Assignment Record– Rev. Thomas R. Hopp

Summary of Case: Thomas R. Hopp was ordained for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 1966. He was transferred often among archdiocesan parishes until 1983, when he began a twelve-year stint as pastor of a Dayton parish, followed by seven years at another. Early on he taught at Alter High School in Kettering, and he was an Academic Dean at St. Gregory's Seminary for a year in the mid-1970s.

In 1997 the archdiocese received an anonymous complaint that Hopp had displayed "odd" behavior toward a child; Hopp was put "on notice" - he was not to be alone with children except during confession. In April 2002 Hopp was placed on administrative leave after a man reported to the archdiocese that Hopp had sexually abused him when he was a 12-year-old altar boy in 1980. Hopp was temporary administrator of St. Michael's in Ft. Laramie at the time. He admitted to the abuse. Another man filed suit in 2004, claiming sexual abuse as a 12 to 14-year-old by Hopp in the early 1980s at St. Denis in Versailles. A third man claimed in a lawsuit that Hopp sexually abused him when he was a 12 to 15-year-old St. Michael's altar boy in the early 1980s. The suit was dismissed in 2006 by the Ohio Supreme Court, which cited the statute of limitations.

Hopp was permanently removed from ministry by the Vatican in 2005, and given a "life of prayer and penance." He died December 21, 2014.

Ordained: 1966
Died: December 21, 2014

1966

Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Archbishop was Karl Joseph Alter (1950-1969), followed by Paul Francis Leibold (1969-1972).

Holy Family had a school with 220-146 boys and 242-145 girls.

1971

Leibold was succeeded by Joseph Louis Bernardin (1972-1982).

Ft. Laramie

• A man in his thirties informed the archdiocese in March 2002 that he had been sexually abused as a 12-year-old altar boy by Hopp in 1980. Hopp admitted the abuse.

• In 2006, due to the statute of limitations, the Ohio Supreme Court dismissed a civil lawsuit filed by a man who claimed Hopp sexually abused him 1980-1983 when he was 12-15 years- old and a St. Michael's parishioner.

1981

Bernardin was replaced as Cincinnati archbishop by Daniel Edward Pilarczyk (1982-2009).

Versailles

• Hopp was accused in a lawsuit filed in 2004 of sexually abusing a 12-14 year-old boy at St. Denis in the early 1980s.

Dayton

• The archdiocese received an allegation in 1997 that Hopp had shown "odd behavior" around a teenage boy, who was a Queen of Martyrs parishioner. The allegation was not substantiated and parishioners were not informed of it. An archdiocesan spokesman said in 2002 that Hopp had been "put on notice" and wasn't supposed to be alone with children, except for during confession.

Hopp was placed on Administrative Leave in April 2002 after admitted to sexually abusing a boy in 1980. His victim was in his thirties when he reported the abuse.

Hopp was sent to stay at another parish, SS. Peter and Paul in Reading OH. Despite the fact that he was suspended from active ministry, Hopp presided over mass twice during his first weekend at the parish, telling parishioners he had been sent there "to rest." When parishioners learned of the abuse allegations against him, there was an uproar. The parish pastor said he didn't know Hopp was barred from saying mass, and decided he should leave the parish when parishioners continued to complain.

Hopp is not indexed beyond the 2002 Directory. He was permanently removed from ministry by the Vatican in 2005, sentenced to a "life of prayer and penance."

Hopp died December 21, 2014.

Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Source: Official Catholic Directory (Kenedy & Sons, 1966-2002).

• Local Priest Put on Leave in Sex Case, By Joann Rouse and Wes Hills, Dayton Daily News [Ohio], April 29, 2002
• 2nd Allegation Revealed Another Complaint Made against Priest, By Lynn Hulsey and Tom Beyerlein, Dayton Daily News [Ohio], April 30, 2002
• Abuse Allegations — "Every Precaution Has Been Taken", By Dan Horn, Cincinnati Enquirer, May 1, 2002
•  Victim 'Scared to No End' by Local Priest, By Tom Beyerlein and Jim DeBrosse, May 3, 2002
Dayton Daily News [Ohio
• Suit Claims Priest Abuse, Cover-Up, By Ben Sutherly, Dayton Daily News [Ohio], January 28, 2004
• 2 Priests Restored, Others Permanently Removed, Press Release from Dan Andriacco, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, October 12, 2005
• Former Area Priest Defrocked, By Jim Bebbington, Dayton Daily News [Ohio], October 13, 2005
• A Tough-Minded Decision, Cincinnati Post [Ohio]
June 2, 2006
• Lawsuits in Sex-Abuse Case by Priests Withdrawn, By Ben Sutherly, Dayton Daily News [Ohio], June 23, 2006
• Accused Priests Remain on Payroll, By Tom Beyerlein, Dayton Daily News [Ohio], April 22, 2007
• Examining Church Sex Abuse, By John Johnston, Cincinnati Enquirer [Cincinnati OH], April 29, 2007
• Rev. Thomas R. Hopp, Cincinnati Enquirer via Legacy.com, December 27, 2014

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Hopp's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with the allegations against him, as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegations we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on December 8, 2016.