McCormack to Reverend Shanley

62

58

Letter dated 9-3-91 to from Reverend McCormack to Reverend Shanley

68

59

Letter dated 9-6-91 from Father Shanley to John [McCormack]

73

60

Letter dated 10-7-91 from JM to Reverend Shanley

76

61

Letter dated 10-23-91 from Dr. Shaner to Father McCormack [Shanley]

78

62

Letter dated 10-31-91 from Reverend McCormack to Dr. Cassem [Shanley]

85

63

Letter dated 11-16-91 from Dr. Cassem to Reverend McCormack [Shanley]

98


64

Memorandum dated 12-9-91 from Father McCormack to Bishop Hughes [Shanley]

115

65

Letter dated 12-18-91 from Mr. Dinardo to Reverend Ryan [Shanley]

119

66

Memorandum dated 12-2[3-]91 from Father Ryan to Father McCormack [Shanley]

120

67

Confidential Report dated 9-27-93 from Sister Mulkerrin to Reverend McCormack [Shanley]

125

68

Handwritten Notes dated 10-4-93 [Shanley]

139

69

Handwritten Notes dated 10-8-93 [Shanley]

154

70

Handwritten Notes dated 10-12-93 [Shanley]

166

71

Handwritten Notes dated 10-14-93 [Shanley]

170

72

Confidential Report dated 10-29-93 from Sister Mulkerrin to Father McCormack [Shanley]

172

73

Handwritten Notes dated 12-3-93 [Shanley]

174

74

Letter dated 1-16-94 from Father Shanley to Jack [McCormack]

185

75

Letter dated 1-24-94 from Reverend McCormack to Reverend Shanley

185


Day 5: November 22, 2002

76

Letter dated 7-10-86 to Cardinal Law [Graham]

48

77

Letter dated 2-14-94 from Reverend McCormack to Reverend Shanley

81

78

Memorandum dated 2-14-94 from Father McCormack to Father Lennon [Shanley]

85

79

Two-page Handwritten Document dated 3-3-94 re: Paul Shanley

86

80

Document entitled "Personal and Confidential Reverend Paul Shanley"

109

81

Letter dated 5-23-94 from Reverend McCormack to Reverend Shanley

111

82

Memorandum dated 8-30-94 from Reverend McCormack to File [Shanley]

115

83

Handwritten Document Headed "Shanley P"

131

84

Document entitled "Personal and Confidential Review Board October 3, 1994" [Shanley]

135

85

Letter dated 4-12-95 from Reverend Flatley to Reverend Shanley

145



 
 

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