Assignment Record– Bishop Daniel Leo Ryan


Summary of Case: Ordained a priest of the Joliet diocese in 1956, Ryan held a number of chancery positions before being appointed auxiliary bishop in 1981. In 1983 he was elevated to Bishop of Springfield, IL where he served until his abrupt retirement in 1999, at age 69. His retirement was announced the day after a civil lawsuit was filed which claimed Ryan knew one of his priest was sexually abusing a child, but did nothing. Ryan had long been the subject of rumors that he engaged in "sexual improprieties" with adult men, including prostitutes and priests. In 1986 Ryan announced he was an alcoholic and underwent three months of treatment. He stepped down from public ministry in 2002 after accusations surfaced that he had sexually abused a 15 year-old boy in 1984. He was last known to be living in an assisted living facility in Joliet. Ryan died in December 2015.

Ordained: May 3, 1956
Consecrated: Auxiliary Bishop of Joliet IL, Sept. 30, 1981
Appointed: Bishop of Springfield IL, Nov. 22, 1983
Retired: October 19, 1999
Died: December 31, 2015

1956

Joliet bishop was Martin Dewey McNamara (1948-1966).

1962
1975

Romeo Roy Blanchette succeeded McNamara (1966-1979).

1981

Joseph Leopold Imesch replaced Blanchette as Joliet bishop (1979-2006).

1983

Daniel L. Ryan was Springfield bishop (1983-1999).

Springfield

• Ryan was accused in a 1999 lawsuit of having solicited sex from a 15 year-old boy in 1984. The accusations became public in 2002. The bishop allegedly offered the boy a ride in his car, took him to the rectory of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, offered the boy $50.00 to take off his clothes and to let Ryan massage him with baby oil. Ryan's accuser said the bishop offered him a ride a subsequent time, but the boy declined. Ryan denied the allegations.

• Another man accused Ryan in 1999 of having paid him for sex when the man was a 16 and 17 year-old boy, and that he accompanied the bishop on trips through the 1980s and into the late 1990s.

• A former priest of the diocese of Springfield complained in 2002 that Ryan harrassed him sexually when he was a seminarian; he said he was afraid to refuse Ryan's advances because he wanted to be ordained. The man also said he and the bishop traveled together extensively before and after the man's ordination, and that the sexual encounters occurred from 1984-1988.

Ryan was named Bishop of Springfield, IL November 22, 1983. He was installed January 18, 1984.

In 1986 Ryan announced he was an alcoholic and attended a treatment program for three months.

In 1997 and again in 1999 Ryan denied reports that he had engaged in "sexual impropriety".

Ryan abruptly retired in October 1999, at the age of 69, the day after he was accused in a civil lawsuit of knowing that one of his priests had abused a young male, but doing nothing about it.

Ryan went to live in Springfield's home for retired priests. He worked as a substitute for vacationing priests, said mass for sisters in convents, and presided over confirmations in the Springfield and Joliet dioceses.

Ryan stepped down from public ministry in September 2002 after the allegation surfaced that he had sexually abused a 14 or 15-year-old boy in 1984.

A diocesan investigation concluded in 2006 that "Ryan engaged in sexual misconduct with adults and used his authority to conceal this misconduct."

As of 2006 Ryan was living at an assisted living facility in Joliet.

Ryan died December 31, 2015.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1957-1983)

• Bishop Steps down, Threatened Suit Not a Factor, Diocese Says, By Ralph Loos and Sean Dailey, State Journal-Register(Springfield, IL), October 20, 1999
• Former Altar Boy Accuses Springfield Diocese of Allowing Child Abuse, By Christopher Wills, Associated Press State & Local Wire [Springfield Ill], October 28, 1999
• Diocese, Ex-Bishop Ryan Sued / Morrisonville Priest's Alleged Abuse of Boy in '80s at Center of Case, By Jason Piscia Staff Writer
State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL), October 29, 1999
• Will Truth about Bishop Ever Be Known?, By Jason Piscia, State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL), October 31, 1999
• Worst Kept Secrets, Sexual Abuse Cases: Plenty of Public Information on 15 Joliet Diocese Priests, By Ted Slowik, Herald News, May 5, 2002
• Cloak of Secrecy, Men Alleging They Were Abused by Joliet Diocese Priests Step Forward with Their Stories, By Ted Slowik, Herald News, August 11, 2002
• Former Bishop Investigated, By Lisa Kernek, State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL), August 15, 2002
• Illinois Bishop Is Accused of Sexually Abusing a Minor, Bishop Ryan Denies Charge That He Abused Boy Once in 1980s, By PatriciaRice, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri), September 4, 2002
• Abuse Victims Get $3 Million, Springfield Diocese Reaches Settlement, By Lisa Kernek, State Journal-Register, February 3, 2004
• Priestly Misconduct Found, Former Bishop Among Four Cited by Name, By Dave Bakke, State Journal-Register [Springfield IL], August 3, 2006
• BA.org list of U.S. Bishops Accused of Abuse April 14, 2008
• Second bishop with Joliet ties, Daniel Ryan, dies, The Herald-News [Joliet], January 4, 2016

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 Ryan'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 August 7, 2016.