Rev. James J. Foley - Assignment Record, Articles, and Documents

Rev. James J. Foley
Assignment Record, Articles, and Documents

Summary of Case: Foley was accused in 1999 of sexually abusing an altar boy (Accuser #1) on one occasion at Holy Name parish and sent for assessment and treatment at Southdown. Foley denied the allegation but was restricted from parish and youth ministry. In 2002, he was accused of criminally abusing many boys at Holy Name, in a letter an informant sent to a local newspaper, which passed the allegation to the archdiocese. In 2011, Foley was accused of repeated sexual abuse of an altar boy (Accuser #2) at Holy Name, from 1984 or 1985 to 1996, beginning at age 11 or 12. Accuser #1 came forward anonymously in 2002. Accuser #2 came forward anonymously in 2012. Below we provide an illustrated assignment record of Foley, who worked in the Boston and Santa Fe archdioceses. Then we offer links to articles about Foley, and an extensive collection of relevant documents.

Ordained: 5/20/78
Incardinated: Boston (1978-1997); Mechelen-Brussels (Spring 1992); lend-lease to the Santa Fe archdiocese (1997-1999); Boston (1999-)

Rev. James J. Foley and Rev. Kenneth B. Murphy 1989

Start	Stop	Parish	Town	State	Position	Notes
7/1/77 Archbishop was Cardinal Humberto S. Medeiros (1970-1983)	5/7/78	St. Clement's	Somerville	MA	Deacon before ordination. Msgr. Peter F. Hart; Revs. Harold E. Le Blanc, Thomas A. Kopp, Frederick L. Barr. Priests as listed in the 1978 Official Catholic Directory.	Archdiocese of Boston. Parochial school had 465 pupils. High school had 99 boys, 179 girls. Foley is not listed here in the Official Catholic Directory, which was standard Directory practice for deacons at the time, but a letter from Cardinal Medeiros in the Foley file documents the assignment and its term.
6/1/78	11/24/81	St. Ann's	Boston (Neponset; Dorchester)	MA	Parochial vicar and teacher in the parish school. Revs. Robert M. Costello, Paul Mahan, James J. Foley. Mahan left in 1979, Foley moved up, and Rev. Robert J. Dwyer became the #3.	Archdiocese of Boston. Parochial school had 568 pupils in 1978-1979.
11/24/81 Archbishop was Cardinal Bernard F. Law (1984-2002)	6/25/91	Holy Name	West Roxbury • Accused in 1999 of sexually abusing a boy here, and of touching the boy's brother inappropriately but not sexually. Foley denied these allegations but admitted to "gross stupidity and indiscretion." • Accused in 2002 of sexually abusing "ma[n]y young men" here. • Accused in 2011 case of sexually abusing a boy in this parish from 1984 or 1985 to 1996, beginning at age 11 or 12. The archdiocese settled this claim. See the settlement interview with Accuser #2.	MA	Parochial vicar, teacher in the parish school, and manager of the altar boys. Revs. Kenneth B. Murphy, Stephen A. Koen, Daniel P. Hegarty, James J. Foley. In res. Rev. Charles R. McGahey. In 1982 McGahey left. Rev. Esteban Sescon was in res. 1985-1987. Koen left in 1987, when Rev. Michael A. Kelly, C.SS.R. (in res., from Australia) and Deacon Charles O. Leslie arrived. Msgr. Joseph E. Havey and Revs. Thomas F. Wyndham arrived in 1988. Leslie left in 1990.	Archdiocese of Boston. Parochial school had 723 pupils in 1981-1982 and 639 in 1990-1991.
6/25/91	1/22/92	St. Frances Xavier Cabrini	Scituate • The abuse settled in mediation allegedly included several instances of abuse at the rectory in Scituate.	MA	Parochial vicar. Pastor was Rev. James M. Gibbons. Foley is not listed here in the 1992 Official Catholic Directory, but the archdiocesan clergy card lists this assignment and its term. Foley is in fact entirely absent from the 1992 Directory, not even appearing in the index.	Archdiocese of Boston. No parochial school.
1/22/92 Archbishop was Cardinal Godfried Danneels (1979-2010)	6/1/92	Catholic University of Louvain	Louvain	Belgium	Participant in Renewal Program.	Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels. Foley had been told by Cardinal Law about this renewal assignment on 12/28/90.
6/1/92	Fall 1992				Foley's whereabouts during the summer and early fall of 1992 are not documented in his file. Assignment records describe him as unassigned in the period 6/1/92 through 1/5/93, but documents in his file show him at parishes in East Bridgewater and Everett in the late fall and early winter. He describes himself as an administrator at those parishes (see next two entries).	It is possible that Foley had similar stints at other parishes during the summer of 1992, while he considered possible assignments suggested to him by archdiocesan personnel managers in a series of memos 1 2 3.
