Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Fr. Joseph Stephen Thomas

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

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

Public Identification and Clergy Status

Fr. Joseph Stephen Thomas was publicly identified as a Catholic priest with substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse following internal reviews conducted by the Archdiocese of Chicago. His name appears on official diocesan lists of clergy accused of sexual abuse of minors and in statewide reporting related to clergy abuse in Illinois.

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

Reason for Listing: Substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse of a minor, as determined through internal Church review processes and documented in diocesan disclosures and the Illinois Attorney General’s public reporting.

Key Status Facts

• Ordination Year: 1952
• Retired: 1997
• Locations Where He Served: Archdiocese of Chicago (Illinois)
• Removal from Ministry: Removed from public ministry in October 2002
• Restrictions: Not publicly detailed beyond removal from public ministry
• Laicization: Not publicly reported
• Public Disclosure / Listing Date: September 15, 2008
• Died: August 2011

Assignment History

Primary Diocese/Archdiocese: Archdiocese of Chicago

Publicly available diocesan disclosures and investigative reporting indicate that Fr. Joseph Stephen Thomas served in parish ministry at multiple locations within the Archdiocese of Chicago. These assignments establish the institutional settings relevant to allegations later reviewed by Church authorities.

Parish and Institutional Assignments (as documented in public records):

• St. Columba Parish – Chicago, IL
• St. David Parish – Chicago, IL
• St. Ferdinand Parish – Chicago, IL
• St. Giles Parish – Oak Park, IL
• Our Lady of the Cross Mission – Chicago, IL
• St. Margaret Mary Parish – Chicago, IL
• St. John Vianney Parish – Northlake, IL

Exact date ranges for each assignment have not been fully detailed in publicly released summaries.

Early or Transitional Roles: Information regarding early assignments, transitional placements, or formal training roles has not been publicly detailed in available diocesan disclosures.

Non-Church Assignments: No publicly documented non-church assignments (such as schools, hospitals, or external youth organizations) have been identified in the available records.

Known Allegations

Public records indicate that Fr. Joseph Stephen Thomas was accused of sexually abusing minors in Chicago, Illinois, with reported misconduct spanning multiple time periods. Statewide reporting and diocesan disclosures reference at least three reported survivors.

According to these records, alleged abuse occurred in 1959 and again during the 1980s, while Thomas was serving in parish ministry within the Archdiocese of Chicago. One publicly referenced setting associated with the allegations is St. Margaret Mary Parish in Chicago, where the alleged victim was described as a pre-teen boy. Reports indicate that the allegations were made years after the alleged misconduct occurred.

Church characterization of the allegations: The Archdiocese of Chicago and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office have publicly listed Fr. Joseph Stephen Thomas as a cleric with substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse, following internal Church review processes.

Summary: Fr. Joseph Stephen Thomas is publicly identified in Illinois records as a Catholic priest associated with substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse, involving multiple reported survivors and alleged misconduct in Chicago during 1959 and the 1980s.

Overseeing Authorities During Key Periods (Archdiocese of Chicago):

• Albert Cardinal Meyer, Archbishop of Chicago (1958–1965), during the period corresponding to the 1959 allegation
• Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, Archbishop of Chicago (1982–1996), during the period corresponding to the 1980s allegations
• Francis Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago (1997–2014), during the period when allegations were reviewed, and institutional actions were taken

Institutional Actions and Review

Church records and statewide reporting indicate that allegations involving Fr. Joseph Stephen Thomas were first reported to the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2002, years after the most recent alleged misconduct. Following an internal review, Thomas was removed from public ministry in October 2002.

Publicly released summaries do not detail whether additional restrictions were imposed beyond removal from public ministry, nor do they indicate that information regarding the allegations was shared during earlier parish assignments or transfers. The available record does not describe contemporaneous complaints recorded during the periods of alleged abuse.

Fr. Joseph Stephen Thomas was later publicly disclosed by the Archdiocese of Chicago and formally included on its list of accused clergy in Illinois on September 15, 2008, as part of broader institutional review and transparency efforts. He was subsequently named in statewide reporting, including the Illinois Attorney General’s investigation into Catholic clergy abuse.

The publicly available record does not indicate that earlier public disclosure occurred prior to these later institutional actions.

Timeline

1952 — Ordained in the Archdiocese of Chicago

1959 — Alleged sexual abuse reportedly occurred in Chicago, Illinois

1980s — Additional alleged sexual abuse reportedly occurred in Chicago, Illinois

1997 — Retired from active ministry

2002 — Allegations first reported to the Archdiocese of Chicago

October 2002 — Removed from public ministry

September 15, 2008 — Listed by the Archdiocese of Chicago following internal review

August 2011 — Died

2023 — Included in the Illinois Attorney General’s public reporting on Catholic clergy abuse in Illinois

Speak With an Attorney

If you or someone you know was sexually abused by Fr. Joseph Stephen Thomas or by any Catholic clergy member in Illinois, you may still have legal options. The Injury Lawyer Team represents survivors of clergy abuse throughout the state and offers confidential, compassionate legal support. Contact us to schedule a private consultation with an Illinois clergy abuse attorney who can help you understand your rights and explore potential legal action.

Sources and Public Records

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

• The Illinois Attorney General’s Report on Catholic Clergy Abuse, which lists Fr. Joseph Stephen Thomas as a cleric with substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse and documents reported abuse in Chicago, Illinois, including allegations dating to 1959 and the 1980s, as well as actions reported by the Archdiocese of Chicago.
• Records compiled by BishopAccountability, which aggregate diocesan disclosures and related reporting concerning allegations, parish assignments, and institutional responses involving Fr. Joseph Stephen Thomas.

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.