Monsignor Thomas A. Whelan
Archdiocese of Baltimore
Ordained: 1941
Retired: 1971
Died: 1987
Assignment History:
- 1941-1942: St. Mary of the Assumption-Govans (Baltimore, MD)
- 1942-1945: US Armed Forces in the India-Burma Theater
- 1946-1957: St. Thomas Aquinas (Baltimore, MD)
- 1957: St. Bernard (Baltimore, MD)
- 1957-1959: St. Mary of the Assumption-Govans (Baltimore, MD)
- 1959-1987: Cathedral of Mary Our Queen (Baltimore, MD)
Summary of Abuse Allegations Against Monsignor Thomas A. Whelan
Msgr. Thomas A. Whelan was ordained a Catholic priest 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. Whelan.
According to the Attorney General’s report, in 2002, a victim reported that she was sexually assaulted by Msgr. Whelan at her home in the 1950s, when she was about 6 years old. The report says that Msgr. Whelan was revered and a friend of the victim’s family. The woman stated in her report that on the day of the incident, they all gathered at home for a social event. Everyone went outside to play badminton except Monsignor Whelan and herself. He asked me to stay and talk; he tickled her stomach, then Whelan reached down into her underwear and “tickled” her there. The victim’s initial report apparently received no response from the archdiocese, and it was her second report made a few months later, which finally garnered a response.
The victim was told that there had been no similar abuse allegations against Msgr. Whelan, but he was prone to alcohol abuse. According to archdiocesan records reviewed by the Attorney General’s office, Whelan received treatment for alcohol addiction several times throughout his assignments in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, as well as after he retired.
In 1973, Msgr. Whelan was involved in a drinking and driving incident that led to the death of an 82-year-old woman, according to the Attorney General’s report.
Whelan’s name does not appear on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s list of credibly accused priests. Msgr. Whelan died in 1987.
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.