Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Fr. John C. Anderson

This page outlines the assignments, credible allegations of child sexual abuse, and institutional actions involving Fr. John C. Anderson, based on public records and disclosures regarding clergy abuse in the State of Illinois.

• Primary Entity Name: John C. Anderson
• Common Variations / Aliases: Father John Anderson, Fr. John Anderson, John Anderson
• Role/Title at Time of Incident: Catholic priest of the Diocese of Peoria (parish pastor and parish administrator)
• Current Status: Deceased

Public Identification and Clergy Status

Fr. John C. Anderson was publicly identified as a priest with substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse by the Diocese of Peoria and later by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office through its statewide clergy abuse report. 

He appears on both the diocesan public list of clergy removed from ministry and the Attorney General’s directory of priests with documented abuse reports. Multiple survivors reported abuse connected to his parish assignments, which led to his inclusion on these official public listings.

• Entity that Listed Him: Diocese of Peoria; Illinois Attorney General’s Office
• Reason for Listing: Substantiated and documented allegations of child sexual abuse reported by multiple survivors and reflected in diocesan records and statewide investigative findings

Key Status Facts

• Ordination Year: 1948
• Primary Diocese: Diocese of Peoria (Illinois)
• Reported Survivors: 7
• Locations Where He Served: Aledo, Canton, Rushville, Chillicothe, Peoria, and Henry, Illinois (as listed in the Illinois Attorney General’s clergy abuse directory)
• Restrictions: The diocesan information reported to the Illinois Attorney General notes a removal from ministry in 1986; after a 1993 abuse report, Anderson was removed from parish ministry and placed in administrative roles.
• First Report Received by Diocese: 1993
• Retirement: Public records indicate he retired from active ministry in 2002.
• Laicization: No public record indicates laicization.
• Died: 2009
• Public Disclosure: Listed on the Diocese of Peoria’s public list on November 29, 2018, and identified in the Illinois Attorney General’s clergy abuse report.

Assignment History

Primary Diocese: Diocese of Peoria (Illinois)

Parish and Ministry Assignments (As listed in the Illinois Attorney General’s clergy abuse report):

• Saint Mary – Aledo, IL
• Saint Mary – Canton, IL
• Saint Rose – Rushville, IL
• Saint Edward – Chillicothe, IL
• Saint Philomena – Peoria, IL
• Saint Joseph Home – Peoria, IL
• King’s House Retreat Center – Henry, IL

Public records from the Illinois Attorney General indicate that Fr. John C. Anderson was ordained for the Diocese of Peoria in 1948 and served in multiple parish and institutional roles across Illinois. During his time at Saint Edward in Chillicothe in the late 1970s and early 1980s, numerous survivors later reported abuse connected to overnight stays, rectory visits, work at parish properties, and visits to Anderson’s family home.

Non-Church Assignments:

• Saint Joseph Home in Peoria, a residential and care facility
• King’s House Retreat Center in Henry, Illinois, a diocesan retreat ministry setting.

These assignments establish the parish and institutional environments in which Anderson had regular contact with minors and where the reported abuse is alleged to have occurred.

Known Allegations

Fr. John C. Anderson is the subject of multiple allegations of sexually abusing boys during his ministry in the Diocese of Peoria, with reports centering primarily on his time at Saint Edward Catholic Church in Chillicothe, Illinois. 

The Illinois Attorney General’s narrative identifies two survivors by pseudonyms, “Adam” and “Paul,” whose accounts describe similar patterns of grooming, overnight stays, and sexual abuse.

“Adam,” who was 8 years old when he moved to Chillicothe in the late 1970s, reported that the abuse began after Anderson invited him to spend time at the rectory and help with yard work. According to his account, the misconduct escalated during overnight stays at both the rectory and Anderson’s mother’s home west of town. 

Adam reported being abused repeatedly over a three- to four-year period and described lasting emotional effects, including shame, emotional distress, and an inability to return to his hometown comfortably. He later recounted that diocesan representatives told him they already knew Anderson had abused other boys and suggested that he forgive the priest.

Another survivor, identified as “Paul,” reported similar abuse beginning in 1978. Anderson allegedly groomed Paul through altar service, yard work, and sleepovers, and the abuse continued for two to three years. Paul eventually left Chillicothe to live with his father in Quincy in order to get away from Anderson. 

About a year later, Anderson traveled to Quincy with two other boys and approached Paul to ask whether he had spoken to anyone about what had happened, a visit Paul interpreted as an effort to check whether he remained silent.

Paul disclosed the abuse to a counselor in 1993, and the counselor reported it to the Diocese of Peoria. Paul recalls that during a follow-up phone call, Bishop John Myers told him that Anderson denied the allegations and accused him of lying. Years later, another bishop wrote to Paul’s mother acknowledging that Paul had, in fact, been abused by Anderson.

In addition to these accounts, public summaries report further allegations of abuse by Anderson between 1979 and 1984 and between 1988 and 1990 in Peoria County, as well as additional reports of abuse in Peoria County and in Colorado, where the precise dates are not specified.

The Diocese of Peoria ultimately deemed the allegations against Anderson credible and included him on its public list of priests removed from ministry due to substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse.

Summary: Fr. John C. Anderson has been credibly accused of sexually abusing multiple altar boys during his ministry in the Diocese of Peoria, with allegations centered on Saint Edward Catholic Church in Chillicothe and additional reported incidents from other periods and locations. 

