Father Dennis Pecore
Archdiocese of Baltimore/Salvatorians
Ordained: 1982
Convicted: 1987, 1994
Laicized: 1995
Assignment History:
- 1973: Holy Trinity Parish (Glen Burnie, MD)
- 1975-1976: Holy Trinity Parish (Glen Burnie, MD)
- 1982-1983: St. Mark’s Parish (Phoenix, AZ)
- 1982-1983: St. Philip the Deacon Catholic Center (Phoenix, AZ)
- 1982-1983: Arizona State Hospital (Phoenix, AZ)
- 1982-1983: Maricopa County Hospital (Phoenix, AZ)
- 1982-1983: St. Luke’s Hospital (Phoenix, AZ)
- 1982-1983: Children’s Hospital (Phoenix, AZ)
- 1982-1983: Hilton Rest Home (Phoenix, AZ)
- 1984-1986: Mother of Good Counsel (Milwaukee, WI)
- 1986-1988: Salvatorian Provincial Residence (Milwaukee, WI)
- 1989-1991: Jordan House, Salvatorian Residence (Milwaukee, WI)
- 1993-1996: Salvatorian Provincial Residence (Milwaukee, WI)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Dennis Pecore:
Fr. Dennis Pecore was a Salvatorian priest that worked in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. In 2002, Fr. Pecore 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 Dennis Pecore.
According to the Attorney General’s report, in 2002, a woman reported that Fr. Pecore had sexually abused her son in 1973, when the victim was approximately 10 years old. Fr. Pecore invited the victim to spend the night at his residence in New Carrolton. During the night, Fr. Pecore entered the victim’s bed nude and sexually abused the victim.
In 1987, Fr. Pecore was convicted in Milwaukee of sexually assaulting a boy at Mother of Good Counsel, where the victim was a student, in 1984 or 1985. Fr. Pecore was sentenced to one year in prison. In 1988, the Diocese of Milwaukee and the Salvatorian order entered a settlement with the victim.
In 1994, Fr. Precore was convicted again in Wisconsin for the sexual abuse of another child, which occurred repeatedly between 1989 and 1992, beginning when the victim was 8 years old. The victim was Fr. Pecore’s nephew. Fr. Pecore also introduced the victim to another priest, Fr. Simon Palathingal, who sexually abused the victim in 1990 and 1991. Fr. Pecore was convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Fr. Palathingal was convicted in 2004 and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
According to the Attorney General’s report, in 2016, another victim filed a lawsuit alleging that he had been sexually abused by Fr. Pecore in the 1980s, when the victim was a child. The abuse occurred while Fr. Pecore was assigned to St. Mark’s Parish in Phoenix.
Another lawsuit was filed in 2018 alleging that Fr. Pecore had sexually abused another victim at St. Mark’s in Phoenix. Fr. Pecore was released from his vows and left the priesthood in 1995. Along with Baltimore, Fr. Pecore’s name also appears on the Archdiocese of Phoenix’s list of priests credibly accused of sexual misconduct with a minor.
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.