Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Joseph Patrick Kissane

This page outlines the assignments, allegations, and institutional actions involving Fr. Joseph Patrick Kissane, a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, as part of the Injury Lawyer Team’s work representing survivors of clergy abuse in Illinois.

• Primary Entity Name: Joseph Patrick Kissane
• Common Variations / Aliases: Father Joseph Kissane, Fr. Joseph Kissane, Joseph Kissane
• Role/Title at Time of Alleged Abuse: Parish Priest
• Current Status: Removed from ministry; resigned; laicized; deceased

Public Identification and Clergy Status

Fr. Joseph Patrick Kissane was publicly identified as a priest with credible and substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of minors through:

• Archdiocese of Chicago
• Illinois Attorney General’s Office

The Illinois Attorney General’s investigation documents that Kissane admitted to sexually abusing minors and that Church officials were aware of his conduct years before his removal from ministry.

• Entity that Listed Him: Archdiocese of Chicago, Illinois Attorney General, BishopAccountability.org 
• Reason for Listing: Credible and substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse, including admissions by Kissane documented in internal Church records.

Key Status Facts

Ordination Year: 1969

Years in Active Ministry: 1969–1991

Primary Archdiocese: Archdiocese of Chicago, Illinois

Locations Where He Served: Hometown, Chicago, Oak Lawn, Evergreen Park, Illinois

Restrictions: Faculties withdrawn in 1991

Resignation: 1991

Laicization: 2010

Public Disclosure: First publicly listed in 2006

Died: 2011

Assignment History

Primary Archdiocese: Archdiocese of Chicago

Based on Archdiocesan directories, Illinois Attorney General records, and BishopAccountability documentation, Joseph Patrick Kissane held the following assignments:

• Our Lady of Loretto Parish – Hometown, Illinois (1969-1970)
• St. Cajetan Parish, Chicago, Illinois (1970 – 1976)
• St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish, Oak Lawn, Illinois (1976 – 1981)
• St. Adrian Parish, Chicago, Illinois (1981 – 1986)
• Most Holy Redeemer Parish (in residence) – Evergreen Park, Illinois (1987 – 1991)

These assignments placed Kissane in parish environments involving regular pastoral interaction with children, including altar servers and students.

Known Allegations

According to the Illinois Attorney General’s Clergy Abuse Database and narrative materials, Joseph Patrick Kissane sexually abused minors during multiple parish assignments in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

The Illinois Attorney General reports that the first known report to the Archdiocese occurred in 1989, although the alleged abuse occurred much earlier. Documented abuse locations and periods include Hometown (1969), Oak Lawn (1977–1981), and Chicago during the 1970s and 1980s, with some reports listing the precise location as unknown.

Most notably, the Illinois Attorney General’s narrative states that Kissane confessed to sexually abusing three children. Internal Church records described his conduct as involving repeated sexual contact with minors, including girls as young as 14 years old.

Despite these admissions, Church officials did not immediately remove Kissane from ministry. He continued to serve in parish-related roles until 1991, when his faculties were finally withdrawn.

There is no public record of any arrest, charge, or conviction of Kissane in any criminal court.

Summary: Joseph Patrick Kissane was credibly accused of sexually abusing multiple minors across several parish assignments in Illinois, with abuse dating back to the late 1960s and formal Church awareness by 1989.

Overseeing Authorities During Key Periods:

• Cardinal John Cody – Archdiocese of Chicago (early ministry)
• Cardinal Joseph Bernardin – Archdiocese of Chicago (period of abuse and first reports)
• Cardinal Francis George – Archdiocese of Chicago (public disclosure period)

Institutional Actions and Review

The Illinois Attorney General’s narrative documents that Church officials were informed of Kissane’s sexual abuse through his own admissions, yet initial responses did not involve immediate removal from ministry.

Following his confession, Kissane was subject to informal monitoring rather than decisive disciplinary action. His faculties were not withdrawn until 1991, nearly two years after the Archdiocese recorded its first report.

Kissane resigned from the priesthood in 1991. Despite the seriousness of the allegations and admissions, his name was not publicly disclosed until 2006, when the Archdiocese of Chicago released its list of clergy with substantiated allegations.

He was formally laicized in 2010, ending his clerical status. Survivor advocates and investigators have criticized the delayed response, noting that the lack of timely intervention allowed abuse to continue and prevented early accountability.

Joseph Patrick Kissane was first publicly placed on the Archdiocese of Chicago’s list of priests with substantiated allegations on March 20, 2006, and his name later appeared in the Illinois Attorney General’s statewide clergy abuse report published December 17, 2018.

Timeline

1969 — Ordained in the Archdiocese of Chicago
1969–1970 — Our Lady of Loretto Parish, Hometown, Illinois
1970–1976 — St. Cajetan Parish, Chicago, Illinois
1976–1981 — St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish, Oak Lawn, Illinois
1977–1981 — Alleged abuse reported at St. Catherine of Alexandria
1981–1986 — St. Adrian Parish, Chicago, Illinois
1987–1991 — Most Holy Redeemer Parish (in residence), Evergreen Park, Illinois
1989 — Archdiocese records first report of abuse
1991 — Faculties withdrawn; resignation
2006 — Publicly listed by the Archdiocese of Chicago
2010 — Laicized
2011 — Died

Speak With an Attorney

If you or someone you love was abused by Fr. Joseph Patrick Kissane or another priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago, you may still have legal options under Illinois law. The Injury Lawyer Team is a clergy abuse lawyer in Illinois and offers confidential consultations.

Sources

This page is based on public records, official Church disclosures, and survivor reports. 

Key sources include:

• The Illinois Attorney General Clergy Abuse Database and narrative detail assignments, institutional actions, dates of allegations, and more. 
• Archdiocese of Chicago public list of clergy with substantiated allegations lists Kissane
• BishopAccountability.org archival records list dates of accusations and facts regarding accused priests, including Joseph Kissane

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.