Joseph Mueller

Ordained: 1983
Diocese: Diocese of Pittsburgh

From Report I of the 40th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:

In April 1986, an allegation of sexual abuse against Father Joseph Mueller was made to Father Wilt, Pastor at St. Bernard. A young man advised that when he was approximately 13 to 14 years of age, Mueller attempted to remove or pull down his shorts on several occasions.  This occurred when he stayed overnight with Mueller at the Holy Spirit rectory.

In December 1986, in a letter to the Diocese, St. Luke’s stated that that they stood by their recommendation that Mueller “not work with children or adolescents.” As of November, 1988, Mueller’s faculties were withdrawn.

In a confidential memorandum to Bishop Wuerl, it was suggested that Mueller was “unassignable.” In a November 1988 letter to Mueller, he was presented with three options: 1) Enroll in an interim program at St. Luke’s to assist with the vocational discernment process; 2) Withdraw from active ministry; or 3) Petition the Holy See for a dispensation from the obligations of priesthood.

In September 1987, the Diocese received a complaint about Mueller.  Specifically, a mother advised that Mueller paid “inappropriate attention” to her 16-year-old son.

Additional information regarding the widespread sexual abuse of children within the Catholic Dioceses of Pennsylvania and the systemic cover up by senior church officials is compiled in the Pennsylvania Diocese Victim’s Report published by the Pennsylvania Attorney General following a two-year grand jury investigation.  A complete copy of the Report is available on the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s website.