Fall 1992		St. John's	East Bridgewater	MA	Administrator. Revs. John W. Corcoran, Donald P. Skerry SVD; Deacon Lee A. Beatrice; Sr. Kathleen Hurley OSF, Pastoral Assoc. Foley is not listed here in the 1993 Official Catholic Directory, but a letter from Cardinal Law shows that Foley was working at St. John's as of 11/12/92, and Foley describes himself as the administrator here.	Archdiocese of Boston. No parochial school.
	12/23/92	St. Joseph's	Everett	MA	Administrator. Rev. Philip J. DesRosiers, pastor. Foley is not listed here in the 1993 Official Catholic Directory, but he describes himself as administrator here, and states that his last day was 12/23/92.	Archdiocese of Boston. No parochial school.
1/5/93	6/1/94	St. Elizabeth Hospital	Brighton • The abuse settled in mediation allegedly included weekly abuse at St. Elizabeth's in the chaplain's residence.	MA	Assistant chaplain. Mr. Theodore Druhot, Pres. Revs.: Brian F. McMahon, Chap. James J. Foley, Asst Chaplain. Rev. Msgr. Charles W. McCarthy. Rev. Lucien Sawyer OMI, Director of Hospital Ministry.	Archdiocese of Boston. In the 1994 Official Catholic Directory, Student Nurses 160, Bed Capacity 350, Bassinets 30, Patients treated during the year 176,302
1/12/93	Dismissed at the end of the semester	Chaplaincy Internship Program	Brighton	MA	Intern. Rev. John Grimes was the Director of the Clinical Pastoral Education Department of St. Elizabeth's Hospital.	Archdiocese of Boston.
6/1/94	11/3/97	St. Mary Star of the Sea	Beverly	MA	Parochial vicar. Revs. Richard G. Johnson; Richard C. Beaulieu; James J. Foley; Deacon Joseph Kasenenko.	Archdiocese of Boston. Parochial school had 212 students.
11/4/97 Archbishop was Michael J. Sheehan (1993-present)	12/10/97	Our Lady of Sorrows	Las Vegas	NM	It appears from Boston archdiocesan correspondence (see the links at the left) that Foley was assigned for a month to Our Lady of Sorrows, where Rev. Vincent G. DeFazio was the pastor and there were two deacons, Jose Leroy Martinez and Macedon Montoya Jr. Mrs. Rosa de Aragon DRE handled a catechesis program with 318 students at Our Lady's and 472 students at Immaculate Conception, the other parish in Las Vegas. When Foley arrived, DeFazio was also pastor of the two parishes for which Foley became pastor in December 1997.	Archdiocese of Santa Fe Foley in effect replaced DeFazio in Ribero, Villanueva, and the related missions (see below). The month at Our Lady of Sorrows apparently replaced and accelerated Archbishop Sheehan's original plan for Foley to spend six months at St. Anne's in Albuquerque with Msgr. Joaquin Bazan before being assigned on his own.
12/10/97	9/22/99	San Miguel Del Vado	Ribero	NM	Rev. James J. Foley, pastor	Archdiocese of Santa Fe
12/10/97	9/22/99	San Antonio de Padua	El Pueblo Missions in: San Isidro Norte San Jose San Juan Santa Rita La Lagunita San Isidro Sur	NM	Rev. James J. Foley, pastor	Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Missions of San Miguel Del Vado.
12/10/97	9/22/99	Our Lady of Gualalupe	Villanueva Missions in: Sena Cerrito Gonzales Ranch Leyba Aurora	NM	Rev. James J. Foley, pastor.
9/22/99		Santa Maria de la Vid Priory	Albuquerque	NM	Very Rev. Joel P. Garner O.Praem., Prior & Vocation Director; Revs. Vincent J. DeLeers, O.Praem.; Eugene Gries; James P. Huth, O.Praem.; Nicholas E. Nirschl, O.Praem.; Francis W. Dorff, O.Praem.; Christian T. O'Brien, O.Praem.; Laurence A. Mayer; Andrew G. Cribben; Bro. Dennis Butler.
Archbishop was Cardinal Aloysius M. Ambrozic (1990-2006)	4/28/00	Southdown Institute	Aurora	Ontario	Patient.	Archdiocese of Toronto.
5/00	8/1/00	Most Holy Redeemer	East Boston	MA	In residence.	A letter from Higgins was sent to Foley at this address on 9/28/00, apparently indicating that Foley was again in residence here before he moved to St. Patrick's.
11/13/00 Archbishop was Cardinal Sean O'Malley (2003-present)	2/27/02	St. Patrick's	Natick	MA	In residence.
3/04	4/05	Hesser College	Manchester	NH	Student	Paralegal program.
8/05	6/6/08	Massachusetts School of Law	Andover	MA	Student
5/08	8/08	Silva & Silva Law Firm	Coral Gables	FL	Law clerk.
2/09		Not admitted to the Connecticut bar
6/13/12		Admitted to the Massachusetts bar				See Foley's publicly available bar application, which includes a discussion of the allegation of Accuser #1, the text of Foley's canonical appeal, and a letter from Cardinal Ratzinger to Cardinal Law, stating that Foley's rights had not been guaranteed and that his appeal should be taken into account.
6/13/12		Foley Law Office and Mediation	Lowell	MA	Foley lives in	As recently as 6/8/12, Foley's law office website foleylawoffice.net included "associations" with Merrimack Valley Legal Services and Neighborhood Legal Services.

