Father Charles O. Rouse
Archdiocese of Baltimore
Ordained: 1976
Resigned: 1995
Assignment History:
- 1976: Gregorian University (Rome, Italy)
- 1976-1981: St. Elizabeth of Hungary (Baltimore, MD)
- 1981-1983: St. Mark (Catonsville, MD)
- 1983-1990: St. Isaac Jogues (Carney, MD)
- 1990-1992: St. Anthony of Padua (Baltimore, MD)
- 1992-1994: St. Rose of Lima (Baltimore, MD)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Charles O. Rouse:
Fr. Charles Rouse was ordained a Catholic priest and worked in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. In 2002, Fr. Rouse 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 Father Charles O. Rouse.
According to the Attorney General’s report, in 1994, the principal of the school at St. Rose of Lima in Baltimore reported that a student had reported having been sexually abused by Fr. Rouse. The victim had been on a boating trip with Fr. Rouse and other students in 1993, where Fr. Rouse exposed himself to the victim and several others. At the same time as that report, 23 parents of students who had attended St. Rose of Lima wrote a letter complaining about Fr. Rouse’s behavioral issues. According to the report, Fr. Rouse reported to the archdiocese having relapsed into alcoholism in 1995. Fr. Rouse subsequently took a leave of absence and sought treatment.
While receiving treatment for alcoholism, Fr. Rouse admitted having sexually abused two boys in approximately 1981 while serving as an associate pastor at St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Baltimore. During an overnight trip to Federalsburg, Fr. Rouse sexually abused a victim while the victim was asleep. Fr. Rouse then sexually abused another victim approximately one week later while the victim was asleep. In addition to the two victims that Fr. Rouse identified, Fr. Rouse also admitted to repeatedly sexually abusing boys by sleeping in the same bed with them and by touching them inappropriately.
The report states that in 1995, the archdiocese had been made aware of three additional victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by Fr. Rouse. These incidents occurred in Baltimore County, Worcester County, and Caroline County. Fr. Rouse was placed on administrative leave in 1995.
In 1995, another victim reported having been sexually abused by Fr. Rouse in 1993 while a student at St. Rose of Lima attended a field trip to Busch Gardens, during which the abuse took place.
That same year, another victim reported having been sexually abused by Fr. Rouse in 1992 when the victim was approximately 13 years old. The victim attended an overnight trip with Fr. Rouse, where Fr. Rouse sexually abused him, according to the report.
In 2002, a victim reported having been sexually abused by Fr. Rouse between 1968 and 1972. The victim attended Boy Scout camping trips and trips to Ocean City with Fr. Rouse, where Fr. Rouse sexually abused the victim while the victim appeared to be asleep, according to the report.
In 2012, the archdiocese was made aware that Fr. Rouse was participating in parish activities in St. Luke’s Parish in Edgemere in spite of being parred from engagement in any capacity at parish and archdiocesan events.
In 2014, a victim reported having been sexually abused by Fr. Rouse between 1985 and 1989, beginning when the victim was nine years old. According to the report, Fr. Rouse repeatedly sexually abused the victim in the rectory at St. Isaac Jogues in Carney on a sailing trip at various Eastern Shore locations and the Seven Springs ski resort in Pennsylvania.
According to the Attorney General’s report, following Fr. Rouse’s placement on administrative leave, the Archdiocese paid for him to study at Washington University in St. Louis and receive a salary until 1999.
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.