Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Fr. William Leyhane

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

Primary Entity Name: William R. Leyhane

Common Variations / Aliases: Father William Leyhane, Fr. William Leyhane, William Leyhane

Role/Title at Time of Incident: Parish Priest

Current Status: Deceased

Public Identification and Clergy Status

Fr. William R. Leyhane was publicly identified as a priest with a substantiated allegation of child sexual abuse through official disclosures by Church authorities and state investigators. His name appears in public accountability records following an institutional review of allegations related to his ministry in Illinois.

The Archdiocese of Chicago listed him as part of its disclosure of clergy members against whom allegations of sexual abuse of a minor were substantiated under diocesan review standards. Fr. Leyhane was also included in the Illinois Attorney General’s investigation into Catholic clergy abuse, which compiled information from dioceses statewide based on survivor accounts, diocesan files, and institutional responses.

The public identification reflects findings that an allegation of sexual abuse involving a minor was considered credible and substantiated under Church review standards, resulting in his inclusion on official public lists.

Entity that Listed Him: Archdiocese of Chicago; Illinois Attorney General’s Office

Reason for Listing: Substantiated allegation of child sexual abuse identified through diocesan review and documented in the Illinois Attorney General’s clergy abuse investigation

Key Status Facts

• Ordination Year: 1919
• Years in Active Ministry: Served during the early and mid-20th century; exact start and end dates of ministry are not fully specified in public disclosures
• Locations Where He Served: Archdiocese of Chicago (multiple parish assignments in Chicago, Illinois)
• Known Restrictions / Monitoring: No restrictions are publicly documented
• Removal / Resignation / Reassignment: Not specified in available public disclosures
• Laicization: Not publicly documented
• Died: 1982
• Public Disclosure / Listing Date: Publicly listed by the Archdiocese of Chicago on October 14, 2022

Assignment History

Primary Archdiocese: Archdiocese of Chicago

Fr. William R. Leyhane served in parish ministry within the Archdiocese of Chicago during the early and mid-20th century. Publicly available records documenting his clerical service identify multiple parish assignments in Chicago, Illinois. These assignments establish the institutional and parish settings relevant to allegations later reviewed and disclosed by Church authorities.

Parish Assignments (as documented in public disclosures):

• Saint Gabriel – Chicago, IL
• Saint Thomas Aquinas – Chicago, IL
• Saint John Baptist – Chicago, IL
• Our Lady of Victory – Chicago, IL
• Saint Agnes – Chicago, IL
• Saint James (Sag Bridge) – Chicago, IL
• Saint Ethelreda – Chicago, IL

Exact date ranges for each parish assignment have not been fully released in public summaries; however, all known assignments occurred under the authority of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Early or Transitional Roles: No seminary, training, or transitional placements have been publicly documented in available Church or government disclosures.

Non-Church Assignments: No non-parish or external institutional assignments (such as schools, hospitals, or youth organizations) have been publicly documented.

These parish assignments reflect the ministry contexts in which Fr. Leyhane served and provide the framework for understanding the Church’s later review and public disclosure of allegations associated with his service.

Known Allegations

Fr. William R. Leyhane was the subject of reports alleging sexual abuse involving minors that were later reviewed by Church authorities and documented by state investigators. According to public records, at least one substantiated allegation involved misconduct reported to have occurred in 1971 at Saint Ethelreda Catholic Church in Chicago, Illinois, during Fr. Leyhane’s parish ministry.

Church officials reviewed the allegation under diocesan standards and ultimately classified it as substantiated, leading to Fr. Leyhane’s inclusion on the Archdiocese of Chicago’s official list of clergy with substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of a minor.

Public records also describe additional reports about Fr. Leyhane submitted to Church authorities over time, including reports from 1994, 2004, 2006, and several between 2007 and 2008. While not all reports were substantiated at the time they were received, they were later considered part of broader institutional review and disclosure processes.

No criminal conviction related to these allegations is stated in the public records referenced on this page. The matters became publicly known decades after the alleged misconduct, following retrospective reviews and disclosures.

Summary: Fr. William R. Leyhane was publicly identified by Church and state authorities in connection with a substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor occurring during his parish ministry in Chicago, with additional reports documented in public records over subsequent years.

Overseeing Authority During Key Periods:

• Cardinal Joseph Bernardin – Archdiocese of Chicago
• Cardinal Francis George – Archdiocese of Chicago
• Cardinal Blase Cupich – Archdiocese of Chicago (during the later disclosure period)

Associated Organizations: Catholic parish ministry within the Archdiocese of Chicago

Legal / Advocacy Bodies Referenced: Illinois Attorney General’s Office, clergy abuse investigation

Institutional Actions and Review

Public records indicate that reports involving Fr. William R. Leyhane were brought to the attention of Church authorities during the mid-1990s, based on survivor accounts. Archdiocesan records reflect that the Diocese later identified 2001 as the first formal report evaluated through its internal review process.

In 2001, archdiocesan officials reviewed the allegation and concluded that it was “possible” that sexual abuse of a minor had occurred. At that time, the review board declined to substantiate the allegation, citing Fr. Leyhane’s death and inability to respond. As a result, his name was not initially placed on the Archdiocese’s public list of clergy with substantiated allegations.

There is no publicly available documentation indicating that Fr. Leyhane was restricted, monitored, removed from ministry, or reassigned in response to the allegations during his lifetime. Public records also do not indicate that information about the allegations was shared during parish transfers or that prior concerns were formally recorded in his personnel file at the time of service.

The allegation became public only after a later institutional review, when the Archdiocese of Chicago updated its policies and released an expanded list of accused clergy in Illinois following a review connected to the Illinois Attorney General’s investigation. On October 14, 2022, Fr. Leyhane’s name was added to the public list.

Timeline

1919 — Ordained as a priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago

Mid-20th century — Served in multiple parish assignments in Chicago, Illinois

1971 — Alleged sexual abuse of a minor reportedly occurred at Saint Ethelreda Catholic Church in Chicago

1982 — Died

Mid-1990s — Allegation reported to Church authorities, according to survivor accounts

2001 — Archdiocesan review board evaluated the allegation and found abuse “possible”

October 14, 2022 — Publicly listed by the Archdiocese of Chicago following internal review

2023 — Included in the Illinois Attorney General’s Report on Catholic clergy abuse
Speak With an Attorney

If you or someone you know was sexually abused by Fr. William R. Leyhane or by any Catholic clergy member in Illinois, you may still have legal options available. The Injury Lawyer Team represents survivors of clergy abuse statewide and approaches every case with discretion and care.

You can speak confidentially with an Illinois clergy abuse attorney to learn more about your rights and potential legal paths forward.

Sources and Public Records

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

• The Illinois Attorney General’s Catholic Clergy Abuse Investigation narrative for William R. Leyhane which describes reported allegations, the reporting history, and institutional responses documented in public records.
• The Illinois Attorney General’s Catholic Clergy Abuse Investigation abuser list entry for William R. Leyhane, which includes publicly reported assignments, the reported abuse date/location, and the Archdiocese of Chicago’s public listing date.
• BishopAccountability.org, which compiles publicly available Church and government disclosures and related reporting concerning allegations involving Fr. William R. Leyhane.

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.