Today, she regrets no one passed that information on to the police.
Like other pupils at St Joseph's Primary School in Merriwa, in country NSW, Kirsty -- who asked that her real name not be used -- was often sent to church for confession, either on her own or with friends.
"I just have a vivid memory of being sat on Father McAlinden's lap in the church. I was fully clothed but he would pat me on the crotch," she said. "Being so young, I knew that it was not right. I remember feeling very uncomfortable and didn't want to be there."
The alleged abuse went on for months. Some of Kirsty's childhood friends told her they had suffered worse treatment at the priest's hands.
In 1985 or 1986, the school's principal, Mike Stanwell, walked into the church and saw Kirsty sitting on McAlinden's knee.
Mr Stanwell reported his concerns to the Diocese of Maitland, whose secretary, Philip Wilson, visited the town to follow up. Kirsty told her mother about the abuse. No one told the police.
McAlinden moved to other dioceses in NSW and Western Australia. He died in 2005.
Documents seen by The Australian appear to show that, in 1995, Philip Wilson -- now the Archbishop of Adelaide -- was appointed notary to an internal church inquiry into McAlinden's alleged abuse.
Other documents include the sworn testimony of another child victim, who said the priest "would expose his penis to me and if I touched it would reward me with chocolates".
Following this inquiry, the church began the process of removing McAlinden from the priesthood, although he remained a registered priest until at least 1998. .
Last week, Archbishop Wilson declined to be interviewed by detectives investigating what
NSW police describe as "alleged cover-ups . . . relating to the alleged sexual abuse of children by Father Denis McAlinden".
Archbishop Wilson has not responded to The Australian, except in a written statement saying it "would be irresponsible to comment while the matter remains in the hands of the police".
NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith, a Catholic, last week ordered that decisions on whether to mount a prosecution under section 316 of the Crimes Act, which makes it a crime to conceal a serious offence, be made in future by the state's Director of Public Prosecutions and not himself.
A spokesman for Mr Smith said the Attorney-General was able to make such judgments in an unbiased way, but this "will ensure that the DPP can act with appropriate autonomy and independence in its decision-making".
Kirsty, now a parent herself, said: "I definitely wish that somebody from the church had actually listened to what was going on. It (the alleged abuse) just continued."