Brother John Dagwell
Archdiocese of Newark (Xaverian brother)
Left order: 2002
Assigned as Follows:
- St. Joseph’s Regional High School (Montvale, NJ)
- Transferred to Milton, MA after 1988 sentencing
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Brother John Dagwell:
According to documents released by the Archdiocese of Boston in 2003, Brother John Dagwell pleaded guilty to molesting a minor child, who was his student, while working in Newark in 1988. The victim was a 15-year-old boy. During the course of the investigation, other students said they were also inappropriately touched by Brother Dagwell.
He admitted in a plea bargain to touching one student’s genitals through their clothing in 1986.
Brother Dagwell’s religious order transferred him to Milton, MA after the guilty plea. According to media reports, he applied for a job as a director at a local Boston homeless shelter and lied about his reason for leaving St. Joseph’s High School. He was later forced to resign two years after getting the job due to inappropriate sexual advances toward a shelter resident.
Even after the incident in the shelter, the Xaverian brothers wrote Brother Dagwell an outstanding letter of recommendation and he was given a new job at Crossroads Shelter. Two months later, they found out about his past and asked him to leave.
In 2002, Brother Dagwell’s personnel file was among the records of nearly a dozen accused priests released by the Archdiocese of Boston. Shortly after, he left the Xaverians, citing “personal reasons.” Notably, Brother Dagwell does not appear on the Archdiocese of Newark’s February 2019 list of credibly accused priests.
He is believed to be deceased, according to a March 2020 obituary.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Newark in New Jersey. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused in the Archdiocese of Newark, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Newark now have legal options, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in New Jersey and nationwide. We can help.
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