ARTICLES

• Archdiocesan Mix-Up: Files of Wrong Priest Released, by Walter V. Robinson, Boston Globe (12/12/02)
• Newly Released Documents Name More Abusive Priests, by Franci Richardson, Robin Washington, Marie Szaniszlo, and Tom Mashberg, Boston Herald (12/18/02)
• Accused Priests Were Often on Law's Calendar, by Michael Rezendes and Sacha Pfeiffer, Boston Globe (1/10/03)
• Papers Show Priests' Struggle over Accusations, by Jay Lindsay, Associated Press (1/12/03)
• Deep Cuts Loom in Spending by Church, by Walter V. Robinson and Thomas Farragher, Boston Globe (3/5/03)
• Twice Implicated, Priest Fights for a Decision, by Lisa Wangsness, Boston Globe (9/9/12)
• Priests, Accusers Press for Resolution, by Lisa Wangsness, Boston Globe (9/9/12)
• Mass. Priest Has Been Facing Sexual Abuse Allegations for over a Decade, by Deborah Becker, WBUR (9/10/12) (with audio)
• Second Survivor Comes Forward with Abuse Allegations, by Zack Huffman, The Bulletin, West Roxbury and Roslindale (9/13/12)

DOCUMENTS

Please refresh your browser window to view the latest additions to this archive.

Of particular interest:
• Memo by Higgins to Bishop Francis Murphy and Rev. Paul Miceli Reporting on Interview with Accuser #1 (9/20/99)
• Memo by Higgins to Bishop Murphy and Miceli Reporting on Interview with Foley Regarding Accuser #1's Allegations (9/28/99)
• Memo by Higgins to Bishop Murphy and Miceli, Reporting on a Second Interview with Accuser #1 (11/14/99)

• Letter from Sheehan to Law, Stating That Foley Did "Fine Work" in parishes in New Mexico" (10/11/99)
• Letter from Sheehan to Foley, Thanking Him for His "Wonderful Work" (10/11/99)
• Handwritten Letter from Foley to Law (7/8/00) (return address is Hennessey's Most Holy Redeemer; answers Law's 6/30/00 letter)

