Fr. Donald Dickerson
Archdiocese of New Orleans
Ordained: 1980
Removed: 1986
Died: 2018
Assigned as Follows:
- 1970’s Jesuit High School (New Orleans, LA)
- 1980-1981 Jesuit College Prep (Dallas, TX)
- 1981-1984 St. John Berchmans Co-Cathedral (Shreveport, LA)
- 1984-1985 Not indexed in the Catholic Directory
- 1985-1988 Loyola University (New Orleans, LA)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father Donald Dickerson:
Father Donald Dickerson was a Jesuit of the New Orleans Province who worked in high schools throughout New Orleans and Dallas. He was accused in a lawsuit that was settled in 2009 of sexual abuse of boys at Jesuit High School in New Orleans during the 1970’s. Dickerson was a seminarian at the time of the alleged abuse and had not yet been ordained.
In November 2010, Dickerson was accused again in a federal lawsuit of sexual abuse of a boy. This suit included allegations including rape in 1982 when Dickerson was assigned to St. John Berchmans in Shreveport. He also worked at the Jesuit Prep School in Dallas at the time.
He was officially removed from ministry and was forced to leave the Jesuit order in 1986.
Donald Dickerson died in 2018.
His name has been included on the Central and Southern Province Jesuit list of credibly accused clergy members as of December 2018.
As of March 2019, another victim came forward with more accusations of sexual assault in the late 1970’s at the hand of Donald Dickerson. The victim who came forward most recently was a former Jesuit Prep student in Dallas at the time of alleged abuse. Dickerson was one of 11 men who previously worked at Jesuit Dallas included on a list released by the Jesuits in December of clergy members “credibly accused” of sexual abuse of a minor.
In April of 2020, the Archdiocese of New Orleans filed for bankruptcy protection. As part of its bankruptcy, the Archdiocese of New Orleans will be reviewing and paying claims for anyone sexually abused by diocesan priests and lay employees.
A July 2025 media report revealed that Pedro Arrupe, the late, former worldwide leader of the Jesuit religious order , acknowledged in records produced in litigation that he was warned that Donald Dickerson, who was then an aspiring priest, had been accused of sexually molesting two minors and acknowledged making sexual advances on a third. There is no indication in that records that Arrupe took steps to prevent Dickerson from becoming a priest.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The Archdiocese of New Orleans filed for federal bankruptcy protection in April 2020. Our lawyers offer free legal consultations to discuss your legal options as a survivor of sexual abuse by priests and other employees of the New Orleans Archdiocese. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an e-mail to adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com