Rev. Joseph J. Seminatore
Summary of Case Included on the diocese's list 6/21/19 of clergy with substantiated allegations against them of child sexual abuse. Permanently removed from ministry.: Placed on leave in 2002 from Parmadale Family Services home after man came forward to allege sexual abuse when he lived at the home as a child. The Home offered treatment to children with emotional problems. Seminatore denied charges even though two additional accusers came forward. All three men filed suit in July 2002. In Aug. 2002 Seminatore filed a countersuit alleging conspiracy. Plaintiffs' case was dismissed due to statute of limitations; dismissal upheld by Appeals Court in 2006. Seminatore's claim was also dismissed on appeal.
Seminatore's name was included on the diocese's list 6/21/19 of clergy with substantiated allegations against them of child sexual abuse. It notes that he was permanently removed from ministry.
Ordained: 1969
Start | Stop | Assignment | Town/Accusations | State | Position | Notes |
1969 Cleveland bishop was Clarence George Issenmann (1966-1974) |
1970 | St. Gregory the Great | Cleveland | OH |
|
Parish had a school with 883 students. |
1970 James Aloysius Hickey followed Issenmann as bishop (1974-1980) |
1973 | Holy Family | Stow | OH | 3/3 | Parish had a school with 894-732 students. |
1973 | 1976 | St. Francis de Sales | Akron | OH | 3/3 | Parish had a school with 388-342 students. |
1976 | 1979 | Seminatore is not indexed in the 1977-1979 Directories. | ||||
1979 Anthony Michael Pilla replaced Hickey (1980-2006) |
2002 | Children's Village of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Anthony's Home for Boys/Parmadale Family Services | Cleveland • Three men accused Seminatore in a 2002 lawsuit of having sexually abused them as children in the mid 1980s, when they were residents of this treatment center. (Plain Dealer [Cleveland, Ohio] |
OH | Chaplain |
The name of this center for abused, neglected, and emotionally disturbed children was changed in 1989 to Parmadale Family Services. |
2002 Pilla was replaced as bishop by Richard Gerard Lennon |
2015 | Administrative Leave | Seminatore was suspended from ministry in April 2002, due to allegations of sexual abuse of boys at Parmadale. Seminatore filed a lawsuit against his accusers in August 2002 (Plain Dealer, August 20, 2002.) Both the accusers and Seminatore's claims were dismissed. | |||
2015 | 2019 | Retired | Seminatore's name was included on the diocese's list June 21, 2019 of clergy with substantiated allegations against them of child sexual abuse. It notes that he was permanently removed from ministry. |
Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1970-2019)
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that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually
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This assignment record collates Seminatore'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,
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accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly,
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This assignment record was last updated on January 28,2021.