As a student in high school, she went to Maskell for advice on the usual teenage stuff. Decades later, Mroz said she is only now beginning the process of healing from what transpired during those visits. She and Teresa Lancaster, then both known anonymously as Jane Doe and Jane Roe, filed charges against Maskell in 1994, in a case that was eventually thrown out on a technicality in 1995. As an adult, recalls Bill Heim, Maskell admitted that, when he was about 10, hed had a crush on a pretty neighborhood girl. With the exception of the cape, everything Cruz brought up had been reported to Wallace by someone else. I think hes really a casualty of the times. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! As a follow-up investigation, two diocesan representatives met with Maskells first accuser, Jennifer*, who by now had gotten herself an attorney. Update 12/4/17: The source known as Jennifer in this story is Jean Hargadon Wehner, featured in the Netflix documentary The Keepers. While recently walking along First Avenue in Landsdowne, she recalled visiting Maskell at St. Clement. In February 1995, Maskells priestly duties were permanently revoked. Father Richard Woy and attorney Thomas Dame represented the archdiocese. He then referred to Jennifers memories of abuse outside of school, at a pub to which her uncle had taken her. One day, Nelson opened the door to Evas hospital room to find Maskell, bent close over her daughter, his arm resting on the edge of her bed. She needed to pause for several minutes to regain composure. 'Keepers' priest Maskell spent time in Ireland, now under scrutiny According to CNN, Father Maskells body was exhumed in February to see whether his She claims he quizzed her about her sex life, which, at 14, was nonexistent, and as she tried to answer his questions, she squeezed her eyes tight in the vain hope that he wouldnt see her. Now a 38-year-old mother of two, the Baltimore woman had only recently remembered these alleged abuses, and contacted the archdiocese in late June in search of an apology and some spiritual help. LORENZ: This Catholic Church has a habit of underreporting the number of priests and are not changing the way they do their work. Cesnik, however, met a different fate, and was found murdered in 1969. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. HARGEDON WEHNER: I can still hear the click of the trigger. Since The Keepers release, more than 40,000 people have signed a petition asking the Archdiocese to release documents regarding Maskells alleged abuse. An investigation of abuse by 150 priests of the Archdiocese of He was ordained as McHugh is on the board of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation, a national support and advocacy group that helps parents whose children are purportedly misled in therapy into believing they were abused. 87 under the long List Or did they participate in the abuse?, Didnt you testify that you found that memory absurd and almost impossible to accept?, Lastly we have the Bishop. Do you believe those girls trying to accuse Father Maskell of such outrageous behavior? one of them said. In their 1993 book A Gospel of Shame: Children, Sexual Abuse, and the Catholic Church, authors Elinor Burkett and Frank Bruni characterize the ascent of celibacybetween the fourth and 12th centuriesas an attempt by leaders of the Western European Church to maintain control of Church property and power, which might otherwise have passed to clergy members offspring. GREAT NEWS! I told her I had a hard time with my studies and didnt like Keough a lot, Jennifer says. Von Den Bosh said Maskell would pull her out of class, call her into his office and assault her. The Church had this to say about allegations against Magnus: "An allegation of abuse against any priest or anyone representing the Church is deeply troubling and sad. And by summer of 1994, they were ready to play hardball with the archdiocese. And does the priesthoods celibate nature attract men who are earnestly fleeing their urges, only to leave them ill equipped in moments of temptation? Many of those interviewed remember Maskell for his imperious, manipulative or lewd behavior. Ann*, who doesnt wish to be named because I still have a fear of the man, says Maskell invited her on a boat ride with some other girls. I wonder why I didnt say something earlier, Nelson now said on the car ride home, crying quietly. They often started out talking about sports, but invariably wound to the subject of male anatomy, alleges Bill. Mroz reported her allegations that Maskell abused her to the church, and with legal representation, she hopes to work with church representatives through mediation, and declined to give further details about her alleged assault due to these ongoing discussions. A group of Towson lawyers claims that, in addition to their two plaintiffs, theyve met with 15 people who say Maskell subjected them to one or more sexual violations. Maskell chaplained for the Baltimore County Police, the Maryland State Police and the Maryland National Guard. To an accused brother? As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Tracy offered to be a witness, she says. And I