Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Joseph D. Cernich

Father Joseph D. Cernich was assigned to multiple Catholic parishes in the 1980s and was also involved in other ministries. Cernich was accused of sexually abusing at least four minors during his career, which eventually led to the removal of his status as a priest in the Diocese of Springfield.

Primary Entity Name: Joseph D. Cernich
Common Variations / Aliases: Father Joseph, Fr. Cernich, Fr. Joseph Cernich, Fr. Joe
Role/Title at Time of Incident: Parish Priest
Current Status: Laicized

This page summarizes the history of abuse allegations against Father Joseph D. Cernich, his ministry assignments, and the institution’s response to his behavior.

Public Identification and Clergy Status

Though Joseph D. Cernich was placed on administrative leave multiple times throughout his ministry career, the diocese did not publicly identify him as an abuser for many years after the initial allegations. Since then, entities that have identified Cernich include:

The Diocese of Springfield on November 29, 2018
The Office of the Attorney General, via a 2023 report on clergy abuse in Illinois

These entities published the information based on the fact that sexual abuse claims had been made and substantiated against Cernich.

Key Status Facts

Ordination Year: 1983 in the Diocese of Springfield

Years in Active Ministry: 1983-1986, 1987-1989, 1995-2002 (roughly 14 years)

Locations Where He Served: The Diocese of Springfield, IL (Jacksonville and Springfield)

Restrictions: Placed on administrative leave from 1986 to 1987 and from 1989 to 1995

Criminal Convictions: None

Laicization: 2003

Public Disclosure: November 29, 2018, by the Diocese of Springfield in a public list of sexually abusive clergy members

Assignment History

Primary Diocese: Diocese of Springfield

Parish Assignments (as documented in public reports):

1983-1986 – Our Savior Church in Jacksonville, IL

1987-1989 – Blessed Sacrament in Springfield, IL

1995-2002 – Catholic Charities in Springfield, IL

Non-Church Assignments:

Prior to 1983 – Deacon at St. Mary’s in Quincy and St. Ambrose in Godfrey

After Ordination – Involved in Teens Encounter Christ, summer school at Griffin High School, and Christian Family Camps

Known Allegations

According to documents from the Diocese of Springfield, allegations of sexual abuse by Joseph D. Cernich were first brought to church officials in 1986. However, records show that when Bishop Daniel L. Ryan was appointed in 1994 as head of the diocese, a source warned him about the issues with Cernich’s conduct toward minors.

This source claimed that Cernich was a risk to underage boys and was astonished that the bishop was assigning him to a parish in Illinois. Bishop Ryan ignored the warning and assigned Cernich to Our Savior in Jacksonville and, later, to Blessed Sacrament in Springfield. The diocese eventually received substantiated allegations that Cernich sexually abused children during both assignments.

In response to allegations of sexual abuse, Joseph D. Cernich was placed on administrative leave twice. After the first absence, he was assigned to Blessed Sacrament. After his second absence, he began working at the Catholic Charities offices in 1995. In 2003, Cernich was laicized and began working for the city. However, in November 2018, when the Diocese of Springfield publicly identified him for substantiated sexual abuse claims, he was fired by the city.

According to the Attorney General’s report, there are four survivors of substantiated sexual abuse allegations against Joseph D. Cernich.

Summary: Though Bishop Ryan was warned about Father Cernich, the priest was assigned to multiple parishes in the 1980s, where he sexually abused numerous children until he was placed on administrative leave or finally removed from ministry.

Overseeing Authorities During Key Periods:

Bishop Joseph A. McNicholas (1975-1983)
Bishop Daniel L. Ryan (1983-1999)
Bishop George J. Lucas (1999-2009)

Associated Organizations:

Teens Encounter Christ (TEC)
Griffin High School
Catholic Charities
Christian Family Camps

Institutional Actions and Review

Public reports indicate that the Diocese of Springfield’s response to concerns about Joseph D. Cernich was inadequate. According to those reports, Bishop Daniel Ryan received an early warning from an unnamed source expressing concern about Cernich’s risk to children, particularly teenage boys. Despite this warning, Cernich was assigned to parish ministry. Subsequent disclosures allege that abuse of minors occurred following that assignment.

Following allegations of misconduct, Cernich was placed on administrative leave for several years and subsequently reassigned to a new parish. Again, Cernich committed abuse against minors in this second location, prompting another period of administrative leave. He was permitted to remain involved in a role within the Catholic Charities offices.

Cernich was finally laicized and stripped of his priestly status in 2003, but his conduct remained unknown to the public or to former parishioners. Once the Diocese of Springfield publicly identified him for substantiated sexual abuse claims in 2018 on a list of accused priests in Illinois, Cernich was fired from his job with the city.

Timeline

1983 – Ordained by the Diocese of Springfield

1983-1989 – Assigned to a parish, placed on administrative leave, then re-assigned to a new parish

1984 – Bishop Danil Ryan is warned about Cernich, but ignores the source and assigns him anyway

1986 – Sexual abuse by Cernich is first reported to the Diocese of Springfield, and Cernich is placed on administrative leave

1987 – Cernich is assigned to Blessed Sacrament, where he continues to abuse children sexually

1989 – Cernich is placed on leave again

1995-2002 – Cernich works for the Catholic Charities office

2003 – Laicized and removed from all ministry work

2018 – Fired from his city job after being named in the Diocese of Springfield’s list of sexually abusive clergy members

2023 – Named in the Attorney General’s report on clergy abuse following a years-long investigation in Illinois

Speak With an Attorney

If you have suffered from clergy abuse in Illinois, the Injury Lawyer Team can stand by your side during the claims process to fight for justice and fair compensation. Together, we can hold the at-fault parties accountable.

Sources

This page is based on public records, official Church and diocesan disclosures, legal filings, and survivor reports, including:

A profile on Joseph D. Cernich from the Office of the Attorney General
The 2023 report on Illinois clergy abuse from the Attorney General
The Attorney General’s report on the Diocese of Springfield
Bishop Accountability’s profile of Joseph D. Cernich

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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