Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Fr. Joseph Fitzharris

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

• Primary Entity Name: Joseph L. Fitzharris
• Common Variations / Aliases: Father Joseph Fitzharris, Fr. Joseph Fitzharris, Rev. Joseph L. Fitzharris
• Role/Title at Time of Incident: Parish Priest, Associate Pastor
• Current Status: Laicized (removed from the priesthood)

Public Identification and Clergy Status

Church authorities and government bodies have publicly identified Fr. Joseph L. Fitzharris in connection with reports of sexual abuse involving minors. He appears on disclosure materials released by the Archdiocese of Chicago, in statewide reporting by the Illinois Attorney General, and in publicly available court records.

Court records show Fitzharris was criminally convicted in Cook County, Illinois, in 1987 for sexually abusing a minor. Later public disclosures indicate he acknowledged abusive conduct involving multiple minors. He remained associated with the Archdiocese under restrictions for a period before being removed from public ministry and later laicized by the Vatican.

According to Church disclosures and public reporting, allegations primarily concern abuse of boys during the 1970s and 1980s, with public identification occurring years later following internal review and external investigation.

Entity that Listed Him: Archdiocese of Chicago; Illinois Attorney General’s Office; Vatican (laicization)

Reason for Listing: Credible and substantiated allegations as reflected in Church disclosures and government reporting; criminal conviction in Illinois; inclusion in public disclosure materials following later investigation

Key Status Facts

• Ordination Year: 1962
• Years in Active Ministry: 1962–1991 (removed from public ministry in 1991)
• Locations Where He Served: Primarily within the Archdiocese of Chicago (Illinois); public reports also reference allegations connected to other locations outside Illinois
• Restrictions: Returned to limited ministry with restrictions and monitoring following a 1987 criminal conviction
• Removal / Resignation: Removed from public ministry in 1991; formally resigned from the priesthood in 1995
• Criminal Conviction: Convicted in Illinois in 1987 for sexual abuse of a minor and sentenced to one year of supervision
• Laicization: Laicized by the Vatican in 2009
• Public Disclosure / Listing Date: Publicly listed by the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2006 and later included in statewide disclosures by the Illinois Attorney General

Assignment History

Primary Archdiocese: Archdiocese of Chicago

Fr. Joseph L. Fitzharris held multiple parish assignments within the Archdiocese of Chicago over several decades.

Parish Assignments (as documented in public reports):

• St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church – Wilmette, Illinois (circa 1962–1966)
• St. Fidelis Catholic Church – Chicago, Illinois (circa 1966–1970)
• St. Aloysius Catholic Church – Chicago, Illinois (circa 1970–1974)
• St. Louise de Marillac Catholic Church – La Grange Park, Illinois (circa 1974–1980)
• St. Bartholomew and St. Joseph Parish – Waukegan, Illinois (dates not publicly specified)
• St. Genevieve Catholic Church – Chicago, Illinois (dates not publicly specified)
• St. Pascal Catholic Church – Chicago, Illinois (dates not publicly specified)
• Good Shepherd Catholic Church – Chicago, Illinois (dates not publicly specified)

Non-Church Assignments and Activities: In addition to parish work, Fitzharris participated in Church-related youth activities and pastoral settings, including counseling and informal mentoring. These activities are referenced in survivor reports and Church documentation as contexts in which alleged abuse was reported to have occurred.

Known Allegations

According to Church disclosures, survivor reports, and public records, Fr. Joseph L. Fitzharris has been associated with multiple substantiated allegations of sexual abuse involving minors, primarily boys, with reported misconduct occurring mainly during the 1970s and 1980s. At the same time, he served in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

The most prominent case resulted in a criminal conviction in 1987 in Cook County, Illinois. Church authorities subsequently classified the underlying allegation as substantiated, though Fitzharris was not immediately permanently removed from ministry.

