Father Denis McAlinden

Father Denis McAlinden was born in Ireland on 24 January 1922. At the age of 12, Father McAlinden joined the Catholic Church entering a juniorate for those who aspired to become a priest. The juniorate was operated by the Redemptorist Order. He later joined a Redemptorist seminary where he trained to become a priest. In 1949, Father McAlinden was ordained as a priest. It should be noted however, that the Redemptorist Order in Ireland where quite keen to get rid of Father McAlinden.

In Ireland it was common for boys to drift into full-time Catholicism as a career. At the age of 12, Denis McAlinden entered a Catholic "juniorate" — a school for boys who "aspired" to become priests. This juniorate was run by priests of the Redemptorist Order. After completing this schooling, young Denis was recruited to a Redemptorist seminary, where he trained for the priesthood. He was ordained as a priest in Ireland in 1949. It should be noted, however, that documents tendered in 2013 to the Special Commission of Inquiry into Matters Relating to the Police Investigation of Certain Child Sexual Abuse Allegations in the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle (the Special Commission of Inquiry) established by the New South Wales government reveal that the Redemptorist Order were quite keen to get rid of Father McAlinden and to transfer him to Australia.

The Special Commission of Inquiry established in 2012 was to report on, among other things, whether the Catholic Church had facilitated or hindered investigations into child sexual abuse by clergy. It focused on the response of Catholic Church officials to allegations of child sexual abuse involving two priests of the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, Father Denis McAlinden and Father James Fletcher. In 2014, the Inquiry’s report concluded that a substantial body of evidence before the Commission confirmed that senior Diocesan officials were aware at various times of reports or complaints that Father McAlinden had been sexually abusing children since 1954. The Commission also showed that it took more than 40 years, however, for the Diocese to report to police any aspect of Father McAlinden’s offending history especially the reporting that had been done to Bishop Malone of the Maitland-Newcastle diocese. The Inquiry’s evidence showed a disturbing story of repeated inaction and failure on the part of church officials to report McAlinden to police. The Inquiry was also critical of the former Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle, Bishop Leo Clarke who found Bishop Clarke failed to report Father McAlinden to the police or to any church outsiders due to the fact that Bishop Clarke was concerned that such reporting would bring scandal to the Church’.

The Inquiry also reported on the many transfers of Father Denis McAlinden following allegations of child sexual abuse. This included transfers within the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, to Papua New Guinea, to the Diocese of Geraldton in Western Australia, to New Zealand, back to New South Wales, and back again to Western Australia. The Inquiry found that Father McAlinden continued to sexually abuse children in the late 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s.

Father Denis McAlinden died in 2005. Unfortunately, he died before facing NSW Police over the sexual abuse of approximately 20 girls.

Moody Law has in the past represented and is still representing clients who were sexually abused by clergy members of the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle and the Catholic Diocese of Geraldton.

We invite former victims of Father Denis McAlinden to tell us confidentially what information they may have, and we will explain what options are available to help with these cases.

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