Father John J. Sheehan
Archdiocese of Baltimore/Society of Mary (Marianists)
Ordained: 1961
Laicized: 1997
Assignment History:
- 1960s-1976: St. James High School (Chester, PA)
- 1968-1974: Cardinal Gibbons High School (Baltimore, MD), Chaminade High School (Minneola, NY), Marianist Family Retreat Center (Cape May, NJ)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father John J. Sheehan:
Fr. John Sheehan was a Marianist priest who worked in the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. 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 Sheehan.
According to media reports, in December 2020, Father John Sheehan’s name was included on the Marianist list of members found to have sexually abused a minor. In January 2021, he was named in a lawsuit alleging that he and another clergyman sexually abused a 14-year-old girl when the girl was a volunteer at the Marianist Family Retreat Center in Cape May Point, New Jersey, in 1974.
According to media reports, a second lawsuit was filed later in 2021. The lawsuit states that a victim was sexually abused by Fr. Sheehan at the Marianist Family Retreat Center from 1978 to 1979 when the victim was 12 years old. The victim attended bible study classes with other girls at the Center, where Fr. Sheehan repeatedly took her to a separate room and sexually abused her. On one occasion, the victim’s family lost power, electricity, and their home, so they stayed overnight at the Center, where Fr. Sheehan again sexually abused her.
In 2020, Fr. Sheehan’s name appeared on the Marianists’ list of priests credibly accused of sexual misconduct with a minor and is also listed on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse of Minors list.
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.