An Abusive Priest Was Ordered Not to Wear Clerical Garb or Celebrate Mass. He Did Anyway

By Andrew Wolfson
The Courier-Journal
February 14, 2020

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When the Archdiocese of Louisville in 2005 confirmed that the Rev. J. Irvin Mouser had molested five boys — several at drive-in movies — the Vatican ordered him to stop functioning as a priest.

The Holy See commanded Mouser to live a life of "prayer and penance," meaning he could no longer wear clerical garb, celebrate Mass publicly, administer the sacraments or present himself publicly as a priest.

But Mouser did all of those things, The Courier Journal found.

While the archdiocese listed him in its ministers directory as "retired" and "removed from public ministry," the Sisters of Loretto, which is south of Bardstown in Marion County, put him to work as the chaplain in its motherhouse.

There, according to photos on its website, while wearing full clerical garb, Mouser gave blessings and celebrated Mass.

"My role is to meet the spiritual needs of this ever-growing community," he was quoted in the winter 2018 issue of Loretto Magazine.

On Friday, just a few hours after The Courier Journal asked the order why it was allowing Mouser to serve as chaplain — and provided links to photographs of him in clerical robes — a spokeswoman said it was removing him from the community.