Edward V. Avery — Archdiocese of Philadelphia
A Philadelphia priest sent for evaluation in 1992 after an abuse report, against a treatment center's recommendation that he not minister to children. He pleaded guilty in 2012 to raping a 10-year-old altar boy.
Roman Catholic Pleaded guilty
- Person
- Edward V. Avery
- Role
- Priest
- Institution
- Archdiocese of Philadelphia
- Location
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Status
- Pleaded guilty (March 2012)
- Sentence
- 2½ to 5 years
Case in brief
Tier 1 · Court-proven
Edward V. Avery was a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. In 1992, after an abuse report, the archdiocese’s secretary for clergy, Msgr. William Lynn, sent Avery for evaluation; the treatment center recommended that any future ministry not include children. Avery was nonetheless placed living at St. Jerome’s rectory. In March 2012 he pleaded guilty to raping a 10-year-old altar boy at St. Jerome School in 1998–99 and to conspiring to endanger a minor, and was sentenced to 2½ to 5 years. His supervisor’s prosecution is filed separately: see Msgr. William Lynn.
The institution
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The institutional facts a court record supports: an abuse report in 1992, an evaluation whose recommendation excluded ministry with children, and a placement afterward that put Avery in residence at a parish with a school.
The record
Tier 1 · Court-proven
| Item | Record |
|---|---|
| 1992 | Abuse report; sent for evaluation by the secretary for clergy |
| Evaluation finding | Any future ministry should not include children |
| Placement | Living at St. Jerome’s rectory |
| Plea (March 2012) | Guilty — rape of a 10-year-old altar boy at St. Jerome School (1998–99); conspiracy to endanger a minor |
| Sentence | 2½ to 5 years |
Status
Pleaded guilty and sentenced in 2012.
Records requested & responses
This archive has not filed records requests in this case. The file rests on the published sources below and will be updated if court or institutional records are obtained, or if that changes.
Sources
- Associated Press via BishopAccountability.org archive, “Monsignor Lynn” trial and sentencing coverage (July 25, 2012): bishop-accountability.org
Filed October 18, 2026, from the published sources below. Minor victims are never named or identified in this file.