Ex-O'Hare chaplain implicated in church sex abuse files
Jack Keough left the priesthood in the 1980s to marry an airline stewardess in Las Vegas, and has been living in the Seattle area since then.
It wasn't until 2002 that child sex abuse allegations surfaced from his tenure as associate pastor at Our Lady of Hope Parish in Des Plaines, according to documents released Thursday.
The victim wrote in a letter to Cardinal Francis George that during frequent visits to the rectory in the 1960s, Keough kissed and fondled her as early as age 11, and that led to sex after she graduated high school. In a letter the victim provided the archdiocese, he expresses his love to her.
The victim said she reported the abuse to another priest, but documents show archdiocese officials were unable to locate that priest during an investigation.
The archdiocese's review board found there to be "reasonable cause" to the allegations in 2003.
Keough, who was rector of Our Lady of Loretto Chapel at O'Hare International Airport from 1966 to 1981, left active ministry in 1982.
He now lives in Federal Way, Washington, between Seattle and Tacoma. Reached by phone Thursday, Keough said he could hardly remember the accusations of 50 years ago and he believed that the matter had been taken care of. He declined further comment.
Daily Herald staff writer Eric Peterson contributed to this report.