Diocese: Archdiocese of New York
Notes:
Monsignor. Accused publicly in 1/19 by two sisters, who said McDonagh sexually abused them over 5 years beginning in 1972 when one was age 13 and the other age 7. The family were Our Lady of Refuge parishioners in the Bronx, where McDonagh was newly assigned. The abuse allegedly occurred in the girls’ home when McDonagh would “bless” the girls in bed. McDonagh was later secretary to Cardinals Cooke and then O’Connor. The girls’ mother reportedly told Rev. Benedict Groeschel of the abuse in the 1990s, to no avail. McDonagh died in 4/99. Groeschel said in 2012 that victims of abuse were seducers of priests.
Sources:
New York Times 08.30.12; New York Daily News 01.09.19; http://bishop-accountability.org/