couldnt help wondering if maybe one of the Catholic officials had gotten to somebody high up in the police.". The late Father Joseph Maskell, one of the accused priests, is an important character in the Netflix series, leading many to wonder: how did Father Maskell Die? Priests and brothers were regular guests. Mroz said. It lay in an open, barren place, next to a dumpster. As sexual orientations, they are not curable, only containable, usually through a combination of drug and talk therapies as well as eternal vigilance. Thanks for your help! Jennifer, meanwhile, allegedly suffered more new images of past sexual abuse, a painful process that had begun years earlier, when she first came to believe an uncle had abused her as a child. Rev Anthony Joseph Maskell. In Wake Of Docu Series, Baltimore Priest's Time In Ireland Other Keough alums also recall that Maskell presented himself as a sexual healer. Pedophilia the sexual attraction to pre-pubescents, and ephebophilia, the attraction to young adolescents, are often regarded nowadays as biological compulsionno more changeable than, say, adult heterosexuality. She was crying when her friend Lisa* brought her to Maskells office, she says, adding that the priest then led Lisa out the door and locked it. She was certain that God didnt love her, and sometimes, at random moments, she would hear a little voice in her head, her own voice, imploring Jesus to have sex with her. Father A. Joseph Maskell, and possibly others, is accused of assaulting multiple students and teachers at Baltimores Archbishop Keough High School in the 1960s. Joseph Maskell, Tracy said. Remembering the second time that Maskell had taken her to the gynecologists office in 1970, she suddenly came to believe she had been raped by both men, she says. Operating on one plaintiffs testimony, county police have quizzed Maskell about his knowledge of a murdered nun whose body was found in 1970, though they have since generally discounted him as a suspect. In 1993, she says, she recalled that Maskell allegedly hypnotized her: He would use a certain phrase and everything would just stop. The phrase, she says, was, I only want whats best for you, just whats best for you. She says he told her that before divulging a certain incident to anyone, I was to kill myself.. Joseph Francis Maskell (1896-1963) - Find a Grave Memorial (Courtesy of Netflix) In November 1969, she went to the bank to cash her $255 paycheck and then made her way to the Any daily atrocities were reinterpreted as part of the larger, supposedly higher, mission of cleansing and healing Europe. He sat on his desk, perched above her. (Baltimore magazines efforts to contact Lisa have been unsuccessful, though Tracys attorneys say Lisa corroborates their clients account.). FROSH: You have to look back to the culture in the 1960s and '70s, which really didn't encourage these folks to come forward. He also allegedly made this unorthodox pronouncement: He told me that God did not love me anymore. From here on out, there will be several spoilers for The Keepers, so if youre still planning on watching the series, here is your warning. One of the Churchs most controversial codes, clerical celibacy has long been a time-honored tradition, but its hardly a founding doctrine. The Dantes legal team assembled their civil case while sharing information with the states attorneys office for a criminal investigation. Earth Day Events and Cleanups Happening Around Baltimore, Four Nighttime Spots to Celebrate Dark Sky Week in Maryland, Playing for Keeps: Baltimore Banners Youth Hockey Program Celebrates 20 Years on Ice, The Middle Branch is in the Midst of a Shoreline Renaissance, At Camp Small, City Foresters Give Local Trees a Second Life, The National Aquariums Rainforest Exhibit is Back and Better Than Ever. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. According to the Los Angeles Times, Maskell (who denied initial accusations until his death in 2001) was removed from the ministry in 1994 and afterwards fled to Ireland. HSE investigates activities of US priest featured in Netflix series The reprieve was shortlived. Try again. All rights reserved. [My parents] considered them our counselors and everything else. Maskell had been monitoring his police radio and was on site and past the barricade within 45 minutes. This first week in May, Caplan was holding a preliminary hearing to consider whether so-called recovered memories constituted justifiable exception to the states three-year statute of limitations in civil suits. I always wondered if he was going to revolt at some point, Heim says. The other was a chummy confidant who developed a following among some of the girls by offering his office as a smoking lounge in a school where smoking was grounds for suspension. Babe Nelson brought up the time when Eva, at age 12, had collapsed at school. