Fr. Peter John McNamara
Ordained in 1970. According to documents released by the Archdiocese in 2014, McNamara was not ordained with his classmates in 1969 because of “bizarre behavior” during his diaconate year and that he allegedly possessed child pornography. The Archbishop knew in 1971 that McNamara was involved in “an amorous relationship” with a teenage girl. McNamara resigned from the priesthood in 8/1971 and was laicized in 11/1972. In 2002 a woman alleged sexual abuse by McNamara beginning in 1968 when she was 14- or 15-years-old, and continuing into adulthood and after he left the priesthood. They married in 1972 and had two children. They divorced in 1980. McNamara remarried in 1990 and was widowed in 1991. He married again 2/13/1993. He lived with his wife and son in Mt. Prospect IL until 2016, when they moved to Racine, WI. Named publicly as accused in the Archdiocesan Report 3/20/2006. The Archdiocese settled at least one claim in a 5/2007 $6.65M settlement with 14 people claiming abuse by 12 priests. Included in the 5/23/2023 IL Attorney General’s Report. McNamara died 11/1/2023.
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