Fr. Robert Duerr
Archdiocese of Baltimore
Ordained: 1948
Died: 1982
Assignment History:
- 1948-1957: St. Rita (Dundalk, MD)
- 1957-1958: Leave of absence
- 1957-1958: Metropolitan Tribunal
- 1958-1980: Mount de Sales Academy (Catonsville, MD)
- 1975-1980: St. Louis Church (Clarksville, MD)
- 1980: Retired
Summary of Abuse Allegations Against Father Robert Duerr
Fr. Robert Duerr was ordained a Catholic priest in 1948 and worked in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. In 2019, Fr. Duerr was listed on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse of Minors list. In April 2023, Maryland’s Attorney General released a report alleging 156 Catholic clergy members sexually abused at least 600 children over six decades. The report lists the names of the abusers, including Fr. Duerr.
According to the AG’s report, in 2002, a former nun reported to the archdiocese that during her time at St. Rita’s Parish from 1952 to 1953, she witnessed Duerr “fondling altar boys” who were in the third grade. The former nun reported seeing Duerr with the boy “in the sacristy before mass . . . [and Duerr] was inappropriately touching the young boy.” She claims the boy’s pants were opened, and Duerr fondled him. The former nun left the Church in 1956 because of the occurrence of abuse. She had tried to report this abuse to the archdiocese in 1996 but was told they could do nothing since Duerr was already dead. In 2002, the archdiocese reported the abuse of the unknown boy to the proper authorities, as required by law.
In 2012, another victim reported to the archdiocese that she was sexually abused by Duerr from the early 1950s through the early 1960s, beginning when she was seven years old at St. Rita Parish and continuing through when she graduated from high school. The first rape occurred before the victim’s first communion. Duerr gave the victim gifts throughout the decade-long abuse and treated her like his girlfriend. The victim told a nun about the abuse at the time, and she also believed Father Charles Muth, another priest at the parish, knew about the abuse, as his office was right next to Duerr’s.
Fr. Duerr died in 1982.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Maryland, contact our office today. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse nationwide. We can help. Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.