Cupich removes retired priest pending investigation into abuse allegation
CHICAGO - A retired Chicago area priest has been removed from ministry pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct involving a minor.
Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, notified eight parishes on Saturday that he had asked Father William Killeen to step aside pending an investigation into "an allegation of child sex abuse," according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Chicago.
The parishes that were notified by Cupich included:
- St. Alexander in Palos Heights;
- St. Patricia in Hickory Hills;
- St. Michael in Orland Park;
- St. Christopher (now St. Augustine) in Midlothian;
- Infant Jesus of Prague (now St. Veronica) in Flossmoor;
- St. Francis Xavier in La Grange; and
- St. John of the Cross in Western Springs.
The archdiocese said it learned of the allegation this week, which is said to have occurred about 40 years ago at St. Patricia Parish in Hickory Hills.
Killeen, who retired in 2019, still celebrates Mass on occasion at St. Francis Xavier Parish and St. Cletus Parish, both in La Grange, as well as St. John of the Cross Parish in Western Springs, according to the statement.
The archdiocese said it notified authorities about the allegation while it conducts its own investigation. The statement went on to see the person who made the allegation had also been offered the services of the archdiocese's Victim Assistance Ministry.