Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Fr. Edward Stefanich

This page outlines the documented assignments, substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse, criminal proceedings, and institutional actions involving Fr. Edward Stefanich, as part of the Injury Lawyer Team’s legal representation of survivors in Illinois clergy abuse cases.

• Primary Entity Name: Edward Stefanich
• Common Variations / Aliases: Father Edward Stefanich, Fr. Edward Stefanich, Edward A. Stefanich, Edward J. Stefanich
• Role/Title at Time of Incident: Catholic Priest, Parish Priest
• Current Status: Deceased (removed from ministry prior to death)

Public Identification and Clergy Status

Fr. Edward Stefanich was publicly identified by Church authorities and state officials as a Catholic priest with substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse, following criminal proceedings and later public disclosures. His name appears on official lists acknowledging clergy members with substantiated allegations of abuse in Illinois.

Stefanich was indicted in the 1980s on charges related to the sexual abuse of a minor. He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to incarceration followed by probation. Following these proceedings, he was removed from active ministry by the Diocese of Joliet in 1987. His case was later included in broader public disclosures addressing clergy abuse in Illinois.

Entity that Listed Him: Diocese of Joliet; Illinois Attorney General’s Office (statewide clergy abuse disclosures)

Reason for Listing: Criminal proceedings and conviction related to sexual abuse of a minor; substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse; removal from ministry following legal action

Key Status Facts

• Ordination Year: 1965
• Years in Active Ministry: 1965–1987
• Primary Diocese: Diocese of Joliet (Illinois)
• Locations Where He Served: DuPage County, Illinois, including Lombard, Addison, Elmhurst, Woodridge, and Naperville
• Restrictions / Discipline: Removed from ministry in 1987
• Criminal Proceedings / Outcome: Pleaded guilty to criminal sexual abuse; sentenced to six months in jail and one year of probation
• Civil Litigation: Named in multiple civil lawsuits alleging sexual abuse
• Laicization: Reported by some secondary sources as laicized in the late 1980s; no laicization date is confirmed in diocesan disclosure materials
• Public Disclosure / Listing Date: April 9, 2006 (Diocese of Joliet); later included in Illinois Attorney General disclosures
• Reported Survivors: At least five, as reflected in state investigative summaries
• Died: 2016

Assignment History

Primary Diocese: Diocese of Joliet (Illinois)

Parish Assignments (as documented in public disclosures):

• Christ the King Catholic Church — Lombard, IL
  (Active during reported abuse period 1969–1970; parish and school setting referenced in later civil litigation)
• St. Joseph Catholic Church — Addison, IL
  (Dates not publicly specified)
• Visitation Parish — Elmhurst, IL
  (Reported abuse associated with 1975)
• St. Scholastica Parish — Woodridge, IL
  (Reported abuse associated with 1984–1986; location tied to criminal conviction)

These parish assignments reflect Stefanich’s active ministry in the Diocese of Joliet from his ordination in 1965 to his removal from ministry in 1987. While diocesan summaries do not provide exact start and end dates for each assignment, they establish the institutional settings relevant to the reported allegations.

Non-Church Assignments: No non-parish institutional roles (such as hospitals or external organizations) are publicly documented. Some allegations are associated with parish-affiliated school settings.

Known Allegations 

Public records, contemporaneous news reporting, and Church disclosures describe Fr. Edward Stefanich as the subject of multiple reports of child sexual abuse involving minors connected to parish and school settings within the Diocese of Joliet. State investigative summaries indicate at least five reported survivors, with allegations spanning multiple decades.

Where the abuse allegedly occurred:

• Christ the King Parish and Elementary School — Lombard, Illinois (reported abuse between 1969 and 1970)
• Visitation Parish — Elmhurst, Illinois (reported abuse in 1975)
• St. Scholastica Parish — Woodridge, Illinois (reported abuse between 1984 and 1986)
• DuPage County, Illinois — Additional reported abuse periods from the mid-1970s through the late 1980s, with a later reported date in 1995

Approximate period of alleged misconduct: Late 1960s through the mid-1980s, with some disclosures referencing broader periods extending into the 1990s.

