Sexual Abuse and Assault Injury Lawyers
Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Daniel Peter Buck
This page outlines the assignments, credible allegations of child sexual abuse, and institutional actions involving Fr. Daniel Peter Buck, as part of the Injury Lawyer Team’s legal representation of survivors in Illinois clergy abuse cases.
- Primary Entity Name: Daniel Peter Buck
- Common Variations / Aliases: Father Daniel Buck, Fr. Daniel P. Buck, Daniel Buck
- Role/Title at Time of Incident: Catholic Priest, Associate Pastor
- Current Status: Permanently removed from ministry, restricted, laicization-related canonical penalties imposed
Public Identification and Clergy Status
Fr. Daniel Peter Buck has been publicly identified by multiple entities, including:
- Archdiocese of Chicago
- Illinois Attorney General
His name appears on official Archdiocesan lists of priests with substantiated claims of abuse following review board findings and institutional investigations.
- Entity that Listed Him: Illinois Attorney General, Archdiocese of Chicago
- Reason for Listing: Multiple substantiated allegations of sexual misconduct with minors, documented inappropriate conduct toward a teenage girl, and subsequent institutional actions finding credible evidence of abuse.
Key Status Facts
Ordination Year: 1971
Years in Active Ministry: 1971–2002
Locations Where He Served: Archdiocese of Chicago, Illinois
Restrictions / Removal: Restricted ministry starting in 2002, removed from public ministry, and canonical penalties imposed in 2005 by decree finding sexual misconduct.
Reported Survivors: At least 5 reported survivors according to the Illinois AG report.
Assignment History
Primary Archdiocese: Archdiocese of Chicago, Illinois
Parish Assignments (as documented in public records):
- St. Luke Parish- River Forest, IL (1971–1976)
- Our Lady of Grace Parish- Chicago, IL (1976–1979)
- St. Wenceslaus Parish- Chicago, IL (1979)
- St. Francis Borgia Parish- Chicago, IL (1979–1984)
- St. Thomas of Villanova Parish- Palatine, IL (1984–1989)
- St. Pius X Parish- Stickney, IL (1989–1995)
- St. Priscilla Parish- Chicago, IL (brief assignment in 1995; then withdrawn)
- St. Frances of Rome Parish- Cicero, IL (1995–2001)
- St. Mary Parish- Buffalo Grove, IL (2001–2002)
Non-Church Assignments:
No significant non-church positions (such as hospital chaplaincies or diocesan administrative posts) are publicly documented prior to his removal from ministry, aside from extended parish assignments and a period during the mid-1990s when restrictions were documented following allegations.
Known Allegations
Publicly documented evidence shows that Fr. Buck engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor in the early 1980s, including writing a graphic letter to a 15-year-old girl in his parish. The girl’s mother alerted Archdiocese officials in July 1984 after discovering the letter. Despite this and his admission of inappropriate behavior, the Archdiocese transferred him to a new parish rather than removing him from ministry.
Additional allegations surfaced over the years, including that he fondled the chests and genitals of other minors between 8 and 13 years of age during the 1970s and early 1980s. These allegations were substantiated by the Archdiocese once institutional review processes were strengthened in the early 2000s.
Summary: Fr. Daniel Peter Buck was credibly accused of sexually abusing minors while serving as a priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Despite early documented evidence of misconduct, institutional responses were delayed, with substantive action taken only after reforms to church review processes.
Overseeing Authorities During Key Periods:
- Cardinal John Cody – Archdiocese of Chicago (served into the late 1970s; Buck’s early assignments)
- Cardinal Joseph Bernardin – Archdiocese of Chicago (1980s and early 1990s)
- Cardinal Francis George – Archdiocese of Chicago (oversaw canonical decrees and removal process in the 2000s)
Institutional Actions and Review
Internal Archdiocesan correspondence from the mid-1980s indicates that officials were aware of Buck’s inappropriate conduct but placed him in new assignments and did not place the letter in his file, thereby contributing to the delayed institutional response. It was not until after the reforms under the Dallas Charter that Buck’s case was formally reviewed.
In 1995, restrictions were imposed, including prohibitions on being alone with minors and requirements for supervised ministry. A 1995 review board meeting even determined he should not be withdrawn from ministry. In 2002, the Archdiocese determined there was reasonable cause to suspect sexual misconduct had occurred, placed him on administrative leave, and later found the misconduct incidents to be credible.
On July 22, 2005, Cardinal Francis George signed a decree… Buck was first placed on the Archdiocese of Chicago’s public list of accused clergy on March 20, 2006—roughly two decades after Archdiocesan officials became aware of his misconduct.
Timeline
1971 – Ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago.
1971–1984 – Served at multiple Chicago area parishes; misconduct occurred during this period.
1984 – Written misconduct toward a 15-year-old discovered; Archdiocese transferred him.
1995 – Restrictions imposed following review and parental complaints.
2002 – Archdiocese determined reasonable cause to suspect misconduct; removed from ministry temporarily.
2005 (July 22) – Cardinal Francis George signed a decree finding Buck guilty of sexual misconduct; canonical penalties were imposed.
2006–2007 – Monitoring protocols, canonical restrictions maintained.
Speak With an Attorney
If you or someone you know was sexually abused by Fr. Daniel Peter Buck or any Catholic clergy member in Illinois, you may still have legal options. The Injury Lawyer Team represents survivors of clergy abuse across the state.
Contact us to book a confidential consultation with an Illinois clergy abuse attorney. We are here to help you understand your rights and take legal action.
Sources
This page is based on public records, official Church disclosures, legal filings, and survivor reports, including the following:
No criminal conviction is implied unless explicitly stated in public court records or official Church reports.
All content undergoes thorough legal review by experienced attorneys, including Jonathan Rosenfeld. With 25 years of experience in personal injury law and over 100 years of combined legal expertise within our team, we ensure that every article is legally accurate, compliant, and reflects current legal standards.