Crime & Safety
Lake View Priest Leaves Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegation
Rev. Michael W. O'Connell has served at St. Alphonsus Church in Lake View since 2012. The sexual misconduct was claimed to take place while he was serving in Orland Park.
Additional Reporting by Ben Feldheim and Emily Stone
A priest at St. Alphonsus Parish, 1429 W. Wellington Ave., has stepped down amid allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor while serving as the pastor of an Orland Park church 20 years ago.
Rev. Michael W. O'Connell reportedly sexually assaulted a minor was reported to have happened while O'Connell was serving at Our Lady of the Woods Parish in Orland Park. He was the pastor at Our Lady of the Woods from 1997 until 2012.
"The investigation by the Archdiocese has begun," said Susan Burritt, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Chicago.
The allegation was received by the Archdiocese of Chicago last week and was then reported to the Illinois Department of Children and Famliy Services and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, according to the Archdiocese's statement.
O'Connell began serving as the pastor at St. Alphonsus on July 1, 2012, according to the church website. O'Connell grew up in Chicago and was raised in the northwest suburbs. The biography on the website states that O'Connell came to St. Alphonsus directly from Our Lady of the Woods in Orland Park. He previously served at the Church of St. Mary in Lake Forest (1989-1993) and St. Michael Parish in Orland Park (1983-1989).
A priest at St. Alphonsus Parish, 1429 W. Wellington Ave., has stepped down amid allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor while serving as the pastor of an Orland Park church 20 years ago.
Rev. Michael W. O'Connell reportedly sexually assaulted a minor was reported to have happened while O'Connell was serving at Our Lady of the Woods Parish in Orland Park. He was the pastor at Our Lady of the Woods from 1997 until 2012.
"The investigation by the Archdiocese has begun," said Susan Burritt, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Chicago.
The allegation was received by the Archdiocese of Chicago last week and was then reported to the Illinois Department of Children and Famliy Services and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, according to the Archdiocese's statement.
O'Connell began serving as the pastor at St. Alphonsus on July 1, 2012, according to the church website. O'Connell grew up in Chicago and was raised in the northwest suburbs. The biography on the website states that O'Connell came to St. Alphonsus directly from Our Lady of the Woods in Orland Park. He previously served at the Church of St. Mary in Lake Forest (1989-1993) and St. Michael Parish in Orland Park (1983-1989).
ABC7 has a copy of the letter sent to St. Alphonsus parishioners announcing the allegation. “The investigation is ongoing and will take some time,” it says.
You can read the full letter here.
Read the full statement put out on O'Donnell by the Archdiocese of Chicago.
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