Rev. John P. ("J.P.") Blankenship

Summary of Case: Blankenship pleaded guilty in Jan. 2003 to having sexually abused a 14 year-old boy in 1982. The diocese knew about the accusation in 1988 when the victim reported it to them. Blankenship was sent to treatment at St. Luke's Institute in Maryland for seven months, followed by six years of outpatient treatment. He admitted his abuse of the boy, apologized, and paid for the boy's counseling and college education. Blankenship was kept in active ministry until August 2002. That same month Blankenship was indicted on charges of sodomizing the 1982 victim. The victim decided to press charges when he learned Blankenship was living in a parish, and might be "maneuvering his way back to working with children". Blankenship was sentenced to indefinite supervised probation. His victim stated that Bishop Sullivan told him the previous summer that he knew of another alleged Blankenship victim, who was by then deceased. Blankenship is a registered sex offender.

Ordained: 1963

Retired: Aug. 2002

1969

Burlington bishop was Robert Francis Joyce (1956-1971)

1973

Walter Francis Sullivan replaced Russell as Richmond bishop (1974-2003)

New Bohemia

• Blankenship admitted when confronted in 1988 that he had sexually abused a 14 year-old boy in 1982. The victim said the abuse occurred over a six month period in the parish house. As Sacred Heart parishioners, the boy and his family regularly volunteered to help with chores around the church and parish house.

Blankenship is not indexed in the 1985 through 1990 Directories.

Per news reports, Blankenship was sent to St. Luke's Institute in Silver Spring, MD, for psychiatric treatment in 1988 after a young man told the archdiocese Blankenship sexually abused him in 1982, when the man was 14 years old. Blankenship is said to have been at St. Luke's for seven months, followed by six years of outpatient treatment. Also per media reports, Blankenship served as Chaplain at the Federal Correctional Institute from May 1983 until he was removed from active ministry in 2002.

2002

Francis Xavier DiLorenzo succeeded Sullivan (2004-)

Blankenship was forced into retirement in August 9, 2002 due to his having sexually abused a 14 year-old boy in 1982.

He was indicted in August 20, 2002 on four counts of sodomizing a teenage boy in 1982. Police said the victim decided to press charges because he was concerned that Blankenship was "maneuvering his way back to working with children". The victim had learned that Blankenship was in residence at St. James'.

Blankenship pleaded guilty in January 2003 and was sentenced to indefinite supervised probation. His victim stated that Bishop Sullivan told him in the summer of 2002 that another person had come forward with allegations against Blankenship. That accuser was, by then, deceased.

Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1964-2007)

• Petersburg Priest Is Expelled for Abuse, By Steven G. Vegh, Virginian-Pilot(Norfolk, Va.), August 10, 2002
• Priest Forced to Retire Worked in Hampton, By Michael D. Wamble, Daily Press, August 10, 2002
• 2nd Priest Forced to Retire, By Alberta Lindsey, Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia), August 10, 2002
• Catholic Priest Indicted on Sodomy Charges, Associated Press State & Local Wire, August 20, 2002
• Retired Longtime Priest Indicted, By Alberta Lindsey, Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia), August 21, 2002
• Retired Va. Priest Indicted in Abuse Accuser Informed Officials after Learning Cleric Was, By Michael D. Wamble, Daily Press (Newport News, VA), August 21, 2002
• Former Warden Says He Was Not Told of Allegation, Associated Press State & Local Wire, August 31, 2002
• Va. Priest Pleads Guilty to Abusing Boy, Associated Press Online, January 31, 2003
• Priest Who Abused Boy Avoids Jail, Term Suspended for 20 Years, By Tom Campbell, Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia), February 1, 2003
• Retiring Bishop Discusses Sex Scandal and Changes in Church, WAVY [Virginia], Downloaded May 17, 2003
• 19 Priests in Richmond Were Accused/ in 52 Years, 24 People Made Allegations of Sex Abuse, Diocese Says, Richmond Times, Dispatch (Virginia), February 28, 2004

Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Blankenship's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on Dec. 1, 2011