Msgr. Robert Maher – Diocese of Harrisburg
Ordained: 1937
Resigned: 1975
Died: 1990
Assigned as follows:
- 1937-1939 St. Rose of Lima (York, PA)
- 1939 St. Mary (Kulpmont, PA)
- 1940-1941 St. Peter (Columbia, PA)
- 1941 Boy Scout Chaplain
- 1946-1961 Superintendent of Schools
- 1941-1946 St. Mary Assumption (Lebanon, PA)
- 1946-1960 St. Peter (Columbia, PA)
- 1960-1961 St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Harrisburg, PA)
- 1961-1974 St. VIncent (Hanover, PA)
- 1975-1979 Resigned/Retired
- 1979-1986 Diocesan Archivist
Summary of Allegations against Msgr. Robert Maher:
According to the grand jury report, there is one lone, mysterious document in Maher’s secret/restricted file, accessible only by the Bishop, relating to Msgr. Robert Maher’s resignation in 1975. He refers vaguely to an “experience” that is not “without pain. But like surgery it must be endured trusting no metastasis will overtake our spiritual therapy.” Bishop Joseph Daley accepted the priest’s resignation but specifically opted not to revoke Maher’s faculties to minister. No documents in the Maher’s files refer to the actual reason he resigned.
In 1994, the Diocese of Harrisburg received an allegation of abuse from a man who says that Maher sexually abused him (kissing, fondling, oral sex upon the child) when he was in 6th or 7th grade and Maher was assigned to St. Vincent in Hanover, Pennsylvania. The same man mad reports consistently in 1997, 2002, and 2007, though the exact reason he was so persistent is not included in the grand jury report.
In 1997, a member of a religious order reported to the Diocese of Harrisburg that he had personally sought counseling as an adult from Maher. During a counseling session, Maher forced himself upon the man, hugging him and forcing his tongue into the man’s mouth during an unwanted kiss.
In 2012, another man reported abuse as a child. He said that during the course of being counseled for his poor behavior as a nine year old, Maher made the boy sit on his lap and kissed him inappropriately.
In 2015, a fourth man came forward to the Diocese of Harrisburg to report that, while recovering from an injury, Maher used it as an excuse to get physically close to the boy (as if to check on his recovery) and forced himself on the boy, nearly kissing him on the mouth except that the boy moved away.
Also in 2015, a St. Vincent parishioner wrote to the Diocese of Harrisburg to report that he or she was aware of 15 boys who were sexually abused by Maher during his assignment there. At the time, the parishioner was a student at the school and witnessed the inappropriate behavior with Maher. He/She did not provide the names of the 15 boys, maintaining that they each had a right to privacy and could come forward on their own if they chose to do so.
In 2016, yet another man reported that he knew that Maher touched the genitals of a 7 year old boy and also performed oral sex on the child. How the man knew that is not clear from the grand jury report (i.e., was he a victim or a witness?).
Maher died in 1990.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Harrisburg and throughout Pennsylvania. The Diocese of Harrisburg filed for federal bankruptcy protection in February 2020. Anyone sexually abused by a priest or employee of the Diocese of Harrisburg may be entitled to file a claim against the Diocese in these bankruptcy proceedings, but very strict filing deadlines apply. Most victims of abuse in the Diocese of Harrisburg will never be able to take action against the Diocese of Harrisburg if they miss this bankruptcy filing deadline, so it is important that you contact us immediately to discuss your potential case.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your legal options today.