An allegation of sexual abuse involving a former priest at St. Ignatius High School has been confirmed and deemed credible, school officials say.
A letter has been sent to alumni who attended the school from 2007 to 2017 informing them about a sexual abuse allegation in 2011 involving the late Father Frank Canfield, who worked at the school from 2006 to 2014.
Canfield died in May 2023.
St. Ignatius said that in late 2023, it learned about a sexual abuse allegation involving Canfield dating back to 2000 at Saint John's Jesuit High School in Toledo.
St. Ignatius then reached out to alumni last October, asking if any former students had a similar encounter with the priest.
One former student contacted the school to inform them about their experience with the priest. That encounter was then reported to the Midwest Province Jesuits, which investigated the allegation and deemed it credible last month, "meaning there is reasonable certainty that it occurred."
The school is encouraging alumni who were victims of abuse to report the incident to the school and to law enforcement.
The school released the following statement about the matter:
We were deeply saddened to hear about this incident that happened 12 years ago at our school. We immediately reached out to the alumnus, encouraged him to bring it to the attention of the Midwest Providence to investigate, and offered him our deepest apologies along with pastoral care. We are glad he came forward and hope that by doing so, he has begun the healing process he deserves.
The safety and wellbeing of our students is our highest priority and most sacred obligation. Today, we have aggressive policies in place to protect student safety, including some of the strictest background checks in the country, annual training, and a zero-tolerance policy for any type of abusive behavior. We have equipped every student with a mobile app that empowers them to report incidents while protecting their confidentiality and anonymity.
We are deeply committed to transparency and accountability. This commitment has guided all of our actions to do the right things—including informing parents, students, and the news media—upon learning of the situation.
We hold everyone at Saint Ignatius to the highest standards of integrity. We have zero tolerance for any type of abuse, and any infractions of this trust will continue to be dealt with immediately.
