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CLEVELAND (WJW) – Saint Ignatius High School officials are speaking out after allegations surfaced accusing a late priest of sexually abusing a former student.

According to school officials, the late Fr. Frank Canfield, S.J is accused of sexually abusing a former Saint Ignatius student in the 2011-2012 school year.

The school first learned of the allegations in December 2023 and started investigating.

This comes after previous allegations surfaced, accusing Canfield of sexually abusing a former student during his time at Saint John’s Jesuit High School in Toledo in 2000.

In a previous letter to alumni, the school asked anyone to come forward if they experienced any abuse while Canfield was at St. Ignatius between 2006 and 2014.

After an investigation that ended last month, school officials say the Jesuit’s Midwest Province considered the allegations credible and that “there is reasonable certainty that it occurred.”

“The safety and well-being of our students are among our highest priorities and most sacred
obligations, and we are deeply saddened to learn of sexual abuse that occurred at Saint Ignatius
High School. We cooperated with investigators with full transparency. I reached out to the
individual involved to offer him pastoral counsel and to express my most sincere apologies on
behalf of the school,” said Saint Ignatius President Rev. Raymond P. Guiao, S.J. in a new letter sent to alumni on Friday.

The letter goes on to say St. Ignatius is continuing to bolster safeguards to prevent sexual abuse at the school.

“We maintain some of the strictest background checks in the country, conduct comprehensive annual training, have established a zero-tolerance policy for any type of abusive behavior and offer a mobile phone app that empowers students to report an incident while protecting their confidentiality and anonymity,” the letter said. “We believe that these current safeguards are both appropriate and effective.”

According to his obituary, Canfield died at 87 in May 2023.

Anyone who experienced abuse is asked to contact law enforcement, Rev. Guiao or the Midwest Provincial office by calling 773-975-6876.