SPRINGFIELD (IL)
WCIA [Champaign IL]
July 29, 2026
By Molly Sweeney
SANGAMON COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — A lawsuit filed in Sangamon County last week alleges the Catholic Archdiocese of Springfield enabled and concealed the sexual abuse of an altar boy by a former priest in Taylorville in the 1990s.
The lawsuit was filed by Gould Grieco & Hensley PLLC on July 22, 2026. It alleges that Father John O’Connell — who served at St. Mary’s Catholic School and Parish in Taylorville — sexually abused a young boy between 1991 and 1994. O’Connell died in 2002 at the age of 68.
During the timeframe of the alleged abuse, the young boy — referred to as John Doe — served as an altar boy and attended school.
According to the lawsuit, the alleged abuse happened during altar boy training and preparation for Mass. O’Connell allegedly “manipulated situations” to isolate John Doe, all while he was under the church’s care. According to the complaint, John Doe “suffered and continues to suffer” from the abuse, including loss of self-esteem, and enjoyment of life and faith.
The complaint also alleges the Diocese allowed clergy to be alone with children without supervision, failed to implement safeguards to prevent abuse, failed to report misconduct to authorities and never publicly identified O’Connell as a priest who was facing allegations of child sexual abuse.
“This was about power and access,” GGH Founding Partner, Michael Grieco, said in a news release. “A priest took advantage of his authority to abuse a child while the Church looked the other way.”
When reached for a statement on the lawsuit, the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois said it does not comment on pending litigation.
We encourage individuals to report allegations of sexual abuse of a minor by clergy, even if it’s in the past, by calling the Diocesan Child Abuse Reporting and Investigation number at 217-321-1155, calling the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Abuse Hotline at 1-800-25-ABUSE, and contacting their local police authority. Our diocese has a Victim Assistance Coordinator ready to help anyone who has been victimized.Diocese of Springfield
In 2023, an investigation by the Illinois Attorney General found nearly 700 priests in the state had been accused of sexual misconduct.
“The AG Report found that Illinois dioceses / religious orders, including Defendant Diocese of Springfield, deliberately failed to investigate accusations of sexual abuse against clergy members, resulting in hundreds of priests escaping accountability, and hundreds of incidents of sexual abuse remaining unreported and unaddressed,” the lawsuit reads.