Here Are The 5 Abington Area Priests On 'Credibly Accused' List

ABINGTON, PA — Five priests with connections to the Abington area are part of a comprehensive list of Catholic clergy who have been "credibly accused" of sexual abuse.

The searchable database — which includes hundreds of priests accused from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, as well as dioceses in Scranton, Allentown, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and more — comes on the heels of a grand jury report that revealed hundreds of "predator" priests across the state.

The list, put together by Patch partner ProPublica, includes dozens of other priests who served in neighboring municipalities.

Here's the list of clergy who have worked in the Abington area and have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors. Most have either passed away or been defrocked.

John F. Hummell

Hummell lived at St. Joseph in Cheltenham from March 1976 to June 1977, he later was on the faculty at Bishop McDevitt in Wyncote from Sept. 1979 to June 1990, and lived at Seven Dolors in Wyndmoor and St. John of the Cross in Roslyn from 1981 through 1990.

His priestly faculties were restricted in 2006.

John P. Paul

Ordained in 1972, Paul had his faculties restricted in 2013, and was ultimately removed from service as a priest in 2015.

He was on the faculty at Bishop McDevitt in Wyncote from June 1975 through June 1986.

Edward M. DePaoli

DePaoli was also a faculty member at Bishop McDevitt, from June 1979 to June 1985.

He served from 1970 through 1992, and was placed on administrative leave until he was laicized in 2004.

Craig F. Brugger

Brugger died in 2006, but was a priest from 1972 until he went on a leave of absence in 2002.

That included a stretch as Bishop McDevitt's principal from June 1993 through June 1994.

James T. Henry

Henry was a priest from 1964 until 2004, when his faculties were restricted. He lived a "life of prayer and penance" until his death in 2018, but was not removed from the priesthood.

Henry was a Bishop McDevitt faculty member from Sept. 1969 through March 1971, and lived at St. David's in Willow Grove during that time.

He also spent six months in 1971 as an assistant pastor at Roslyn's St. John of the Cross.

>>Full List Released Of PA Catholic Clergy Accused Of Sex Assault

The Pennsylvania grand jury investigation, which prompted ProPublica's project, was described by the Associated Press as the "biggest and most exhaustive ever" into priest sex abuse by an individual state. The investigation revealed many priests admitted to their actions and were allowed to continue in the ministry for years despite having confessed to molesting children.

>>300 PA Priests Sexually Abused 1,000 Children: Grand Jury

In one case, after a priest confessed to anal and oral rape of at least 15 boys, a bishop who later met with him commended him as "a person of candor and sincerity."

Another priest who was "grooming his middle school students for oral sex," was accused by several victims before he was removed 15 years later, the grand jury found.

The Pennsylvania grand jury report was pivotal in spurring dioceses around the country to release lists of abusers associated with their churches, ProPublica said.