MD Ex-Priest Faces New Child Sex Abuse Charges

CATONSVILLE, MD — A former priest charged with child sexual abuse in Catonsville was indicted Monday on additional charges.

William Michael Mannion Jr., 62, of Sparrows Point was arrested on five charges last month. Mannion, known as "Father Bill," now faces 15 charges.

Mannion is accused of abusing a boy at a Catonsville church complex while the child was in second through fourth grades, The Baltimore Banner reported. The Banner also said Mannion previously helped bring down serial child rapist John Joseph Merzbacher, who died in prison in 2023 while serving four life sentences.

Mannion's updated case file changed his charges to one count of child abuse by a custodian and 14 counts of second-degree sex offense on an underage victim. The charges are all felonies.

Police initially said the abuse happened from 1991 through 1994 in the 600 block of St. Agnes Lane. That's in the area of Catonsville's St. Agnes Church and St. Agnes Catholic School.

Mannion's indictment now alleges the abuse actually stretched into 1995, bringing additional criminal charges.

Mannion worked at Baltimore's St. Anthony of Padua from 1991 to 1994 and St. Agnes Church from 1994 to 1998, The Banner said.

Evidence suggests that Mannion worked with children from other parishes while he was at St. Anthony, Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger told The Banner.

"[Mannion was] familiar with St. Agnes prior to 1994 and requested to go there because all the other priests 'were old' and he would be the 'new young priest' that would connect with younger parishioners," Shellenberger wrote to The Banner.

Court records say Judge Stanley Ferguson issued an arrest warrant on March 20 and it was served on March 24.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore said Mannion left the priesthood in the late 1990s and requested to be laicized, or formally removed from the clerical state, for reasons not related to the abuse allegations. The Vatican laicized him in 2004. He later married and had a family.

"The Archdiocese of Baltimore is saddened to learn of allegations of abuse by Mannion and is committed to cooperating fully with law enforcement. The Archdiocese of Baltimore is committed to protecting children and helping to heal victims of abuse. We urge anyone who has any knowledge of any child sexual abuse to contact law enforcement and call the Archdiocesan Office of Child and Youth Protection," the Archdiocese told Patch in a March 25 email.

St. Agnes Catholic School announced in January that it will close at the end of the academic year amid declining enrollment and lofty repair costs. St. Agnes Church will remain open, however.

Though St. Agnes Church will continue operations, the news came as the Archdiocese of Baltimore closes nearly two-thirds of its other churches. The plan, dubbed Seek the City to Come, is trimming the region from 61 parishes at 59 worship sites to 23 parishes at 30 worship sites.

Archbishop William Lori cited the declining Baltimore City population and lower Mass attendance.

The archdiocese also filed for bankruptcy in September 2023 in expectations of sexual abuse lawsuits. Lori said the bankruptcy would help provide equitable settlements to the victims.

The Baltimore County Police Department asked any other potential victims of Mannion to call the Crimes Against Children Unit at 410-887-7720 or Child Protective Services at 410-887-8463.

Related:

• Former Priest Charged With Child Sexual Abuse: Baltimore County Police
• Catholic School Closing In Baltimore County, Archdiocese Consolidates
• Baltimore Archdiocese Files For Bankruptcy Ahead Of Likely Lawsuits

This map shows the area where officers alleged that Mannion abused the victim.