The Rev. Richard J. McGrath was a longtime leader of Providence Catholic High School, run by the Augustinians, whose Midwest province, and ultimately the order worldwide, were led by now-Pope Leo XIV. McGrath wasn’t expelled over the misconduct allegations but had refused to obey his superiors about where to live after the accusations surfaced.
A Chicago-area priest who was a longtime member of the Augustinian religious order formerly led by Pope Leo XIV has been kicked out of the group.
The Rev. Richard J. McGrath had been accused of molesting a student at Providence Catholic High School in the 1990s and of having child pornography on his phone in 2017.
But McGrath apparently still remains a Catholic priest.
And his expulsion from the Augustinians wasn’t over the allegations of sexual misconduct.
That’s according to a Chicago lawyer representing the Midwest province of the Augustinians — the international order’s Chicago-based arm that McGrath belonged to for decades and which previously was led by Robert Prevost, the Chicago native recently selected as pope.
“In December 2024, pursuant to canonical procedures, McGrath was dismissed from the Augustinian order, following a prolonged period of disagreement with his direct superior,” according to a written statement from Loop lawyer Michael Airdo, whose law firm has represented the Augustinians over sex abuse claims and other matters. “The grounds for his dismissal had nothing to [do] with any allegations of sexual abuse. Pursuant to the canonical dismissal, McGrath cannot perform any priestly functions. However, he has not been ‘laicized,’ meaning he is technically still a priest.”
It’s unclear whether laicization is in the works or might be pursued at some point by church leaders or McGrath himself.
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