These allegations form part of a broader pattern of clergy misconduct reported in the Diocese of Peoria sexual abuse cases.

Overseeing Authorities During Key Periods:

• Bishop Edward W. O’Rourke – Diocese of Peoria
• Bishop John J. Myers – Diocese of Peoria
• Bishop Daniel R. Jenky – Diocese of Peoria

Associated Organizations and Contextual Entities:

• Saint Edward Catholic Church, Chillicothe
• Diocese of Peoria
• Illinois Attorney General’s Office

Institutional Actions and Review

Church and survivor accounts indicate that the Diocese of Peoria first received a formal allegation against Fr. John C. Anderson in 1993, when a survivor disclosed abuse to a counselor who then notified diocesan leadership. 

The survivor recalls that during a follow-up phone call, Bishop John Myers told him that Anderson denied the allegation and accused him of lying. No disciplinary action affecting Anderson’s ministry was imposed at that time.

According to another survivor, diocesan representatives later stated that they already knew Anderson had abused boys and encouraged the survivor to forgive the priest rather than pursue further action.

In 2002, Bishop Daniel Jenky sent a letter to a survivor’s mother, apologizing for what her son had experienced and acknowledging that Anderson had abused him. 

Despite this and other reports that emerged over time, the Diocese of Peoria did not report the allegations against Anderson to the local state’s attorney until October 2018, more than sixteen years after Bishop Jenky’s written acknowledgement.

Following diocesan review and the Illinois Attorney General’s investigation into clergy abuse, Anderson was placed on the Diocese of Peoria’s public list of priests removed from ministry due to substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of a minor, and his name now appears among other clerics identified on the Illinois list of accused priests.

Timeline

1948 — Ordained a priest for the Diocese of Peoria

1959–1965 — Public records indicate Anderson served in parish ministry at Saint Mary in Aledo, Illinois

1965–1971 — Public records indicate Anderson was assigned to Saint Mary in Canton, Illinois

1971–1973 — Public records indicate Anderson was assigned to Saint Rose in Rushville, Illinois

1973–1984 — Public records indicate Anderson served as pastor at Saint Edward Catholic Church in Chillicothe, Illinois

Late 1970s–early 1980s — Abuse of altar boys reported at Saint Edward in Chillicothe during Anderson’s tenure there

1979–1984 — Additional reported abuse in Peoria County, Illinois, as summarized in the Illinois Attorney General’s clergy abuse directory

1985–1993 — Public records indicate Anderson was assigned to Saint Philomena in Peoria and later served as Vicar of the Northwest Peoria Vicariate (1991–1993)

1986 — Reported removal from ministry, as noted in diocesan information provided to the Illinois Attorney General

1988–1990 — Additional reported abuse in Peoria County, Illinois, as summarized in the Illinois Attorney General’s clergy abuse directory

Unknown — Additional reported abuse in Peoria County, Illinois, where exact dates are not specified

Unknown — Reported abuse involving misconduct in Colorado, where exact dates are not specified

1993 — First abuse report received by the Diocese of Peoria; Anderson was removed from parish ministry at Saint Edward and reassigned to diocesan administrative roles

1993–1995 — Public records indicate he served as Director of the Holy Childhood Association and Mission Co-op Program

1993–2002 — Public records indicate he served as Director of Propagation of the Faith and Diocesan Director of Cemeteries

1995–2002 — Public records indicate he was Executive Director of King’s House Retreats in Henry, Illinois

2000–2002 — Public records indicate he was assigned to St. Joseph’s Home of Peoria in West Peoria, Illinois

2002 — Public records indicate he retired from active ministry and was no longer assigned to parish work

2009 — Died

October 2018 — The Diocese of Peoria reported Anderson’s abuse allegations to the local state’s attorney

November 29, 2018 — Listed by the Diocese of Peoria as a priest removed from ministry due to substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of a minor

2023 — Identified in the Illinois Attorney General’s clergy abuse report as a priest with multiple reported survivors of child sexual abuse

Speak With an Attorney

If you or someone you know was sexually abused by Fr. John C. Anderson or any other Catholic clergy member in Illinois, you may have legal options available. The Injury Lawyer Team represents survivors across the state and can help you understand your rights and potential avenues for civil action. 

Contact us to arrange a confidential conversation with an experienced Illinois clergy abuse lawyer who can guide you through the next steps.

Sources and Public Records

This page is based on public records, official Church disclosures, legal filings, and survivor reports, including the following:

• The Illinois Attorney General’s 2023 Report on Catholic Clergy Abuse which identifies Fr. John C. Anderson as a priest with multiple reported survivors of child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Peoria.
• The Illinois Attorney General’s narrative summary for Fr. John C. Anderson which details survivor accounts, diocesan responses, and Anderson’s status within the Church.
• The Diocese of Peoria’s official list of clergy who have been removed from ministry due to substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of a minor, where Fr. Anderson is named.
• News and legal reporting describing a civil lawsuit alleging that Fr. Anderson sexually abused a minor at Saint Edward Catholic Church in Chillicothe between approximately 1979 and 1984.
• BishopAccountability.org’s entry for Fr. John C. Anderson, which compiles diocesan records, media reports, and assignment history related to the allegations.

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.