Harry (Harold) Walsh: Substantiated Claims of Sexual Abuse of a Minor

Harry (Harold) Walsh

 

Father Harold Walsh was ordained a Redemptorist Father in Ireland in 1960 and was incardinated into the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 1972. Walsh subsequently worked in parishes in Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan and Illinois before he was permanently removed from ministry in 2005.

Father Walsh’s name was released on February 17, 2014 as part of a court-ordered disclosure requiring the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to publicly name priests who have been credibly accused of child sexual abuse by the 2004 John Jay Charter Study.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis list (released 2/17/2014), as well as our own investigation, reveals that Father Harold Walsh was assigned to the following parishes and/or worked in the following locations:

  • 1960 – 1963: Mission priest, Ireland
  • 1963 – 1965: Davenport, IA
  • 1965 – 1967: Holy Redeemer Church, Detroit, MI
  • 1967 – 1969: St. Michael’s, Chicago, IL
  • 1969 – 1970: S. Pius X, White Bear Lake, MN
  • 1970 – 1971: Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Paul, MN
  • 1970 – 1974: St. Stephen, Minneapolis, MN
  • 1974 – 1979: St. Ann, Le Sueur, MN
  • 1979 – 1980: Assigned outside the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
  • 1980 – 1985: Holy Trinity, South St. Paul, MN
  • 1985 – 1992: St. Henry, Monticello, MN
  • 1991 – 1994: Leave of Absence from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
  • 1993 – 2010: Special Assignment: Chancery, Pro Tem
  • 2003 – 2011: Music Director at St. Henry’s, Monticello, MN
  • 2005: Removed from ministry
  • 2011: “Abruptly” left position as music director at St. Henry’s after 8 years, but declined to go into detail why.
  • 2012: Permanently removed from ministry and laicized

Father Walsh taught sex education part-time for the Wright County public health department and worked with at-risk teens until December 2013. He also worked part-time with troubled teens through the school district’s Alternative Learning Program. He also taught sex education in St. Paul until January 13, 2014.

Recent News Articles:

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2013/12/24/news/walsh

http://www.startribune.com/local/237105661.html