Father William Mannion, Jr. – Archdiocese of Baltimore
Ordained: 1989
Laicized: 2004
Criminal Status: Convicted October 8, 2026
Assignment History:
- 1989-1994: St. Anthony of Padua Church (Baltimore, MD)
- 1994-1998: St. Agnes Church (Catonsville, MD)
Summary of Abuse Allegations Against Father William “Bill” Mannion, Jr.
Father William Mannion, Jr. was a Catholic priest who worked in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. He was ordained in 1989 and served at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Baltimore before being assigned to St. Agnes Church in Catonsville in 1994.
Mannion left the ministry in May 1998, and his priestly faculties were removed for reasons unrelated to child abuse. The Vatican formally laicized him in 2004, and he later married and started a family.
Media reports state that on October 8, 2026, a Baltimore County jury found Mannion guilty of one count of child abuse and four counts of second-degree sex offenses involving the sexual abuse of a former St. Agnes Catholic School student in 1994.
The verdict followed a four-day trial in Baltimore County Circuit Court. Prosecutors dropped the remaining charges against Mannion.
Sexual Abuse Allegations and Criminal Trial
According to media reports, on March 24, 2025, Baltimore County authorities announced that William “Bill” Mannion had been arrested and charged with second-degree child abuse and multiple felony sex offenses. Mannion, 63, was released on home detention following his arrest. According to the police, the former student alleged that Mannion sexually abused him while he attended St. Agnes Catholic School. The timeline of the alleged abuse became a central issue during the criminal trial.
According to court testimony and media reports, prosecutors alleged that Mannion groomed the child and used his position as a priest to gain the boy's trust before sexually abusing him in the church rectory.
The allegations presented during the criminal proceedings included:
- Mannion allegedly removed the student from school activities and took him to the church rectory.
- Prosecutors alleged that Mannion used religious teachings and threats of eternal damnation to manipulate the child into participating in sexual acts.
- The former student testified about repeated incidents of sexual abuse during his childhood.
- Prosecutors presented testimony and evidence concerning Mannion's relationship with the child during his assignment at St. Agnes.
During the trial, Mannion's defense attorney, Christopher Luber, challenged the timeline of the allegations. The defense argued that portions of the former student's account placed the alleged abuse before Mannion arrived at St. Agnes in July 1994.
Prosecutors acknowledged inconsistencies in the dates but maintained that the former student's account of the abuse remained consistent. The jury ultimately returned guilty verdicts on five counts.
Archdiocese of Baltimore Response
Following Mannion's arrest in March 2025, the Archdiocese of Baltimore released a statement expressing sadness over the allegations and affirming its commitment to cooperating with law enforcement.
“The Archdiocese of Baltimore is saddened to learn of allegations of abuse by Mannion and is committed to cooperating fully with law enforcement,” the Archdiocese said in a statement. “The Archdiocese of Baltimore is committed to protecting children and helping to heal victims of abuse.”
In April 2023, the Maryland Attorney General’s Office released a 450-page report that identified 156 priests, deacons, Catholic teachers, and seminarians within the Archdiocese accused of abusing more than 600 victims. The incidents detailed in the report date back to the 1940s. Maryland’s Child Victims Act was made into law in October 2023, eliminating the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse cases. About 4,000 alleged victims have filed lawsuits against the state since the Child Victims Act was imposed. Mannion’s name does not appear in the attorney general’s report.
Horowitz Law Is Here to Help
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 sexual abuse lawyer Adam Horowitz for a free consultation.