Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Fr. J. Eugene Kane

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

Primary Entity Name: J. Eugene Kane
Common Variations / Aliases: Father J. Eugene Kane, Fr. Eugene Kane, Fr. J. E. Kane, Eugene Kane
Role/Title at Time of Incident: Catholic Priest, Parish Priest
Current Status: Deceased

Public Identification and Clergy Status

Fr. J. Eugene Kane was publicly identified as an accused Catholic priest through official Church disclosures and government reporting. His name appears on the Diocese of Peoria’s public list of clergy removed from ministry due to allegations of abuse of a minor and in the Illinois Attorney General’s 2023 Report on Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse, which compiled information submitted by dioceses across the state following a statewide investigation.

The Diocese of Peoria included Fr. Kane among the clergy members removed from ministry following a review of an allegation by Church authorities. The Illinois Attorney General’s Office separately listed him as part of its comprehensive review of diocesan records, survivor reports, and institutional responses related to clergy sexual abuse in Illinois.

Entity that Listed Him: Diocese of Peoria; Illinois Attorney General’s Office (2023 report)

Reason for Listing: Listed by the Diocese of Peoria under its category for clergy removed from ministry due to an allegation of abuse of a minor prior to 2002, and included in the Illinois Attorney General’s statewide reporting database.

Key Status Facts

Birth Year: 1927
Ordination Year: 1954
Diocese/Order: Diocese of Peoria, Illinois
Years in Active Ministry: At least 1954–1990, based on publicly documented assignments
Locations Where He Served: Ottawa, Peoria, Elkhart, Mt. Pulaski, Rock Island, and El Paso, Illinois
Reported Survivors: At least one, as reflected in public records
Diocese Claim of First Report: 1990
Status: Listed by the Diocese of Peoria as removed from ministry due to an allegation of abuse of a minor
Public Disclosure / Listing Date: July 2019
Died: July 28, 2009

Assignment History

Primary Diocese: Diocese of Peoria, Illinois

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

St. Patrick Catholic Church – Ottawa, IL (1954)
St. Patrick Catholic Church – Peoria, IL (1960)
Bergan High School – Peoria, IL (1962)
St. Patrick Catholic Church – Elkhart, IL (1966)
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church – Mt. Pulaski, IL (date not publicly specified)
Cathedral of St. Mary – Peoria, IL (1974)
St. Pius X Catholic Church – Rock Island, IL (1978)
St. Mary Catholic Church – El Paso, IL (1990)

Non-Church Assignments: No publicly documented non-parish or non-church assignments involving external youth organizations have been identified beyond the school-based assignment listed above.

Known Allegations

Public disclosures indicate that Fr. J. Eugene Kane was accused of sexual abuse of a minor in connection with his ministry in the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois. The Diocese of Peoria publicly listed him among clergy removed from ministry due to an allegation of abuse of a minor in cases categorized as occurring before 2002.

According to summaries reflected in public records, the diocese reported that an allegation involving Fr. Kane was first brought to Church authorities in 1990. The Illinois Attorney General’s Diocese of Peoria history narrative further states that diocesan officials were aware at that time of an admission by Fr. Kane of sexual contact with a minor, as described in the Attorney General’s institutional review. No criminal charges or convictions are reflected in public court records related to this allegation.

Available public listings do not consistently identify a single parish location or a precise date range for the alleged misconduct beyond the diocese’s general categorization.

Summary: Fr. J. Eugene Kane was publicly listed by the Diocese of Peoria and included in the Illinois Attorney General’s 2023 clergy abuse reporting based on an allegation of child sexual abuse connected to his priestly ministry in Illinois.

Overseeing Authority During Key Reporting Period:

Bishop Joseph L. Imesch — Diocese of Peoria

Associated Organizations:

Bergan High School (Peoria, Illinois)

Legal/Government Bodies Referenced:

Illinois Attorney General’s Office (2023 clergy abuse report and related database)

Institutional Actions and Review

Publicly available diocesan disclosures and summaries contained in statewide reports show that Church leadership was notified of an allegation involving Fr. J. Eugene Kane in or around 1990, during his later years in active ministry, well before his name appeared on the list of accused clergy in Illinois.

According to public records, Fr. Kane was ultimately removed from ministry following the report of abuse. Available disclosures do not indicate whether restrictions short of removal were imposed prior to that time, nor do they describe whether information about the allegation was shared during earlier parish transfers. Public summaries also do not specify whether prior complaints existed in his personnel file before the report was received in 1990.

Public disclosure did not occur at the time the allegation was reported. Fr. Kane’s name was made public years later, when the Diocese of Peoria released a list of clergy removed from ministry, and when his case was subsequently included in the Illinois Attorney General’s 2023 review. The Attorney General’s Diocese of Peoria history page notes broader concerns regarding delayed disclosure practices during this period.

There is no public record indicating that Fr. Kane was laicized by the Vatican, and no criminal proceedings related to the allegation are reflected in the sources relied upon for these disclosures.

Timeline

1927 — Born

1954 — Ordained as a priest in the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois

1954 — Assigned to St. Patrick Catholic Church, Ottawa, Illinois

1960 — Assigned to St. Patrick Catholic Church, Peoria, Illinois

1962 — Assigned to Bergan High School, Peoria, Illinois

1966 — Assigned to St. Patrick Catholic Church, Elkhart, Illinois

Date unknown — Assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, Mt. Pulaski, Illinois

1974 — Assigned to Cathedral of St. Mary, Peoria, Illinois

1978 — Assigned to St. Pius X Catholic Church, Rock Island, Illinois

1990 — Assigned to St. Mary Catholic Church, El Paso, Illinois

1990 — Allegation of child sexual abuse reported to the Diocese of Peoria

July 2019 — Publicly listed by the Diocese of Peoria following internal review

July 28, 2009 — 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. J. Eugene Kane or 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, survivor-focused legal guidance.

Contact us to schedule a private consultation with an Illinois clergy abuse attorney to learn more about your rights and possible legal next steps.

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 clergy abuse database entry for J. Eugene Kane, which lists his ordination year, Diocese of Peoria affiliation, Illinois assignments, reported survivor count, diocesan first-report date, and public-listing date.
The Illinois Attorney General’s Diocese of Peoria history of claims page provides institutional context regarding diocesan handling, disclosure timing, and narrative discussion of certain cases.
The BishopAccountability.org profile for Fr. J. Eugene Kane, which compiles publicly available details and links to related source documents.
A Peoria Journal Star investigative report examining the Diocese of Peoria’s handling of abuse allegations, including contextual discussion of Kane’s case.

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.

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