Former area priests added to diocese investigation list

Jan. 23—ERIE — The Catholic Diocese of Erie's latest additions to its Public Disclosure List of those accused of sexual misconduct or knowingly failing to prevent it includes two deceased priests who served parishes in Pine Township, Sharon and Hermitage and were Catholic school administrators

Michael Allison, who died June 27, 2020, at the age of 60, was revealed as "under investigation" by the diocese. Allison had been pastor of Beloved Disciple Parish in Pine Township from 2011 until his death.

Alison also worked as a religious studies instructor in 2013 at Kennedy Catholic High School, and was president of the Shenango Valley Catholic School System from 2013 to 2016.

Allison was a longtime Catholic educator, with terms as chaplain and faculty member at Mercyhurst Preparatory School and chaplain at Gannon University in Erie.

The late Msgr. John Hagerty, who once served parishes in the Shenango Valley, also was added to the list last week, also listed as being under investigation. Hagerty was pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Sharon from 1977 to 1984 and Notre Dame Parish, Hermitage, from 1997 to 2005.

In the 1980s and 1990s, he held positions at St. Mark Seminary, Cathedral Preparatory School in Erie and Elk County Catholic High School in St. Marys. Hagerty died in 2013 at age 83.

The diocese did not release any additional information on the investigations or allegations against Allison or Hagerty.

The diocese lists an individual as under investigation if a report of abuse is made against them and initial investigation corroborates the basic facts of the report. Each is presumed innocent until shown otherwise.

Officials also announced that Michael O'Brien, who worked at St. Stephen School in Oil City, was added to the public disclosure list because he was sentenced to prison in a case not related to his work with the school.

Diocesan officials said law enforcement was immediately informed. The Diocesan Review Board and the diocese's independent investigators, the Pittsburgh-based K&L Gates law firm, were involved in the decision to put all three men on the Public Disclosure List.

The list, available at www.ErieRCD.org/childprotection/disclosure.html, was created to publicize the names of persons who have been credibly accused of actions that, in the diocese's judgment, disqualify each person from working with children. It also has a section for those whose allegations are under investigation.