• Letter from Bulletin Reporter to Donna Morrisey, Requesting Information on Foley Allegations (3/28/02)
• The letter enclosed a tip that alleged Foley had criminally abused "ma[n]y young men" at Holy Name (3/26/02)
• Letter from Higgins to Accuser #1's Lawyer, Saying That There Are "No Other Plausible Reports" (6/5/02)
• Letter from Cardinal Ratzinger to Law, Finding Foley's Rights Haven't Been Guaranteed (6/11/02) (from Foley's public bar application)
• Interview of Accuser #2, Prepared by Ropes & Gray (9/30/11)

* * * * * *

• Archdiocesan Assignment Record #1 of Rev. James J. Foley
• Archdiocesan Assignment Record #1 of Foley (with post-it naming Higgins as contact person on 12/21/99)
• Archdiocesan Assignment Record #2 of Foley (with locations in New Mexico and at Most Holy Redeemer in East Boston)

• Letter from Cardinal Medeiros to Foley, Assigning Him As Deacon at St. Clement's in Somerville (5/7/77)

• Letter from Medeiros to Foley, Assigning Him As Associate Pastor at St. Ann's in Neponset (5/16/78)

• Letter from Medeiros to Foley, Assigning Him As Associate Pastor at Holy Name in West Roxbury (11/13/81)
• Letter from 14 St. Ann's Parishioners to Phinn, Praising Foley's "Pilgrimages through Streets and Homes" in the Parish (11/81)
• Letter from Foley to Rev. Gilbert S. Phinn, Wishing Things Could Have Worked Out Better at St. Ann's (11/21/81)
• Letter from Rev. George F. Emerson to Medeiros on Plan for Foley to Be Missionary with Society of St. James (8/24/82)
• Letter from Medeiros to Emerson Approving the Society of St. James Assignment (9/8/82) (Instead, Foley stayed at Holy Name)
• Letter from Grandmother to Rev. Kenneth B. Murphy about Foley's Unwelcoming Treatment of Families at Mass (10/5/82)
• Letter from Foley to McCarthy, Applying to Be Chaplain at Matignon High School (3/18/83)
             • Matignon was a diocesan high school in Cambridge with 374 boys and 381 girls
             • The previous chaplain was Rev. Ernest E. Tourigney, who later admitted abusing multiple boys and was laicized
             • Foley explains his application: "I have enjoyed very much being involved with young people of high school age
               either through C.Y.O. or C.C.D. in parish work and would like now to work with them in a high school surrounding."
             • Instead of Foley, Rev. Kevin J. Deeley was appointed chaplain
• Letter from Foley to McCarthy Explaining Why He's Applying to be Chaplain at Xaverian High School (6/20/88)
             • Xaverian was a high school in Westwood operated by the Xaverian Brothers, with 828 boys attending
             • Foley's application: "stems from my concern for youth. I enjoy working with them very much and being part
               of their maturing process. I have come to know many youths in my ten years of priesthood and still keep up
               communication with a number of them."
             • Instead of Foley, Rev. Robert J. Sandoz was appointed chaplain
• Letter from Foley to McCarthy, Applying for the Chaplaincy at Catholic Memorial High School (1/13/89)
             • Catholic Memorial was a diocesan high school in West Roxbury with 830 boys attending
             • Instead of Foley, Rev. Robert J. Cordery was appointed chaplain
• Letter from Cardinal Law to Foley, Authorizing a Semester in Spring 1992 at Louvain in Belgium (12/28/90)

• Letter from Law to Foley, Ending Holy Name Assignment and Transferring Him to St. Frances in Scituate As Parochial Vicar (6/17/91)
• Letter from Law to Foley, Ending St. Frances Assignment and Sending Him to Louvain (1/17/92)

• Note from Rev. Kevin J. Deeley to Foley about Call, Providing List of Current Job Openings for Parish and Non-Parish Positions (6/9/92)
• Note from Deeley to Foley Providing List of Current Job Openings and Saying They'll Talk Again (10/5/92)
• Note from Rev. James J. McCarthy to Foley, Providing List of Job Openings and Telling Him to Continue Working with Deeley (11/10/92)
• Letter from Law to Foley Briefly Discussing St. Mary's (see next item) in Milton and Law's Having "Something in Mind" (11/12/92)
             • Law says [Rev. Thomas C.] Foley, pastor of St. Mary of the Hills in Milton (see open positions) rejected Foley's transfer there
             • Law's 11/12/92 letter to Foley is addressed to Foley at St. John's in East Bridgewater, where Foley says he was administrator
             • Law's 11/12/92 letter to Foley references a letter from Foley not in the released file

