Father John Reardon
Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Born: 1946
Ordained: May 19, 1973
Suspended from ministry: 2011
Faculties suspended: 2012
Assigned as follows:
Assistant Pastor, St. Joseph the Worker, Fallsington (merged 06/2014) 06/1973 – 09/1977
Assistant Pastor, St. Leo, Phila (merged 07/2013) 09/1977 – 06/1982
Assistant Pastor, St. Bridget, Phila 06/1982 – 06/1987
Assistant Pastor, St. Colman, Ardmore 06/1987 – 06/1988
Parochial Vicar, Nativity, Warminster 06/1988 – 03/1994
Residence: Nativity, Warminster 06/1988 – 12/1993
Residence: Presentation B.V.M., Wynnewood 12/1993 – 03/1994
Staff, Office of the Metropolitan Tribunal 03/1994 – 06/1998
Residence: Seven Dolors, Wynnewood (Closed 07/2003) 03/1994 – 06/2000
Secretary, Office of the Metropolitan Tribunal 06/1998 – 06/2005
Residence: St. Genevieve, Flourtown 06/2000 – 06/2005
Pastor, St. John of the Cross, Roslyn (closed 09/2016) 06/2005 – 05/2012
Leave of Absence 03/2011 – 10/2019
SECONDARY POSITIONS
Associate Director, CYO Regional (Region 19 – Lower Bucks County) 09/1974 – 09/1977
Associate Director, CYO Regional (Region 1 – Northeast Philadelphia) 09/1978 – 06/1982
Chaplain, Saint Hubert High School, Phila 09/1980 – 06/1982
Newman Chaplain, Philadelphia College of Textile & Science 10/1982 – 06/1987
Associate Director, CYO Regional (Region 5 – Germantown – Manayunk) 10/1982 – 06/1987
Part Time Advocate, Office of the Metropolitan Tribunal 07/1988 – 03/1994
Defender of the Bond, Office of the Metropolitan Tribunal 06/1994 – 03/2011
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father John Reardon:
Father John Reardon was one of 21 priests removed by Cardinal Justin Rigali in March 2011 after he publicly stated (quite incorrectly) that no priests assigned in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia had been accused of sexual abuse.
According to media reports, in 2012, the Archdiocese internal review board determined that an allegation of abuse previously made was credible. No information about the allegation was provided to the public, except to say that it was sexual misconduct with a minor child.
Reardon’s name appears on a February 1994 memo from William Lynn, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Secretary for the Clergy, to James Molloy, the Vicar for Administration for the Archdiocese. The purpose of the memo was to catalog the sexual abuse allegations kept in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Secret Archives, which are files traditionally accessible only by the archbishop and, sometimes, one of his designees. Under Canon Law, the Archdiocese is required to maintain any potentially scandalous information in the Secret Archives. Of the summaries Lynn wrote, “only basic information is contained in this report so as not to have too much in writing on this matter.”
Reardon’s name appears in the section labeled “Allegations of Sexual Misconduct with Minors with No Conclusive Evidence.” No additional information about the allegations contained in the secret files is publicly available.
It is unclear if the review board investigated the allegation(s) referenced in the 1994 memorandum or if it was a different allegation.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia says that it has revoked Reardon’s faculties to minister. As of October 2019, he accepted a supervised life of Prayer and Penance.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Pennsylvania, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Philadelphia now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Contact us at (954) 641-2100 or [email protected] today.