On January 22, 2006 a Chicago priest, Rev. Daniel J. McCormack, was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim younger than 13 years old. McCormack is accused of abusing two boys , a 13 year old Chicago resident and an 11 year old from Willowbrook. According to court records, the 13 year old was molested several times from September 1, 2001 until January 31, 2005. The abuse occurred in the church’s rectory “two or three times a month after school.” After the incidents, the priest told the victim not to tell anyone and gave him various gifts. The priest in question was pastor of St. Agatha Church in Chicago. He was ordained in 1994. He became pastor in 2000.
The problem of clergy sexual abuse of minors is not new but it’s not going to go away on its own. The problem is systemic and chronic. It’s going to take true reform by bishops and secular authorities if this societal scourge is ever going to end.