Msgr. Henry B. (Hugh) O'Donnell—Assignment
Record
Summary of Case: Accused on 12/8/05 of sexually abusing a 13-year-old
girl in 1950 in Washington DC. According to the survivor's account, O'Donnell
had begun a sexual relationship with her mother before his ordination in 1949.
The mother worked as O'Donnell's part-time housekeeper and discovered O'Donnell
in the act of abusing her daughter. The abuse entailed forced kissing, as well
as touching of the girl's breasts and genitals beneath her clothes.
At this time, O'Donnell was diocesan secretary or chancellor. The kissing
was allegedly repeated when the girl was 18 years old, and O'Donnell is accused
of verbally abusing the girl, by then a young woman, on a third occasion.
By that time, he was the Steubenville vicar general. His career track
is noteworthy. He spent no time in a parish, even at the beginning of his career,
but went directly into diocesan administration and was promoted rapidly.
Ordained: 1949
Incardinated: Steubenville OH
Died: 11/21/82
Steubenville Register, September 24, 1970. | Steubenville Register, September 24, 1970. O'Donnell is on the right. |
Start | Stop | Parish | Town | State | Position | Notes |
1949 | 1950 | Secretary | Steubenville | OH | Steubenville OH diocese, where John K. Mussio had been the bishop since the diocese was established in 1944. | |
1950 | 1980 | Chancellor | Steubenville • Immediately before or after O'Donnell moved up from Secretary to Chancellor, he is alleged to have abused 13-year-old Anna Marie Hanes, with whose mother he had been sexually involved since before his ordination. See the survivor's 12/8/05 account. |
OH | O'Donnell was made a monsignor in 1952. He is first called by this title in the 1953 Directory. During his early years in the chancery, O'Donnell worked with another priest accused of abuse, Rev. Robert F. Marrer, who was the diocesan PR director. |
|
1952 | 1979 | College of Consultors | Steubenville | OH | Secretary to the Consultors 1952-53; Member 1953-79. | |
1952 | 1981? | Administrative Board renamed Diocesan Board of Administration in 1978 Directory reorganized as Diocesan Financial Advisory Committee in 1980 Directory members not listed in 1982 Directory |
Steubenville | OH | Member. Perhaps continued as a member after 1981. | |
1953 | 1974 | Villa Maria Rest Home | Steubenville | OH | 1/2. Superintendent. | 18 residents in 1953. Not listed in 1975 Directory or later volumes. |
1954 | 1981 | Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel | Steubenville • Just after O'Donnell became rector of the chapel, he is alleged to have entrapped the 18-year-old Hanes and kissed her forcibly. |
OH | 1/2. Rector 1954-78. Then 2/2. Rev. John Quinn was the junior priest at the beginning; in 1955 Quinn was replaced by Rev. Karl E. Schumacher, who was also the assistant chancellor, a new position. In 1958, Rev. James C. Marshall replaced Schumacher both in the chapel and as assistant chancellor. In the 1978 Directory, Marshall became Vice-Chancellor. Marshall became rector of the chapel in 1978. | Daily exposition of the Blessed Sacrament was offered here. The address is the same as the chancery, 422 Washington St. |
1957 | 1972 | Diocesan Co-ordinating Council renamed Diocesan Co-ordinating Council of Men's Organizations in 1965 Directory renamed Diocesan Council of Catholic Men in 1967 Directory not listed in 1973 Directory or later volumes |
Steubenville | OH | The 1958 Directory is the first to name leadership for this body: Mr. Charles Delbrugge, president; O'Donnell, moderator. Perhaps O'Donnell was moderator before 1957. In 1959, Mr. John J. Hungerman replaced Delbrugge. In 1961, Mr. Francis A. Berarducci replaced Hungerman. In 1963, Mr. John Onrejko replaced Berarducci. Mr. Stephen A. Hart replaced Onrejko in 1964. President eliminated in 1971. | |
1959 | 11/21/82 | Diocesan Building Committee renamed Commission in 1962 Directory renamed Building and Equipment Commission in 1974 Directory |
Steubenville | OH | ||
1960 | 1980 | Synodal Examiners not listed in 1981 Directory |
Steubenville | OH | 4/9. | |
1964 | 11/21/82 | Vicar General | Steubenville • At about the time O'Donnell became vicar general, Hanes asked him in a phone call if he could help her resolve the "torment" she felt. He allegedly responded with verbal abuse of a sexual nature.
|
OH | Msgr. Edwin F. Murphy continues as #1 VC in 1964-68 Directories. O'Donnell begins to be sole VC in 1968, so listed for the first time in the 1969 Directory. | In the year that O'Donnell became vicar general, another priest accused of sexual abuse, Rev. Robert A. Brown, became a dean. Brown worked as a dean 1964-79 and during that time was named monsignor. He was credibly accused of sexually abusing boys during the 1970s. |
1967 | 11/21/82 | Vicar for Religious (Men) renamed Vicar for Men and Women Religious in 1976 Directory back to Vicar for Men Religious in 1979 Directory |
Steubenville | OH | ||
1970 | 1972 | Second Synodal Commission | Steubenville | OH | Temporary Chairman | |
1970 | 11/21/82 | Priest Personnel Board | Steubenville | OH | Member. | |
1977 | 1980 | Diocesan Treasurer | Steubenville | OH | Mussio retired in 1977 and Albert H. Ottenweller became bishop. | |
1977 | 11/21/82 | Promoter of Justice | Steubenville | OH | ||
1981 | 11/21/82 | St. John Villa | Carrollton | OH | Episcopal Representative. | Diocesan orphanage staffed by 38 Sisters of Our Lady of Charity. Special children 220; day pupils 3. Sr. Rita Murphy, Supr. Adm. |
Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: Kenedy &
Sons, 1950-83). Re:
Senate Bill 17, Testimony before the Ohio House of Delegates, Judiciary Committee,
by Anna Marie Hanes-Martinez (December 8, 2005).
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 O'Donnell's career history as it is represented
in the Official Catholic Directory with the accusation against him
as presented in testimony before the Ohio House of Representatives.We make no
representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report. We remind our
readers that in the U.S. judicial system, a person is considered innocent until
proven guilty.
A Note on Nomenclature: We use the term "assignment record,"
instead of the more common "service record," because "service"
is not an appropriate word for the activities of an abusive priest. Dioceses
are often less than forthcoming about the activities of retired priests, but
when we can determine those activities, we list them in these assignment records,
particularly if they involve ministry. Retired priests remain under obedience
to their bishop, and even the activities of laicized priests should be a concern
to the diocese.
This assignment record was last updated on 11/13/06.