Later disclosures indicate that additional individuals reported abuse during childhood. Church documentation released in later years states that Fitzharris acknowledged abusing multiple minors, and public reporting indicates that by 2005, he had admitted to abusing at least nine boys.

The Illinois Attorney General’s investigation reported at least 20 individuals who came forward with allegations involving Fitzharris. Public records reference reported abuse connected to Illinois, as well as Puerto Rico, Missouri, Indiana, California, and Colorado; these references reflect survivor reports documented in public sources and do not represent findings of criminal guilt for each reported allegation. In at least one publicly reported instance, a survivor later came forward following the death of a parent employed at a parish where Fitzharris served, and civil settlements with the Archdiocese of Chicago later confirmed abuse during his ministry at a Chicago parish.

Summary: Public records indicate that Fr. Joseph L. Fitzharris was convicted of a crime and later laicized, and that Church disclosures and government reports document multiple credible, substantiated allegations related to his ministry.

Overseeing Authorities During Key Periods:

• Cardinal John Cody – Archdiocese of Chicago
• Cardinal Joseph Bernardin – Archdiocese of Chicago

Associated Organizations and Contextual References:

• Archdiocese of Chicago parish system
• Illinois Attorney General’s Catholic Clergy Abuse Investigation and Report

Institutional Actions and Review

Public records indicate the Archdiocese of Chicago has stated it first received a report involving Fr. Joseph L. Fitzharris in or around 1986, shortly before his 1987 criminal conviction. Following the conviction, he was not immediately and permanently removed from all priestly functions and reportedly continued in limited ministry under restrictions and monitoring.

By 1991, Fitzharris had been removed from public ministry, and in 1995, he formally resigned from the priesthood. The Vatican later laicized him in 2009, permanently ending his clerical status.

Public disclosure of Fitzharris’ history did not occur immediately following the criminal proceedings. He was later included on official Archdiocese disclosure materials and in broader public reporting, including statewide investigations released years later. Civil litigation involving survivors resulted in multiple settlements, and Church personnel files related to Fitzharris were released publicly in 2014 as part of settlement agreements.

Additional context on disclosure practices involving accused clergy in Illinois is available in the list of accused clergy.

Timeline

1962 — Ordained in the Archdiocese of Chicago

1962–1966 (approx.) — St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Wilmette, Illinois

1966–1970 (approx.) — St. Fidelis Catholic Church, Chicago, Illinois

1970–1974 (approx.) — St. Aloysius Catholic Church, Chicago, Illinois

1974–1980 (approx.) — St. Louise de Marillac Catholic Church, La Grange Park, Illinois

Late 1960s–1980s — Period during which alleged abuse was later reported

1986 — Archdiocese states first report received

1987 — Criminal conviction in Cook County, Illinois

Late 1980s — Limited ministry with restrictions

1991 — Removed from public ministry

January 1995 — Resigned from the priesthood

March 2006 — Publicly listed by the Archdiocese of Chicago

2009 — Laicized by the Vatican

Speak With an Attorney

If you or someone you know was sexually abused by Fr. Joseph L. Fitzharris or by any Catholic clergy member in Illinois, you may still have legal options. The Injury Lawyer Team represents survivors of clergy abuse statewide and offers confidential, survivor-focused consultations.

You can contact our team to speak privately with an Illinois clergy abuse lawyer who can help you understand your rights and explore possible legal action.

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 Catholic Clergy Abuse Investigation, which publicly lists Fr. Joseph L. Fitzharris as a credibly accused priest and documents reported abuse, survivor counts, and institutional responses within Illinois.
• The Archdiocese of Chicago released personnel records for Fr. Joseph L. Fitzharris, made public through settlement-related disclosures, which include internal documentation regarding his assignments, restrictions, and removal from ministry.
• Publicly available summaries and documentation compiled by BishopAccountability.org, which aggregates Church records, court information, and reporting related to allegations, criminal proceedings, and institutional actions involving Fr. Fitzharris.

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.