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. They got right to the point: A former student of Archbishop Keough High School, where Maskell had served between 1967 and 1975, was accusing him of having sexually abused her some 20 years earlier. The Baltimore Police Department created an online submission form for sex offenses related to the series. It is our place to be back here, recalls long-time friend and fellow seminarian William Kern. Hes dead. She and her husband fired him. Cruz brought her mother. It marked them for life. Two of Maskells accusers allege rape and other sexual batteries, and have filed a multi-million-dollar civil action. Inside Baltimore One of these women adds that Maskell was so taken with himself that, as part of her counseling, he put his face within a few inches of hers and asked her to look into his eyes and tell him how beautiful they were and how good looking he was. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. And it has forced a nationwide soul-searching both inside the Church and out, all of it eventually arising from one profound question: What mechanism of the mind could so effectively suppress the conscienceespecially the presumably higher conscience of a priestthat a man might permanently injure children entrusted to his care? One of the victims claimed that she had a recovered memory of his involvement in her death, but he was interviewed and never charged." If you remember youll die. She could picture him twirling fiercelythe cape flapping around his head. She said he showed her the dead body of a teacher, Sister Cathy Cesnik (pictured), whod gone missing and threatened her with the same fate if she ever told anyone about their sexual encounters. In August 1994, with Maskell back at the Connecticut facility, the archdiocese waited out the attorneys. Please enter valid email address to continue. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Paul Mandelbaum is a former Baltimore senior writer and a contributor to The New York Times. Priest featured in Netflix docuseries prominently described in ), Cruz believes there was a second man on the boat: stocky, with a round face and thinning hair. After the meeting, Cruz asked Wallace to linger an extra moment. Death. Jennifer recalled visiting Father Maskells office only to find a bishop there instead. She claims the priest then began masturbating, saying that if she told anyone, she would go to hell. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Maskell also worked as a psychologist in private practice in Wexford and nearby Castlebridge from 1995 to 1998. SCOTT MAUCIONE, BYLINE: Jean Hargedon Wehner was just a teenager when Father Joseph Maskell allegedly abused her at a Baltimore high school in the 1960s. Who Is Father Joseph Maskell On 'The Keepers'? The Priest By early 1993, Jennifer had resumed her quest against Maskell through Towson lawyer Phil Dantes, who enlisted a colleague familiar with Keough to see if there was enough support for Jennifers claims to justify an investigation. They quickly decided there was. There was no dumpster in the field where Cesniks body was found, for example, says Price. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. The priest, A. Joseph Maskell, worked in Wexford for about seven months in 1995 as a temporary clinical psychologist for an Irish public health board, according to Maskell also worked as a psychologist in private practice in Wexford and nearby Castlebridge from 1995 to 1998. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Anthony Maskell (179180629)? Some St. Augustine parishioners, tipped off about Maskells circumstances, protested his arrival. He told me my problem was that I was frigid, she claims. To the victims of sexually abusive priests, mere explanations such as craving disorder or narcissism or doubling surely provide thin solace indeed, and a wholly inadequate foundation upon which to repair ones spirituality. She is now taking steps toward reaching a resolution with the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and, she hopes, peace with the questions that remain. SCOTT MAUCIONE, BYLINE: Jean Hargedon Wehner was just a teenager when Father Joseph Maskell allegedly abused her at a Baltimore high school in the 1960s. (Toward that end, he says, todays seminarians undergo criminal background checks and a battery of tests designed to ferret out character flaws, though no test is completely reliable for detecting a predisposition to sexual abuse.). the nun asked. Caplan continued that he was not judging the plaintiffs credibilitymerely the empirical evidence of repressed memory. But first he penetrated her with some objectshe felt sure, but she couldnt remember what it was. Priest featured in Netflix docuseries described in AG report But with charges mounting nationally that the Catholic church lacked the fortitude to police its own ranks, the pressure was on for a show of self-prosecution. In her minds eye, she saw him wearing the black clerical cape that he often favored during the winter, and she claims that he asked her to look deeply into his eyes and told her: You wont remember. The statute of limitations had expired, and the lawsuit was thrown out. