Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Fr. Richard Barry Bartz

This page outlines the assignments, substantiated allegations of sexual abuse, and institutional actions involving Fr. Richard Barry Bartz, as part of the Injury Lawyer Team’s legal representation of survivors in Illinois clergy abuse cases.

• Primary Entity Name: Richard Barry Bartz
• Common Variations / Aliases: Father Richard Bartz, Fr. Richard Bartz, Richard B. Bartz
• Role/Title at Time of Incident: Catholic Priest, Associate Pastor, Seminary Faculty, Youth- and Education-Related Ministry
• Current Status: Laicized

Public Identification and Clergy Status

Fr. Richard Barry Bartz has been publicly identified as a priest against whom allegations of sexual abuse of minors were substantiated through internal Church review processes and later disclosed through statewide investigation. His name appears on official lists released by Church authorities and in the Illinois Attorney General’s 2023 Report on Catholic Clergy Abuse, which compiled information from diocesan records and survivor reports across Illinois.

The Archdiocese of Chicago lists Bartz as a cleric with substantiated allegations following its internal review procedures. He is also named in the Illinois Attorney General’s clergy abuse database, which documents accused clerics and summarizes known allegations based on Church records and survivor disclosures.

Entity that Listed Him: Archdiocese of Chicago; Illinois Attorney General’s Office (2023 clergy abuse report)

Reason for Listing: Credible and substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of minors identified through internal Church investigations and later reflected in public disclosures. The Archdiocese’s determination of substantiation reflects its internal process and is not a criminal or civil legal judgment.

Key Status Facts

• Ordination Year: May 8, 1974
• Years in Active Ministry: Served in Archdiocese of Chicago assignments from the 1970s through June 2002
• Locations Where He Served: Primarily Illinois; Archdiocese of Chicago
• Restrictions: Placed in a limited ministry with restrictions and monitoring beginning in August 1987
• Removal / Resignation / Reassignment: Removed from public ministry and resigned from priestly duties in June 2002
• Laicization: Laicized by the Vatican in September 2015
• Public Disclosure / Listing Date: Publicly listed by the Archdiocese of Chicago on March 20, 2006; later named in the Illinois Attorney General’s 2023 clergy abuse report

Assignment History

Primary Archdiocese: Archdiocese of Chicago

Fr. Richard Barry Bartz served in multiple parish, educational, and institutional roles within the Archdiocese of Chicago. The following assignments are based on publicly available Church disclosures and reporting and establish the settings relevant to the allegations later reported against him.

Parish and Educational Assignments (as documented in public reports):

• Ascension Catholic Church in Oak Park, Illinois (1970s)
• Transfiguration Catholic Church in Wauconda, Illinois
• St. Eulalia Parish in Maywood, Illinois

Hospital and Institutional Assignments:

• Columbus-Cabrini Medical Center / Columbus Hospital in Chicago, Illinois (chaplain; returned under restrictions beginning in 1988)
• St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in Chicago, Illinois
• Advocate Ravenswood Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois
• Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery & Neuroresearch in Chicago, Illinois
• St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago, Illinois (faculty role; late 1970s–1980s)
• Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary / University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois

Transitional and Restricted Assignments: Following reports of misconduct, Bartz was reassigned to institutional roles and hospital chaplaincy positions under supervision and monitoring, primarily from the late 1980s until his removal from public ministry in 2002.

Non-Church Assignments and Activities:

• Participation in youth-related activities, trips, and retreats involving minors
• Educational and pastoral roles connected to Catholic secondary education and seminary instruction

Known Allegations

At least three individuals have accused Fr. Richard Barry Bartz of sexual abuse during his ministry. Public Church disclosures, survivor reports, and statewide investigative findings indicate the alleged misconduct involved minors and occurred over multiple years in settings connected to his priestly, educational, and youth-related assignments.

Public summaries describe alleged sexual misconduct involving a 17-year-old minor connected to St. Ignatius College Prep during the 1980s, when Bartz was serving in an educational and seminary-related role. Those same summaries indicate another minor may have been involved during the same general period.

Additional allegations reference abuse during Bartz’s earlier assignment at Ascension Catholic Church in Oak Park in the 1970s. Reports also include alleged abuse during a trip to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in 1987, and an alleged incident with an unknown date in Boston, Massachusetts, along with other off-site activities connected to youth ministry.

Church officials later reviewed these reports and deemed multiple allegations substantiated through internal investigation. The Illinois Attorney General’s 2023 report identifies Bartz as a cleric with multiple reported survivors. There is no public record of a criminal conviction related to these allegations; however, public disclosures reflect significant ecclesiastical actions, including restriction, removal from ministry, resignation, and laicization.

Summary: Fr. Richard Barry Bartz is publicly listed as a priest with substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of minors reported in multiple locations from the 1970s through the 1980s, involving at least three reported survivors.

Overseeing Authorities During Key Periods:

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

Associated Organizations and Contextual Entities:

• Archdiocese of Chicago; Catholic secondary education (including St. Ignatius College Prep);
• Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary; youth-related parish activities and trips involving minors

Institutional Actions and Review

Public disclosures indicate that Church officials within the Archdiocese of Chicago were first notified of allegations involving Fr. Richard Barry Bartz in 1987. Following that report, Bartz was placed into limited ministry with restrictions and monitoring, including reassignment away from parish leadership roles.

Public summaries indicate that he was later returned to ministry in a hospital chaplaincy role under supervision. A subsequent report was made to Church authorities in 1992 regarding alleged abuse occurring during the 1970s. Despite these reports, Bartz continued to hold institutional assignments until June 2002, when he was removed from public ministry and resigned from the priesthood.

Bartz was formally laicized in September 2015. Public disclosure of his name occurred later through archdiocesan disclosures and statewide review, including his inclusion on the publicly available list of accused clergy in Illinois.

Timeline

May 8, 1974 — Ordained as a priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago

1970s — Assigned to Ascension Catholic Church in Oak Park, Illinois

1970s — Alleged abuse reportedly occurred during this period

Late 1970s–1980s — Served on faculty at St. Ignatius College Prep and Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary

1985 — Alleged abuse was reported to have occurred in Chicago, Illinois

August 1987 — First report made to Church authorities; placed in limited ministry with restrictions and monitoring

1987 — Alleged sexual abuse was reported to have occurred during an off-site trip to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

1988–2001 — Assigned to hospital chaplaincy and institutional roles under supervision

1992 — Additional report made to the Archdiocese regarding alleged abuse from the 1970s

June 2002 — Removed from public ministry and resigned from priestly duties

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

September 2015 — Laicized by the Vatican

2023 — Named in the Illinois Attorney General’s clergy abuse report

Speak With an Attorney

If you or someone you know was sexually abused by Fr. Richard Barry Bartz or any Catholic clergy member in Illinois, you may still have legal options available. Survivors may be entitled to pursue accountability and compensation through civil action. You can speak confidentially with an experienced Illinois clergy abuse attorney to learn more about your rights and the steps that 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:

• The Illinois Attorney General’s Catholic Clergy Abuse Database, which lists Fr. Richard Barry Bartz and summarizes reported allegations, assignment information, and publicly documented actions taken by Church authorities.
• The Archdiocese of Chicago’s official list of clerics with substantiated allegations, where Fr. Bartz is identified based on the Archdiocese’s internal review and disclosure procedures.
• BishopAccountability.org, which compiles public records and reporting related to Fr. Bartz, including summaries of allegations and publicly available documentation about his ministry.

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.