Brother Daniel John Virgil McMahon

From Christian Brother to Catholic priest

Daniel John Virgil McMahon was a member of the Christian Brothers religious order who taught in Catholic boys’ schools in Western Australia from the 1960s through to the 1980s. Former pupils later made allegations of sexual abuse against him, and the Catholic Church subsequently reached settlements with some former students.

What became particularly controversial was McMahon’s later transition from religious Brother to Catholic priest. In the early 1990s, he entered seminary formation and was eventually ordained for the Archdiocese of Hobart, despite complaints that had reportedly been made about his conduct while he was a Christian Brother.

Early life and Christian Brothers

McMahon began his schooling at Sacred Heart School in Ulverstone, Tasmania, before attending Catholic secondary education. By the early 1960s he had entered formation with the Christian Brothers.

By the middle of the 1960s, he was teaching in Western Australia as a member of the Christian Brothers' Holy Spirit Province, which covered Western Australia and South Australia.

His known Western Australian appointments included:

·       Aquinas College, Perth, a Catholic boarding school;

·       St Mark's College, Bedford;

·       Christian Brothers College, Highgate;

·       the junior school at Trinity College, Perth; and

·       Chisholm Catholic College, Perth.

Later, McMahon worked as a counsellor within Catholic education, including advising students who might be considering vocations to the priesthood or religious life.

Allegations emerge

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, some former pupils who had by then become adults reportedly contacted Christian Brothers authorities and raised concerns about their experiences with McMahon while they were students.

Around 1990, McMahon entered a seminary to train for the Catholic priesthood. He was accepted by the Archdiocese of Hobart, which has responsibility for the Catholic Church throughout Tasmania.

He was subsequently ordained as a priest.

Ministry in Tasmania

Australian Catholic directories record McMahon as a priest of the Archdiocese of Hobart during the 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1995, he was listed as serving in the Devonport parish, under parish priest Father Peter Nichols. From 1996 to 2000, he was listed in connection with the Bridgewater parish. From 2001 to 2003, he was listed at the Queenstown parish.

Thus, a former Christian Brother who had taught children in Western Australia was later serving as a Catholic priest approximately 3,500 kilometres away in Tasmania.

Former pupils come forward

From about 1995 onwards, former pupils in Western Australia reportedly learned that McMahon had become a priest and independently contacted the Archdiocese of Hobart to report their experiences.

In 2004, one former pupil sought financial assistance from the Catholic Church for medical treatment following an emotional breakdown that required hospitalisation. He attributed his difficulties to experiences during his childhood at Chisholm Catholic College.

The Church's response did not satisfy the former pupil's family. His mother subsequently travelled from Western Australia to Tasmania and distributed leaflets describing the alleged impact of her son's experiences. The campaign attracted public attention in Tasmania.

Following these developments, McMahon and the Archdiocese of Hobart reached an arrangement under which he retired early from permanent, full-time parish ministry.

The 2009–2010 Australian Catholic Directory continued to list Reverend Daniel McMahon as a supplementary priest of the Hobart Archdiocese. This meant that he remained available for occasional parish duties or relieving ministry.

Police investigation and death

At least one former Western Australian pupil was encouraged to speak with Western Australia Police about allegations concerning McMahon.

According to the account provided, McMahon became seriously ill by 2012 and died in Tasmania before police proceedings could result in him appearing before a court.

Consequently, allegations against him were not tested through a criminal trial.

Legacy

McMahon's history raises questions about how allegations concerning members of religious orders were handled when those individuals later sought or obtained positions involving further contact with parishioners.

The distinction between allegations, civil settlements and criminal convictions is important. While former pupils made allegations concerning McMahon and the Catholic Church reportedly reached settlements with some former pupils, the allegations were not determined by a criminal conviction against McMahon.

His case also illustrates the importance of maintaining accurate historical records when allegations emerge, particularly where an individual subsequently moves between religious orders, dioceses or roles involving access to children and vulnerable people.