• Letter from Foley to Deeley, Citing Assignments As Administrator at St. John's in East Bridgewater and St. Joseph's in Everett (9/1/93)
• Letter from Foley to Rev. Edward M. O'Flaherty SJ Answering Charges of Poor Performance at St. Elizabeth Hospital (9/24/93)
             • Foley's letter states that he worked as administrator at St. Joseph's in Everett until 12/23/92
• Letter from Law to Foley, Ending Chaplaincy at St. Elizabeth's and Assigning Him to St. Mary's in Beverly As Parochial Vicar (5/2/94)
• Letter from Law to Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan Confirming Foley's Lend Lease to Santa Fe (9/5/97)
• Letter from Law to Foley, Ending Beverly Assignment and Transferring Him to Santa Fe Archdiocese (9/5/97)

• Letter from Sheehan to Law about Arrangements for Foley in the Santa Fe Archdiocese (9/19/97)
• Letter from Rev. Richard Lennon to McCarthy, Confirming Foley's Parish Assignment at Our Lady of Sorrows in Las Vegas NM (11/4/97)
• Note from Lennon to McCarthy Confirming Foley's Parish Appointment at San Miguel Del Vado in Ribera NM (12/10/97)
• Memo by Higgins to Bishop Francis Murphy and Rev. Paul Miceli Reporting on Interview with Accuser #1 (9/20/99)
             • Accuser #1 alleges that Foley would take him aside and ask him crude personal questions about sexual matters
             • Accuser #1 alleges that Foley would show up out of "the blue" "where the kids hung out" and was intimidating
             • Accuser #1 alleges that Foley held his penis in his hand at the rectory when the boy was age 14
             • Accuser #1 alleges that Foley asked him to a house in NH previously to "have drinks" but his mother said no
             • Accuser #1 alleges that Foley told the boy's brother to take off his shirt and measured him
             • Accuser #1 said his family knows about the incident
             • Accuser #1 said he told the rectory cook at the time, who "made the boy write the whole incident down on paper"
             • Accuser #1 contacted the cook, who asked about "that situation with Fr. Foley" but no longer had the paper
• Memo by Higgins to Bishop Murphy and Miceli Reporting on Interview with Foley Regarding Accuser #1's Allegations (9/28/99)
             • Foley admitted measuring Accuser #1's body parts but denied measuring his penis
             • Foley said the action was immature; "I am only guilty of gross stupidity and indiscretion."
             • Foley denied measuring Accuser #1's brother
             • Foley said he was not much into parish youth "other than the altar servers"
             • Higgins writes that Foley has "limited insight into himself"
             •"The wonderful work he is doing in NM in saving the parish from the fundamentalists is all his doing."
• Letter from Law to Sheehan Ending Foley's Lend Lease Assignment on Higgins' Recommendation (10/1/99)
• Letter from Law to Foley Ending His Lend Lease Assignment (10/1/99)
• Letter from Sheehan to Law, Stating That Foley Did "Fine Work" (10/11/99)
• Letter from Sheehan to Foley, Thanking Him for His "Wonderful Work" (10/11/99)
• Memo by Higgins to Bishop Murphy and Miceli, Reporting on a Second Interview with Accuser #1 (11/14/99)
             • Accuser #1 corrected Higgins' mistaken impression that the NH house belonged to Foley
             • Accuser #1 alleged that Foley held the boy's penis for 2 or 3 minutes and said "We keep records of this" and it was ok.
             • Accuser #1's motivation in reporting is "so that Fr. Foley can not do this to anyone else and for Fr. Foley to get some help."
• Memo by Higgins to Law and Bishop Murphy Stating That Foley Must Stay Longer at Southdown to Achieve Goals (12/22/99)
             • Higgins summarizes goals for Law because "Foley has habit of ignoring the usual channels of communication."

