Assignment Record– Rev. John M. Mendicoa

Summary of Case: Mendicoa, a native of the Basque region of Spain, was ordained in 1967 in Madrid for the Brogherhood of Diocesan Worker Priests of the Heart of Jesus. He appears to have arrived in the U.S. in 1969, and was incardinated into the Archdiocese of Boston in 1990. Mendicoa was put on administrative leave in August 2011, due to an allegation that he had sexually abused a child sometime in the 1980s. As of March 2012, however, he was listed on the archdiocesan website as "active." He was also listed as associate pastor at the parish from which he was said to have been removed in August 2011. Further, the March 18, 2012 church bulletin contained a solicitation for help for Mendicoa's legal expenses. The pastor of that parish apologized for using church resources to solicit funds for Mendicoa after the solicitation was brought to the public's attention.

Born: 1943
Ordained: 1967

1969

Greensburg bishop was Wiliiam Graham Connare (1960-1987).

1972

Boston archbishop was Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983).

Parish had a school with 195-326 students.

Referred to as Rev. John Mendicoa, o.m.i. He is indexed as at this parish in the 1973 through 1978 Directories. However, he is listed as there in the Boston archdiocesan pages of the 1973 Directory only.

1979

Washington DC archbishop was William Wakefield Baum (1973-1980).

1978
1985

Baum was succeeded by James Aloysius Hickey (1980-2000).

4/07/81

Medeiros was succeeded as Boston archbishop by Bernard Francis Law (1984-2002).

Lowell

• An accusation emerged in August 2011 that Mendicoa had sexually abused a child sometime in the 1980s.

6/03/97

Law was replaced by Sean Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M.Cap. (2003-).

2/3, 2/4, 2/2

Parochial Vicar 2009-2011

Mendicoa is referred to in the 2002-2003 Directories as "John J.", and "John M." thereafter.

Mendicoa was placed on administrative leave in Aug. 2011 due to an allegation that he had sexually abused a child sometime in the 1980s.

Mendicoa is listed on the archdiocesan website in March 2012 as "active", and still at Sacred Heart. A March 18, 2012 Sacred Heart church bulletin lists Mendicoa as associate pastor. In the same bulletin is a solicitation for help with legal expenses for "Fr. John" or "Padre Juan." Sacred Heart's pastor, Monsignor Francis Kelley, apologized for using church resources to solicit funds for Mendicoa after the solicitation received media attention.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1970-2010)

• Reverend Placed on Leave after Abuse Allegations, Boston Channel, August 14, 2011
• Archdiocese of Boston Places Reverend on Leave after Allegation of Sexual Abuse of a Child, By Antoinette Kelly, Fox 25, August 14, 2011
• Boston Priest Accused of Child Sex Abuse, By Boston Herald, Associated Press, August 14, 2011
• Archdiocese Places Roslindale Priest on Leave, By L. Finch, Boston Globe, August 14, 2011
• Archdiocese of Boston Places Rev. John M. Mendicoa on Administrative Leave, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, August 14, 2011
• Roslindale Priest Accused of Sexual Abuse, Fox 25, August 15, 2011
• Rev. John M. Mendicoa, Archdiocese of Boston Website, March 29, 2012
• Rev. John M. Mendicoa Assignment History, Archdiocese of Boston
• Publication with Respect to Archdiocesan Clergy Accused of Sexual Abuse of a Child, Bostoncatholic.org
• Sacred Heart-St. Andrew the Apostle Church bulletin, March 18, 2012
• Priest Apologizes For Trying To Raise Funds For Accused Sex Abuser, CBS Boston, March 29, 2012

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.

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 Mendicoa's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation 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 March 30, 2012.