Credibility and substantiation status: The Diocese of Joliet has publicly listed Stefanich among clergy with substantiated allegations of sexual abuse, and the Illinois Attorney General’s clergy abuse disclosures likewise identify him as a cleric with multiple documented reports.

Criminal and civil proceedings: Stefanich faced criminal charges in the 1980s and later pleaded guilty to criminal sexual abuse, receiving a sentence that included incarceration and probation. He was also named in civil lawsuits filed in the late 1980s and early 2000s; public reporting indicates that at least one civil case was resolved through settlement in the late 1980s.

Summary: Fr. Edward Stefanich is publicly listed by the Diocese of Joliet and state authorities as a priest with substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse, involving multiple reported survivors, criminal proceedings, and civil litigation spanning several decades.

Institutional Actions and Review

Public disclosures and contemporaneous reporting indicate that Church authorities became aware of allegations involving Stefanich during his active ministry. Some contemporaneous reporting indicates that diocesan leadership was alerted in 1986, including through concerns raised by a counselor regarding an inappropriate relationship with a minor.

Despite these reported warnings, publicly available records indicate that Stefanich remained in ministry until 1987, when criminal charges were filed, and he was removed from active ministry by the Diocese of Joliet. There is no public record of restrictions being imposed before that time, or of parish communities being informed when concerns were first raised.

Following his removal, Stefanich was not reassigned to another parish. Public diocesan materials released years later do not describe earlier internal disciplinary action or detailed personnel-file documentation predating law enforcement involvement.

Stefanich was not publicly identified until April 2006, when the Diocese of Joliet added his name to its list of clergy with substantiated allegations of sexual abuse. He was later included in statewide disclosures compiled by the Illinois Attorney General, placing him on the list of accused clergy in Illinois following a later institutional review.

Public disclosure occurred decades after the reported misconduct and after Stefanich’s removal from ministry, rather than contemporaneously with the initial allegations.

Timeline

1965 (May) — Ordained as a Catholic priest, Diocese of Joliet

1969–1970 — Reported abuse associated with Christ the King Parish and school (Lombard, IL)

1975 — Reported abuse associated with Visitation Parish (Elmhurst, IL)

1974–1987 — Additional reported abuse periods referenced in public disclosures (DuPage County, IL)

1984–1986 — Reported abuse associated with St. Scholastica Parish (Woodridge, IL)

1986 — Diocese reportedly notified of concerns regarding inappropriate conduct

1987 — Criminal charges filed; Stefanich later enters a guilty plea

1987 — Removed from ministry by the Diocese of Joliet

1988 — Civil litigation reported in public records

1995 — Additional reported abuse date referenced in state disclosures

2003 — Additional civil lawsuit filed alleging abuse in the late 1960s

2006 (April 9) — Publicly listed by the Diocese of Joliet as clergy with substantiated allegations

2016 — Died

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

Speak With an Attorney

If you or someone you know was sexually abused by Fr. Edward Stefanich or any Catholic clergy member in Illinois, you may still have legal options. The Injury Lawyer Team represents survivors of clergy abuse across the state.

Contact us to book a confidential consultation with an Illinois clergy abuse attorney. We are here to help you understand your rights and take legal action.

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 2023 Report on Catholic Clergy Abuse, which includes Fr. Edward Stefanich on the state’s public abuser list and documents reported abuse, criminal proceedings, and institutional responses.
• The Diocese of Joliet’s official list of clergy with substantiated allegations, where Fr. Edward Stefanich is publicly identified, along with his ordination year, ministry status, and date of public disclosure.
• BishopAccountability.org’s profile of Edward A. Stefanich, which compiles diocesan disclosures, court-related reporting, and contemporaneous news coverage related to allegations, criminal proceedings, and civil litigation.

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.