Cletus F. O'Donnell

Cletus O'Donnell was born on August 22, 1917, in Waukon, Iowa, to Patrick and Isabel (Duffy) O’Donnell.

A retreat at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, was a motivator for O'Donnell to join the priesthood.

[3] After his ordination, he was appointed as assistant pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Chicago, serving there for a year.

In 1942, O'Donnell entered the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., earning a Doctor of Canon Law degree in 1945.

[3] After Meyer's death on April 9, 1965, O'Donnell served as archdiocesan administrator until the installation of Archbishop John P. Cody on August 24, 1965.

The plaintiffs claimed that O'Donnell was aware of Trainor's abuse of children and transferred him from one parish to another without reporting him to the police or to the parishioners.