Maskell, Joseph (Fr.)

Father Joseph Maskell was ordained on May 22, 1965. At least thirty-nine people have reported that Maskell sexually abused them or someone they know. The Archdiocese was aware of concerns about Father Maskell’s inappropriate conduct towards children as early as 1966. Parents complained about his curiosity regarding sexual fantasies and practices of boy scouts. Maskell interviewed and taped individual scouts and brought young girls into the rectory under suspicious circumstances. He was transferred from the parish due to his behavior with the Boy Scouts.

The first documented report of sexual abuse by Maskell was in 1992 when a woman reported Maskell and fellow priest Neil Magnus sexually abusing her. The abuse consisted of oral rape, vaginal rape, and voyeurism. The abuse, like others later reported, occurred at Archbishop Keough High School. This survivor also said that after a nun, Sister Cathy Cesnik, a teacher at Archbishop Keough High School, went missing, Maskell took her to a remote area and showed her Sister Cesnik’s body. Sister Cesnik went missing in November 1969, and her body was discovered in January 1970. The Keepers, a Netflix documentary about the murder of Cathy Cesnik, details this and suggests that Cesnik’s murder was related to her knowing about Maskell’s abuse.

Dozens of survivors, both men and women, have come forward with similar allegations of sexual abuse and acts of violence by Maskell. At least nine described being given tea, soda, wine, or being “hypnotized” and then remembering little of what happened next. Many said their blouses were incorrectly buttoned or their underwear wet or bloody when they awoke. When they did remember what had happened, at least seven victims said they were forced to have vaginal, oral, and anal sex with Maskell and, at times, other men. Some reported Maskell digitally penetrated and masturbated on them. The Archdiocese reached settlements with some survivors, while others failed to pursue legal action due to the statute of limitations. Maskell died on May 7, 2001.