Retired Priest Accused Of Sexual Abuse, Removed From Ministry

DES PLAINES, IL — A retired Catholic priest who spent decades in charge of a facility for troubled youth was asked to step away from the ministry while the Archdiocese of Chicago reviews "allegations of sexual abuse of minors," Cardinal Blase Cupich said Friday.

John P. Smyth retired in 2014 after more than 50 years in the priesthood. He was president of Notre Dame College Prep in Niles from 2007 after serving as superintendent of Maryville Academy in Des Plaines from 1970 to 2003.

The allegations of abuse relate to his final two years as superintendent of Maryville, a former orphanage that provides treatment and educational programs for children and adults. Smyth was removed as the academy's chief in 2003 amid state and federal probes into the facility following the suicide of a 14-year-old girl and accusations of Medicare fraud.

Investigators found problems with reporting of incidents, poor oversight, runaways and sex among youths, leading to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich to pull state funding from the facility, according to a Associated Press report.

"I'm troubled by the things that I've been privy to, the information that I've been privy to," Blagojevich said at the time.

According to a statement from Notre Dame College Prep prior to his retirement, Smyth was a star athlete at DePaul Academy and the University of Notre Dame, turning down an offer to play in the NBA after graduating in 1957.

Starting as assistant superintendent at Maryville in 1962 and becoming superintendent in 1970, he earned national recognition for his "innovative and creative strategies in caring for youth at risk," the school said.

According to the archdiocese, Smyth also helped establish the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines. He will live elsewhere while the allegations are investigated, while the people making them have been offered the services of the archdiocese's office of assistance ministry.

After reviewing the reports regarding Smyth, the Archdiocesan Office for Child Abuse Investigations and Review forwarded them to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and the Cook County State’s Attorney, according to Cupich's statement.

"The Archdiocese of Chicago takes all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously and encourages anyone who feels they have been sexually abused by a priest, deacon, religious or lay employee, to come forward," Cupich said.

More information on reporting child sexual abuse in the archdiocese of Chicago