Rev. Anthony J. Muzic

Summary of Case: Muzic was accused in a 1993 lawsuit of having sexually abused an altar boy in 1965 and 1966, after giving the boy alcohol. The diocese considered the claim not to be credible. The claimant dropped the lawsuit due to the statute of limitations. He and his lawyer continued to insist that the accusation was true. Muzic denied the allegations. He died in March 2010.

Ordained
: 1963
Died: March 29, 2010

   

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1963

Cleveland bishop was Edward Francis Hoban (1945-1966)

1965 St. Vitus'

Cleveland

 

OH

4/4 ,3/4

 

St. Vitus' had a school with 770-775 students.

1965

Clarence George Issenmann replaced Hoban (1966-1974)

Sept. 1971 St. Brendan

North Olmsted

Muzic was accused in a 1993 lawsuit of having sexually abused a St. Brendan's altar boy in 1965 and 1966. According to the claimant, Muzic plied him with alcohol, and made him serve mass without clothes under his cassocks, among other things. (Plain Dealer [Cleveland Ohio]
May 25, 1993) Muzic denied the allegations.

OH 2/2, 3/3 St. Brendan's had a school with 502-685 students.
Sept. 1969   Cleveland Central Catholic High School Cleveland OH full-time faculty member  
Sept. 1971 1974 Immaculate Conception Akron OH 4/4, 3/4, 3/3 Immaculate Conception had a school with 192-149 students.
June 1974   Diocesan Dept. of Religious Education        

1974

Following Issenmann as bishop was James Aloysius Hickey (1974-1980)

1982 Borromeo College of Ohio Wickliffe OH faculty member; associate spiritual director; spiritual director  

June 1982

Anthony Michael Pilla succeeded Hickey (1980-2006)

1988 St. Monica Garfield Heights OH

2/5, 1/4, 1/5

 

St. Monica's had a school with 536-481 students.
1990 1991 Dean of a Deanery        
2005 2006 St. Ladislaus Lorain OH

3/3, 2/2

In residence.

St. Ladislaus had a catechesis program with 19 students.

March 1988

Replacing Pilla was Richard Gerard Lennon (2006- )

2009 St. Mark Cleveland OH 2/3, 1/3, 1/4, 2/4, 1/2, 2/2

St. Mark's had a school with 403-517 students.

A 1993 lawsuit in which Muzic was accused of having sexually abused a boy in 1965 and 1966 was deemed by the diocese to be without merit; Muzic was allowed to continue in ministry. The suit was dropped due to the statute of limitations. (Cleveland Plain Dealer
April 11, 2002)

Muzic is listed in the Directories as retired, beginning in 1997.

Muzic died March 29, 2010 (Office of the Secretariat, Diocese of Cleveland, March 30, 2010)


Source
: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1964-2009)

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 Muzic'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 July 20, 2012