Monsignor Roger K. Wooden
Archdiocese of Baltimore
Ordained: 1927
Retired: 1971
Died: 1976
Assignment History:
- 1927-1943: St. Mary, Star of the Sea (Baltimore, MD)
- 1943-1949: Lady of Mount Carmel (Thurmont, MD)
- 1949-1958: St. Jerome Church (Baltimore, MD)
- 1958-1971: Church of the Blessed Sacrament (Baltimore, MD)
- 1971: Church of the Blessed Sacrament (Baltimore, MD)
Summary of Abuse Allegations Against Monsignor Roger Wooden
Monsignor Roger K. Wooden was ordained a Catholic priest in 1927 and worked in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. 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 Msgr. Wooden.
According to the Attorney General’s report, in 2002, a victim reported that Msgr. Wooden sexually assaulted her in the 1970s while she was a teenager working in the rectory at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament. According to the report, she was a “rectory girl” while Wooden was living in the rectory. He sexually harassed her repeatedly while she held this position. The report details an incident in which Msgr. Wooden was brought back to the rectory, heavily intoxicated. He asked to be brought water, and when the victim obliged, he sexually assaulted her. The incident ended when a group of seminarians came to her aid.
In 1995 and 2000, anonymous advertisements ran in the Baltimore Sun inquiring about students at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament during Msgr. Wooden’s tenure. The ads read, “Were you ever disciplined by the Monsignor at Blessed Sacrament in Baltimore, 1950’s-70’s?” The second asked, “Were you ever in Monsignor Wooden’s Class at Blessed Sacrament during the 1950’s-60’s or 1970’s?” The source and purpose of the advertisements are unclear.
Msgr. Wooden does not appear on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s list of priests credibly accused of sexual misconduct. Wooden died in 1976.
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.