•
• Delegate's Report by Higgins Describing Allegations and Recommending No Parish or Youth Work; Approved by Review Board (4/13/00)
• Foley's Southdown Covenant, Denying the Allegation of Abuse but Admitting to "Unprofessionalism" (4/28/00)
• Handwritten Letter from Foley to Law about "Pain and Suffering," Asking Restoration to Ministry (6/9/00)
             • Foley writes of "one false accusation that supposedly happened 17 years ago"
             • Foley describes his situation as "purgatory"
             • Foley writes that he had "to offer inaccurate excuses to family and friends (to keep them from pain)"
             • Foley writes that Southdown policy is "never to determine guilt or innocence" but two counsellors indicated Foley was innocent
             • Foley encloses "a rather laudatory final letter" from his Southdown therapist which is not in the file
             • Higgins "says he has to believe the victim" but Foley says, "I am the victim."
             • Foley writes "zero tolerance ... is an immediate recognition of guilt & an absolute denial of innocence"
             • Foley cites his positive diagnosis from Southdown not in file, his covenant, and his "constant statement of innocence"
             • Foley asks Law to "restore me to my ministry by allowing me to offer public Mass without restriction"
• Letter from Law to Foley on the "Formidable" Archdiocesan Abuse Policy (6/30/00) (drafted by Hegarty; answers Foley's 6/9/00 letter)
• Higgins' 2nd Delegate's Report and Review Board's Acceptance (6/29/00) (Law approved on 7/6/00)
             • Foley must "engage in the treatment recommendations" and not be in parish or youth ministry
             • Higgins notes that Southdown deemed Foley "at very minimal risk for ministerial boundary violation"
             • Higgins quotes Southdown that Foley "continued to deny any history of genital sexual behavior with youth or minors"
• Handwritten Letter from Foley to Law (7/8/00) (return address is Hennessey's Most Holy Redeemer; answers Law's 6/30/00 letter)
             • You mention the "formidable" archdiocesan policy; "Please, Your Eminence, you are the policy."
             • "What would you think, Your Eminence, of a father who horsewhipped his son because he came home late for supper?"
             • "I have received worse from you. A horsewhipping would have been more preferable."
             • I have lost "my good name, my two parishes in New Mexico ... the work I did with the poor Spanish rancheros."
             • Foley has also lost "the vocations to the priesthood & the diaconate which were being fostered."
             • Foley again refers to his "highly favorable analysis" from Southdown and his denial of Accuser #1's allegation
• Letter from Law to Foley (8/2/00) (answering Foley's 7/8/00 letter)
• Handwritten Letter from Foley to Law (9/18/00)
             • This "now year-old tragedy" is "spiritual and mental torture" and what you have allowed "borders on the sinful"
             • "I did nothing wrong & have been falsely accused"
             • At Southdown "the addictions counsellor & the sexual wellness counsellor said they believed me."
             • "The psychotherapist that the Archdiocese chose for me finds nothing wrong with me, ..."
             • "... believes my response to the false accusation and wants to advocate for me."
             • On 9/12/00 Higgins "told me that I would never be allowed back into parish ministry."
             • "Why are you doing this to me? This is so unfair, unjust & illegal."
             • Foley writes that Law was impressed by Archbishop Sheehan's letter
             • Foley writes that Law said he was looking forward after Southdown to putting "my skills & talents to use."
             • Foley writes that Law promised to be involved "personally" and that your "involvement would be thoughtful & thorough"
             • "My accuser once wrote to me & told me how grateful he was to me for all I did for him"
             • Bob Hennessey needs the room, so Foley has left Most Holy Redeemer and is living with his brother and the kids
             • "Please find a diocese other than Boston for me.
• Letter from Rev. Robert F. Hennessey to Higgins Asking that Foley Preach for the Society of St. James (9/19/00) (Higgins said no)
• Letter from Higgins to Foley about Retreat Expenses, Seeming to Show Foley Back at Most Holy Redeemer (9/28/00)
• Memo by Rev. Neil Hegarty to Higgins Summarizing Conference Call about Foley's Follow-Up at Southdown (9/28/00)
