Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Fr. Phillip J. Dedera

This page outlines the parish assignments, substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse, and institutional actions involving Fr. Phillip J. Dedera, as part of the Injury Lawyer Team’s legal representation of survivors in Illinois clergy abuse cases.

• Primary Entity Name: Phillip J. Dedera
• Common Variations / Aliases: Father Phillip Dedera, Father Philip Dedera, Fr. Phillip J. Dedera, Fr. Philip J. Dedera
• Role/Title at Time of Incident: Parish Priest
• Current Status: Removed from Ministry

Public Identification and Clergy Status

Fr. Phillip J. Dedera was publicly identified as a priest with substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse through official disclosures by the Diocese of Joliet and a statewide investigation conducted by the Illinois Attorney General. His name appears on the Diocese of Joliet’s public list of clergy with substantiated allegations and in the Illinois Attorney General’s clergy abuse investigation materials, which summarize diocesan records and survivor reports across Illinois.

According to these public records, seven individuals reported being sexually abused by Dedera while they were minors and while he was serving in parish ministry. Following diocesan review, Dedera was removed from ministry and later included on publicly released lists intended to inform parishioners and the broader public.

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

Reason for Listing: Substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse involving minors, as determined through diocesan review processes and documented in the Illinois Attorney General’s investigation

Key Status Facts

• Ordination Year: 1972
• Years in Ministry: Ordained in 1972; removed from ministry in 2002
• Locations Where He Served: Diocese of Joliet (Illinois)
• Reported Survivors: 7
• Restrictions: Permanently removed from ministry in 2002
• Removal / Reassignment: Removed from active ministry by the Diocese of Joliet (2002)
• Laicization: Not publicly documented in diocesan disclosures
• Public Disclosure / Listing Date: April 9, 2006 (Diocese of Joliet list); later included in the Illinois Attorney General’s clergy abuse investigation

Assignment History

Primary Diocese: Diocese of Joliet (Illinois)

Publicly available records identify Fr. Phillip J. Dedera’s ministry assignments within the Diocese of Joliet, including parish roles and institutional placements. These assignments establish the parish and institutional settings relevant to the allegations documented in public disclosures.

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

• St. Andrew Parish — Romeoville, Illinois
• St. Joseph Mission — Loda, Illinois
• St. Mary Parish — Paxton, Illinois
• St. Patrick Parish — Momence, Illinois
• St. Pius X Parish — Lombard, Illinois
• St. Scholastica Parish — Woodridge, Illinois
• St. Thomas the Apostle Parish — Illinois
• St. Walter Parish — Roselle, Illinois
• Visitation Parish — Elmhurst, Illinois
• Edward Hospital — Illinois
• St. Patrick Residence — Illinois

Note: Diocesan and state summaries list assignments by location but do not provide complete start and end date ranges for each placement.

Known Allegations

Fr. Phillip J. Dedera has been accused of multiple instances of child sexual abuse, as documented in diocesan disclosures and the Illinois Attorney General’s clergy abuse investigation. Public records indicate that seven survivors reported being sexually abused by Dedera while they were minors and while he was serving in parish ministry within the Diocese of Joliet.

According to publicly released summaries, the alleged abuse occurred at multiple parish locations in Illinois and spanned several years of Dedera’s ministry. Reported periods and locations of alleged abuse include:

• 1970–1972: DuPage County, Illinois
• 1972–1976: Will County, Illinois
• 1975–1979: St. Pius X Parish, Lombard, Illinois
• 1979–early 1980s: St. Walter Parish, Roselle, Illinois

Church authorities reviewed survivor reports and classified the allegations as substantiated, leading to Dedera’s removal from ministry in 2002 and his subsequent inclusion on public disclosure lists. While the Diocese of Joliet has not released detailed narrative accounts of each allegation, the number of reported survivors and the geographic and temporal scope of the reports reflect findings that met the Church’s threshold for substantiation.

Civil litigation related to these allegations has been publicly reported. Dedera was named in a lawsuit filed in 2006 alleging sexual abuse during the mid-1970s at St. Pius X Parish in Lombard. Public summaries indicate that the civil claim was later resolved. As part of broader litigation involving the Diocese of Joliet, clergy personnel files were released publicly in 2014 following court proceedings and settlement-related agreements.

There are no publicly reported criminal convictions associated with Dedera. The allegations are presented in Church and state records as survivor reports deemed substantiated following internal review.

Summary: Fr. Phillip J. Dedera was accused by seven individuals of sexually abusing minors during his time as a parish priest in Illinois; Church authorities substantiated the allegations, resulting in his removal from ministry, civil litigation, and public disclosure.

Overseeing Authorities During Key Periods: Bishops of the Diocese of Joliet were responsible for clergy oversight during Dedera’s years of ministry

Associated Organizations: Catholic parishes and institutions within the Diocese of Joliet

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

Institutional Actions and Review

According to diocesan disclosures, officials within the Diocese of Joliet report that they were first notified of allegations involving Fr. Phillip J. Dedera in 2002, decades after some of the alleged abuse occurred. That same year, Dedera was removed from ministry.

Public summaries do not describe interim measures such as supervised ministry prior to his removal, nor do they specify whether information about allegations was shared with parish communities during earlier transfers. Available records also do not detail documented complaints in Dedera’s personnel file before the report that led to his removal.

Dedera was later publicly identified through diocesan review processes and included in broader examinations of clergy files conducted years after his removal. His name appears on the Diocese of Joliet’s public list and in the Illinois Attorney General’s investigation, which placed him on the list of accused clergy in Illinois.

Public disclosure occurred after a later institutional review rather than immediately following the initial report, reflecting retrospective publication of clergy abuse findings by Church authorities and the State of Illinois.

Timeline

1972 — Ordained as a priest in the Diocese of Joliet 

1972–2002 — Served in parish and institutional assignments within the Diocese of Joliet

1970–early 1980s — Alleged child sexual abuse reportedly occurred at multiple Illinois parishes

2002 — Diocese of Joliet reports it was notified of allegations; Dedera was removed from ministry

2006 — Named in civil litigation alleging abuse; publicly listed by the Diocese of Joliet

2014 — Clergy personnel files released publicly as part of diocesan litigation history

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

Speak With an Attorney

If you or someone you know was sexually abused by Fr. Phillip J. Dedera 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 consultations to discuss your rights. You can speak with an Illinois clergy abuse attorney to learn more about potential next steps and available legal remedies.

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 and related public records database, which lists Fr. Phillip J. Dedera among clergy with reported and substantiated abuse in Illinois.
• The Diocese of Joliet’s official list of clergy with substantiated allegations, where Fr. Phillip J. Dedera is publicly identified following diocesan review.
• Publicly available summaries and documentation compiled by BishopAccountability.org, which aggregate diocesan disclosures, court filings, and media reports related to clergy abuse cases.

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.