Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Fr. Joseph E. Savage

This page outlines the documented parish assignments, reported allegations of child sexual abuse, and institutional actions involving Fr. Joseph E. Savage, as part of the Injury Lawyer Team’s representation of survivors in Illinois clergy abuse cases.

• Primary Entity Name: Joseph E. Savage
• Common Variations / Aliases: Father Joseph Savage, Fr. Joseph Savage, Joseph Savage
• Role/Title at Time of Incident: Catholic Priest, Parish Priest
• Current Status: Deceased

Public Identification and Clergy Status

Fr. Joseph E. Savage has been publicly identified by Church authorities and government investigators as a Catholic priest against whom allegations of child sexual abuse were later reported. His name appears in official disclosures released by the Archdiocese of Chicago and in the Illinois Attorney General’s statewide investigation into Catholic clergy abuse.

According to these public records, allegations involving misconduct with minors were reported decades after Savage’s active ministry had ended. The alleged abuse is linked to Wisconsin locations during the 1950s. Savage is listed among priests whose cases were reviewed and disclosed as part of broader institutional efforts to identify clergy accused of abuse and to document how such reports were historically handled by Church leadership.

Entity that Listed Him: Archdiocese of Chicago; Illinois Attorney General’s Office (Catholic Clergy Abuse Investigation)

Reason for Listing: Reported and reviewed allegations of child sexual abuse involving minors, identified through diocesan review processes and included in the Illinois Attorney General’s public report

Key Status Facts

• Ordination Date: March 16, 1918
• Years in Active Ministry: 1918–1936
• Locations Where He Served: Archdiocese of Chicago (Illinois)
• Reported Abuse Locations / Timeframes:
  • Wilmot, Wisconsin (approximately 1950–1956)
  • Silver Lake, Wisconsin (1950s, including reported periods from 1955–1959)
• Reported Survivors: Seven individuals identified in public summaries
• Restrictions / Removal / Resignation: Resigned from the priesthood in December 1936
• Laicization: Not listed as laicized in public records
• Public Disclosure / Listing Date: March 20, 2006 (Archdiocese of Chicago)
• Died: June 1974

Assignment History

Primary Archdiocese: Archdiocese of Chicago

Parish Assignments (as documented in public disclosures):

• St. Andrew — Chicago, IL
• St. Mark — Chicago, IL
• Immaculate Conception — Elmhurst, IL
• St. John Berchmans — Chicago, IL
• St. Mary — Mokena, IL
• St. Patrick — Wadsworth, IL
• Holy Cross — Deerfield, IL

Publicly available records indicate that Fr. Joseph E. Savage served in multiple parish roles within the Archdiocese of Chicago between his ordination in 1918 and his resignation in 1936. Exact start and end dates for each assignment have not been consistently published due to the age of the records.

Early and Transitional Roles: Savage’s ministry occurred during a period when clergy personnel files were not systematically preserved or publicly disclosed. As a result, early transitional placements, temporary assignments, or training roles have not been comprehensively documented in available sources.

Non-Church Assignments / Related Context: While Savage’s formal priestly assignments were based in Illinois, public investigative summaries later referenced alleged misconduct connected to Wisconsin locations, including Wilmot and Silver Lake. These locations were not identified as formal parish assignments but were cited in survivor reports reviewed decades later.

Note: Assignment information is based on summaries released by the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Illinois Attorney General. The absence of detailed parish timelines reflects limitations in surviving records rather than confirmation of inactivity.

Known Allegations

Fr. Joseph E. Savage is identified in public Church and government records as the subject of reported allegations of child sexual abuse involving minors. According to summaries released by the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Illinois Attorney General, the alleged misconduct occurred outside Illinois, with reports referencing Wisconsin locations, including Wilmot and Silver Lake.

The alleged abuse is reported to have occurred during the 1950s, including overlapping periods between approximately 1950 and 1960. Public summaries indicate that seven survivors reported abuse connected to Savage. The disclosures do not provide detailed descriptions of the specific settings or circumstances of the alleged misconduct.

Church authorities categorized the reports as reviewed allegations, and Savage’s name was included on public lists following retrospective examination of historical records. No criminal charges or convictions related to these allegations appear in public court records.

The allegations surfaced many years after the reported abuse and were documented through later institutional review processes rather than contemporaneous complaints.

Summary: Fr. Joseph E. Savage was named in Church and state disclosures following reviewed reports of child sexual abuse involving multiple minors, with alleged misconduct linked to Wisconsin locations during the 1950s.

Overseeing Authority During Key Periods:

• Cardinal George Mundelein — Archdiocese of Chicago

Legal and Investigative Bodies Referenced:

• Illinois Attorney General’s Catholic Clergy Abuse Investigation

Institutional Actions and Review

Public disclosures indicate that allegations involving Fr. Joseph E. Savage were not addressed contemporaneously during his lifetime or period of active ministry. Savage resigned from the priesthood in December 1936, decades before survivor reports were later reviewed and disclosed through modern investigative efforts.

According to diocesan summaries, the Archdiocese of Chicago has stated that its first report concerning Savage dates to 1936, though publicly available records do not describe the nature of that report or whether it involved allegations of abuse. There is no evidence in disclosed materials that restrictions, monitoring, or disciplinary measures related to abuse allegations were imposed during Savage’s lifetime.

Because the reported misconduct allegedly occurred outside Illinois and surfaced many years later, there is no indication that information was shared between dioceses during active assignments or that any formal inter-diocesan action occurred.

Savage’s name was disclosed retroactively following internal reviews conducted as part of broader efforts to document historical abuse allegations. His inclusion on the Archdiocese of Chicago’s publicly released list of accused clergy in Illinois and in the Illinois Attorney General’s investigation occurred long after his death.

There is no public record showing that disciplinary action or removal from ministry occurred in response to abuse allegations during Savage’s lifetime, reflecting the delayed nature of disclosure common in early-20th-century clergy cases.

Timeline

March 16, 1918 — Ordained as a priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago

1918–1936 — Served in active parish ministry at multiple Chicago-area parishes

December 1936 — Resigned from the priesthood

1950–1956 — Alleged abuse reportedly occurred in Wilmot, Wisconsin

1955–1960 — Additional alleged abuse reported in Silver Lake and other Wisconsin locations

1936 (Diocesan Claim) — Archdiocese states first report was received

June 1974 — Died

March 20, 2006 — Publicly listed by the Archdiocese of Chicago following internal review

2023 — Included in the Illinois Attorney General’s Catholic Clergy Abuse Investigation

Speak With an Attorney

If you or someone you know was sexually abused by Fr. Joseph E. Savage or any Catholic clergy member connected to Illinois, you may still have legal options. The Injury Lawyer Team represents survivors of clergy abuse throughout the state and understands the complexities involved in historical abuse cases.

Contact our team to schedule a confidential consultation with an experienced Illinois clergy abuse lawyer. We are here to help you understand your rights and determine what legal steps may be available to you.

Sources and Public Records

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

• The Illinois Attorney General’s 2023 Report on Catholic Clergy Abuse, which lists Fr. Joseph E. Savage and summarizes reported allegations involving Wisconsin locations.
• The Archdiocese of Chicago’s official list of clerics with substantiated allegations, published and archived by BishopAccountability.org, where Fr. Savage appears.
• Assignment history and supporting documentation compiled by BishopAccountability.org, detailing Savage’s parish assignments within the Archdiocese of Chicago.

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.