Father John Lippold
Archdiocese of Baltimore
Ordained: 1957
Removed: 2011
Died: 2016
Assignment History:
- 1957-1962: St. Bernard’s Church (Baltimore, MD)
- 1962-1967: St. John the Evangelist (Frederick, MD)
- 1967-1973: Ss. Philip & James Church (Baltimore, MD)
- 1973-1974: Shrine of the Sacred Heart (Baltimore, MD)
- 1974-1976 Pastor, All Saints Church (Baltimore, MD)
- 1976-1977: St. Ann’s Church (Naples, FL)
- 1977-1978: St. Philip Neri Church (Linthicum Heights, MD)
- 1978-1989 Pastor, St. Mary Star of the Sea (Baltimore, MD)
- 1981: Our Lady of Good Counsel (Baltimore, MD)
- 1989 Pastor, Shrine of the Sacred Heart (Baltimore, MD)
- 1989 Medical Leave of Absence
- 1989 Associate Pastor, St. Philip Neri Church (Linthicum, MD)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father John Lippold:
Fr. John Lippold was ordained a Catholic priest and worked in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Maryland. In 2011, Fr. Lippold 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 John Lippold.
According to the Attorney General’s report, in 2010, just one year after Fr. Lippold’s retirement, the Archdiocese of Baltimore received a report from a woman claiming she was sexually abused by Fr. Lippold in 1968 for two years, beginning when she was 16 years old. Lippold worked at Saints Phillip and James, and the victim worked at the rectory. The woman stated that the abuse started when Lippold lifted her in his arms while working, kissed her lips and neck, and said she could call him “Daddy.” Another incident was when Lippold asked her to model a bikini in his office, fondled her genitals, and put her hand on his penis. The abuse occurred in the front office and private living quarters of the rectory and once in his car, which consisted of Lippold kissing her and touching her breasts and genitals. She even recalls Lippold’s gift, a red sweater, and how he sang to her and called her “Tweety Bird.” The victim claims that she originally reported the abuse in 1995 but did not identify herself or the priest. She reported it again in 2010, including to civil authorities, and an investigation was finally opened.
In 2011, the archdiocese removed Lippold’s faculties as a priest. In 2017, a second woman reported that she was abused by Lippold when she was an 11-year-old student at St. John the Evangelist, where Lippold worked. The victim stated that the abuse happened more than once and occurred at the parish. The Archdiocese made the mandatory report of abuse to authorities, and he was listed as credibly accused that same year.
Fr. Lippold died in 2016.
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.