• Memo from Higgins to Law, Bishop Murphy, and Miceli on Meeting with Foley about His Letter to Law (11/2/00)
             • Because I won't "independently operate outside the rule of policy: I'm "the incarnate word of the evil one"
             • Foley has "failed to follow through in four of the five necessary areas" of his Southdown recovery program
             • Foley will live at St. Patrick's in Natick in order to complete his recovery program
             • Foley wants to do it in Omaha with the Intercessors of the Lamb and live as a full time priest; Higgins does not recommend this
             • Higgins warns of "possible legal issues in the future if we let him reside outside the Archdiocese."
             • "My sense is that if he is out of our local control he will do what ever he wishes."
             • Foley must "deal with his anger and outrage with the policy" before Law meets with him.
             • Higgins appends his 10/23/00 itemized memo on issues regarding Foley's "covenant and the Southdown review."
• Letter from Foley to Law Denying the Allegation and Asking to Meet Accuser #1 and to Be Returned to Ministry (1/8/01)
• Letter from Rev. Daniel F. Twomey to Higgins Describing Foley's Life at St. Patrick's in Natick (1/15/01)
• Letter from Foley to Law Denying the Allegation and Complaining That He Has Not Been Allowed to Confront Accuser #1 (3/9/01)
• Memo by Higgins on Meeting with Accuser #1 (4/5/01)
             • Accuser #1 confirmed again that he told the truth
             • On Foley's denials, Accuser #1 said, "I feel bad that he hasn't come to the awareness of his responsibilities."
             • Accuser #1 doesn't not want to meet Foley.
             • Accuser #1 has "recently had difficulty with depression"; Higgins offered assistance with therapy
• Letter from Higgins to Foley, Reiterating the Restrictions (4/11/01) (answers Foley's letters to Law on 1/8/01 and 3/9/01)
• Letter from Foley to Higgins, Threatening Canonical Action and Requesting Documents (4/19/01)
• Letter from Msgr. Mark L. Bartchak, Representing Foley, Asking to Meet with Higgins to Review the Foley File (6/1/01)
• Letter from Higgins to Bartchak Confirming the Upcoming Meeting (6/12/01)
• Review Board Rejects Higgins' 3rd Delegate Recommendation (6/14/01) (nature of the recommendation is unknown; it's not in the file)
             • Perhaps the recommendation rejected by the Review Board and removed from the file was prompted by Bartchak's letter
• Letter from Bartchak to Higgins Asking for Letter on Possibility of Restricted Ministry and Consultative Nature of Review Board (6/25/01)
• Letter from Higgins to Foley Complying with Bartchak's Request (6/28/01)
• Letter from Foley to Higgins Complaining about Poor Archdiocesan Communication (6/29/01) (answer to Higgins' 6/28/01 letter)
• Delegate's Report by Rev. Charles Higgins, Adding Foley to List of Open Review Board Cases (10/01)
• Letter from Higgins to Foley Notifying Him That "Allegations Have Been Reported to the Proper Legal Authorities" (1/31/02)
• Letter from Foley to Bartchak, Revoking the Canon Lawyer's Mandate (2/10/02)
• Libellus and Appeal to Pope John Paul II by Foley (2/22/02) (see also Cardinal Ratzinger's response)
• Letter from Foley to Rev. Edward M. O'Flaherty SJ Confirming His Requested Departure from St. Patrick's in Natick (2/27/02)
             • The letter notes that "the Cardinal must provide me with domicile and salary"
• Letter from Bulletin Reporter to Donna Morrisey, Requesting Information on Foley Allegations (3/28/02)
             • The letter enclosed a tip that alleged Foley had criminally abused "ma[n]y young men" at Holy Name (3/26/02)
• Letter from Accuser #1's Lawyer, Asking for Promised Apology, and Whether There Are Other Holy Name Victims (5/24/02)
• Letter from Higgins to Accuser #1's Lawyer, Saying That There Are "No Other Plausible Reports" (6/5/02)
             • This letter does not mention the 3/26/02 letter about "many young men"
• Letter from Cardinal Josef Ratzinger at the CDF to Law, Finding That Foley's Rights Have Not Been Guaranteed (6/11/02)

• Interview of Accuser #2, Prepared by Ropes & Gray (9/30/11)

• Bar Application of Foley (12/28/11) (contains his appeal and a supportive letter from Cardinal Ratzinger)

Source: Official Catholic Directory and documents linked above.

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 Foley's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as they are reported in the media and documented in public archdiocesan files. 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 September 11, 2012.