Rev. Gerald Simonelli - Assignment Record

Assignment Record– Rev. Gerald Simonelli

Summary of Case: Gerald "Fr. Jerry" Simonelli was ordained for the Joliet diocese in 1990. He assisted at parishes in West Chicago, Bolingbrook and Glen Ellyn, then pastored parishes in Romeoville, Addison and Bloomingdale. He was removed from ministry in May 2010 after a 21-yr-old man accused him of "inappropriate conduct" that occurred more than two years previously. Bishop Sartain stated Simonelli's removal was due to "homosexual activity" and that he was "unfaithful to his vows on more than one occasion." Simonelli's name appears on the diocese's June 24, 2015 list of "Diocesan Priests With A Credible Allegation(s) of Sexual Abuse of Minors Made Against Them While Serving in the Joliet Diocese." The list notes there to be a continuing canonical process.

Ordained: 1990

Start	Stop	Assignment	Town/Accusations	State	Position	Notes
1990 Joliet bishop was Joseph Leopold Imesch (1979-2006).	1992	St. Mary's	West Chicago	IL	2/2	St. Mary's had a school with 175-152 students.
1992	1997	St. Dominic's	Bolingbrook	IL	2/3, /2/2	St. Dominic's had a school with 215-310 students, and a religious education program.
1997	2001	St. Petronille's	Glen Ellyn	IL	3/4	St. Petronille's had a school with 513-528 students, and a religious education program with 1,186-1,025.
2001	2006	St. Andrew the Apostle's	Romeoville	IL	1/3, 1/2, 1/1	St. Andrew's had a school with 305-315 students, and a religious education program with 885-1,1617 students.
2006 Imesch was succeeded by James Peter Sartain (2006-2010).	2008	St. Joseph's	Addison	IL	1/2	St. Joseph's had a school with 140-145 students, and a religious education program with 379-410 students.
2008 Robert Daniel Conlon followed Sartain as Joliet bishop (2011-).	2010	St. Isodore's	Bloomingdale • Simonelli was placed on leave in May 2010 after a 21-year-old man told the diocese Simonelli had engaged in "inappropriate contact" with him more than two years previously. Bishop Sartain stated the suspension was due to "homosexual activity."	IL	1/3	St. Isodore's had a school with 313 students, and a religious education program with 1,286-1,255 students.
2010	2015	Leave of Absence				Simonelli's name appeared on the diocese's June 24, 2015 list of priests with credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors. It noted that his case was in canonical process.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1991-2014)

• Bloomingdale Priest Removed from Post, By Marco Santana, Daily Herald, May 19, 2010
• Illinois Bishop Removes Priest for Homosexual Activity, Catholic Culture, May 20, 2010
• List of Credibly Accused Priests, Diocese of Joliet, June 24, 2015

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 Simonelli'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 24, 2015.