Fr. Joseph H. Hopkins
Named publicly as accused by the Baltimore archdiocese on its list 4/24/2019. Assigned to St. Ambrose Church 1936-1943 and St. Cecilia’s 1943-1949. Transferred to Wheeling WV in 1949, when Francis P. Keough was archbishop of Baltimore (1947-1961) and John J. Swint was bishop of Wheeling-Charleston (1922-1962). Later incardinated into the Wheeling-Charleston diocese, where he worked at St. Peter’s in Wheeling and St. Xavier in Moundsville. Died 8/19/1961, while absent on leave. Allegation in 1995 of abuse in 1948. Included in the 4/5/2023 MD Attorney General’s Report, which shows that the allegation was of abuse of an 8th grade boy over several months in 1948 at St. Cecilia’s. Hopkins’ file indicates that he was sent away in 1949 due to “some bad action….with legal ramifications.” Baltimore Chancellor John Duggan told Hopkins in 1950 to keep his whereabouts secret because his case was “still active in the courts” and it would be “very detrimental” if authorities knew where he was.
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