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Bill graduated on time, and within three months Maskell, though continuing to reside and perform some duties at St. Clement, was assigned to Archbishop Keough High School for girls. She said Maskell wasnt the only man present, and described abuse by Maskell and another school official that included taking photos of her, as a minor, naked, and calling her in for joint counseling sessions during which they would masturbate in front of her. Was somebody hurting her? Maskell died in 2001, and in 2016 the Archdiocese included Maskell on a list of priests and others who it deemed credibly accused of sexual assault. Catholicism is the true religion and youre going to go to hell if you believe any other way. He took his big pocket watch out. One day, Maskell took Bill and two other boys target shooting. At St. Augustine, as the deadline approached, Maskell drew withdrawn. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? On another occasion, she claims, he held an unloaded gun to her head and pulled the trigger, allegedly warning that her policeman father, if he ever learned what was going on, would surely do the same thing with a loaded gun. No. Brian Frosh, the former Maryland attorney general who oversaw the grand jury investigation, says some people who have been allegedly abused lived with fear, guilt and anxiety. Bingo, replied Wallace. Distressed at the memory, Jennifer examined her 1971 Keough yearbook and recognized the face of the priest she remembered in the confessional. Says Hawkins of Maskells plight: Youd be surprised how your phone stops ringing. (Hes always been a frustrated doctor, says his half-brother Tom). In October 1992, nearly three decades after realizing his childhood dream to become a priest, Rev. I just ask the questions, Dantes replied, his back near the rear wall of the courtroom. Im sorry. Sexual abuse is just a symptom of a system of declared superiority, power, the use of other people, Sipe maintains. Joseph Maskell was summoned downtown to Baltimores archdiocesan headquarters. He has never been officially charged with any of the accused crimes. and you declare another group superior, and then thirdly you reserve the power to this superior group, it lines up the inferior group to be used at the service of the superior group. The temptation for members of the elite, he continues, is to hold themselves blameless for breaking certain codes of behavior, and even for thinking themselves above such codes. And a third alleged rape victim, the first willing to be publicly named, has stepped forward to share her story with Baltimore. Six survivors described being systematically molested, drugged, and raped within school walls by multiple members of the clergy in Netflixs docu-series The Keepers, but additional victims have come forward since its release. People who you knew, all of a sudden theyre not talking to you. "I was sexually abused by Maskell.". The field where she lay was four and a half miles from her apartment, but not far from Maskells former parish, St. Clement, in Lansdowne. Maskells police credentials made their greatest contribution on January 4, 1987the night of the Chase Amtrak crash that killed 16 people. In the 60s and 70s, Maskell was a counselor at Archbishop Keough High School. During the year after her first meeting with Father Woy and diocesan attorney Dame, Eva Nelson Cruz says she avoided media accounts of the Maskell case because she didnt want to contaminate her own memory. Please enter your email and password to sign in. If the claims are trueand several of them defy beliefthey portray a man suffering from more than a dangerous disorder; they show the quintessential authority figure, operating with a badly-damaged moral compass, committing creatively diabolical acts against the innocent for years without correction. Often the object of abuse in their own childhoods, abusers with narcissistic personality disorder are extremely difficult cases, because they are unable to see their own actions from anothers point of view. Try again later. She didnt quite believe the priest, but she didnt want to disbelieve him. In contrast, the defense had four expert witnesses, three in the field of memory and at least two national power hitters, including Dr. Paul McHugh, director of the Johns Hopkins department of psychiatry. Could these new allegations possibly be true? When he tried seminary again, after high school, he liked it fine, and reveled in the privileges that came with being a third-year sacristan, which included free social time after mass while the congregation prayed. JENNIFER WORTHAM: We need significant reform, and we can have uniform federal laws to protect children everywhere, because what applies to the Catholic Church also applies to other not-for-profit organizations. Body of Baltimore priest exhumed in 50-year-old murder Week in, week out, he is exposed to the lusts of his congregation. ", Rolling Stone reports that Magnus was the Director of Religious Studies at Keough Catholic High School throughout the late '60s and '70s. She claims the priest watched her administer douches, as well as enemas. Word of this filtered back to Maskell, who called Bill into the rectory, several days before graduation, Bill says. Being dropped off at the St. Clement rectory. Maskell, who died in 2001, always denied the allegations against him. How qualified was Maskell for this difficult course? The Archdiocese of the Baltimore Catholic Church has been the subject of an investigation for sexual abuse. (A friend of Maskells says he used to lend his 22-foot cabin cruiser to the priest around the late 1960s and later sold it to him. