Former Arlington Heights pastor cleared of abuse allegations
The beloved former pastor of a Catholic church in Arlington Heights has been cleared of sexual abuse allegations, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced Saturday.
In a letter addressed to St. Gall Parish in Chicago, Cardinal Blase Cupich writes that the archdiocese’s Independent Review Board found “no reasonable cause” to believe the Rev. Matthew Foley sexually abused his accuser.
“In addition, the IRB recommended that Father Foley be reinstated to ministry and that the file be closed,” Cupich wrote in the letter. “I have accepted their recommendation effective immediately.”
Foley served as pastor of St. James Parish in Arlington Heights from July 2013 to June 2021. A year later, St. James School dedicated its STEM center in Foley’s name, at the request of the anonymous donor who funded its renovation.
He stepped away from the ministry in January after the archdiocese opened an investigation into an allegation of sexual abuse involving a minor about 30 years ago, when Foley was associate pastor of St. Agatha in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood.
In his letter to St. Gall, Cupich writes that while it’s of “paramount importance” to take every allegation of misconduct seriously, the archdiocese must also restore the good name of an accused person when claims are not substantiated.
“To that end, I publicly affirm that Father Foley is a priest in good standing and express sincere appreciation for his many years of service to the People of God and Archdiocese of Chicago,” Cupich adds. “He deserves our respect and gratitude and I hope you will join me in thanking him for his long-standing dedication.”
Prior to his tenure at St. James, Foley After spent five years as associate pastor of St. Agatha, followed by six years as pastor of the Santiago Apostol Mission in Mexico. He then served for eight years as pastor of St. Agnes of Bohemia in Little Village.
From 2008 until the start of his service at St. James, Foley did four tours of duty as an Army chaplain in Afghanistan.
His late friend and Marquette University rugby teammate Chris Farley named his iconic “Saturday Night Live” motivational speaker character after Foley.