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. The report implicates 158 priests. While declining to be interviewed for this story, Maskell has repeatedly maintained his complete innocence. And in 1960s Baltimore, as elsewhere, many Catholic children were conditioned to accept this simplified distortion, sometimes at their own peril. Deborah Wisner, of Keoughs class of 74, also went to see Maskell to smoke and discuss family problems. And now, The Irish Times reports, Maskell's employment as a psychologist by Wexford, Ireland's South Eastern Health Board from April 1995 to November 1995 is being reviewed by authorities there. Dont worry, the rector replied. Failed to delete flower. Maskell looked to the archbishop. God Only Knows - Baltimore Magazine Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook, First published on June 6, 2017 / 9:46 AM. Later, during the car ride home. Webfather Daniel Maskell 18621919 BIRTH NOV 1862 Templeglantine, Limerick, Ireland DEATH 30 AUG 1919 Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, USA mother Johanna Hannah Maskell died in 2001, and until his death, he had denied the allegations. WebOne name stands out among the rest in the Maryland Attorney Generals report on child sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Sadly, the long-term damage to religious faith remains the cruelest irony of abuse by priests. At the time of Cesnik's disappearance and death, Maskell had an enormous amount of pull in the heavily-Catholic city. After receiving a card from an old friend and a news article about the rampant abuse at her alma mater from a family member, the details that flooded back from her teenage years were shocking. Maskell also took Tracy to a gynecologist, Tracy asserts, and watched her examinations. And he said, if your father ever finds out you've been whoring around, he'll do this, but he'll keep bullets in it. Friends from his teen years cant recall Maskell ever expressing a libido. But, what happened to Father Neil Magnus? Cesnik asked if she could help, but Jennifer said there were things she couldnt talk about. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/179180629/anthony-joseph-maskell. "I was brought up in a very strict Catholic household. But waiting for him in the archbishops office on that gusty Monday were two diocesan officials, two attorneys and the archbishop himself, William H. Keeler. When Holy Cross parishioner Lynn Gerber Smith gave birth to an ailing baby, the priest rushed to the hospital and performed an emergency baptism. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Wehner says this action was her final personal interaction with the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Despite his earlier declaration to parishioners, he asked the archdiocese if he could return to the Institute of Living, citing stress from the ongoing ordeal. That November of 1969, Sister Cesnik left the apartment she shared with another nun in Southwest Baltimore, went out on some errands, and never came back. During Jennifers cross-examination, a defense lawyer pointed-out that Jennifer could not recall any teachers from Keough who had not abused her. Should the charges against Maskell eventually prove little more than faulty 20-year-old memoriessome of them retrieved after a long period of alleged amnesiathe simple damage of public accusation may have already made it impossible for Maskell to pursue his vocation again. In an earlier era, a concerned archbishop might have taken the accused priest aside, chastised him and transferred him discreetly to another diocese. Certainly many cases of sexual abuse by priests are committed by certifiable pedophiles acting out an unchecked craving. Weve updated the security on the site. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. The Latest Assault Victim Since 'The Keepers' Comes Forward In 1994, police dug up records that Maskell had ordered buried in Holy Cross Cemetery years earlier. Efforts by Baltimore magazine to speak with Woy and the other church administrators have all been referred to diocesan spokesman Blaul, who generally refrains from comment in matters of ongoing litigation. Hard.. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. But even the things she says shes always remembered were bad enough that, for part of her adult life, she kept track of Maskells whereabouts with the thought of killing him. As one deacon told Sipe, I dont see what difference it makes whether I use my hand or somebodys vagina to have an orgasm. This sort of naive, all-or-nothing thinking, when flamed by the loneliness of the celibate life, according to Burkett and Bruni, can leave a priest primed for bad behavior. Maskell was born in Baltimore, but his family was from Ireland, said Baltimore archdiocese spokesman Sean Caine. Teresa Lancaster, who was featured in "The Keepers" as an abuse survivor, said Maskell spoke about Ireland when he was working at Archbishop Keough.