Rev. John J. "Jack" Campbell, s.j.

Summary of Case: A Jesuit priest of the Missouri Province, ordained in 1950, Campbell has been credibly accused of the sexual abuse of at least 13 people. Five of those who have come forward were former students at St. Louis University High School, where Campbell taught and resided for many years. One of them disclosed that Campbell sexually abused him during counseling sessions, saying that the sexual activity would cure the boy of his insecurities. When allegations against Campbell emerged in 1987, he was barred from contact with children. When additional allegations surfaced the following year, Campbell was removed from public ministry in St. Louis and sent to live at Regis College in Denver. In 1993 he was barred from all public ministry, according to the Jesuits. Campbell died in April 2009.

Ordained
: 1950
Died: April 10, 2009

     

Start Stop Parish/Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1950

Kansas City archbishop was George Joseph Donelley (1946-1950), followed by Edward Joseph Hunkeler (1951-1969).

1951 St. Mary's College Kansas City KS  

1951

Springfield bishop was William Aloysius O'Connor (1948-1975).

1952 St. Joseph's Hall Decatur IL    

1952

St. Louis archbishop was Joseph Elmer Ritter (1946-1967).

1962 St. Louis University High School

St. Louis

 

MO   St. Louis Univ. High School had 794-875 students, all male.

1968

Ritter was succeeded by John Joseph Carberry (1968-1979).

1972 St. Louis University High School By Oct. 2003, at least five former SLU High students had come forward with credible allegations of sexual abuse by Campbell. MO In residence. Jesuit officials said in 2003 that Campbell was living but not teaching at SLU High during these years. He may have been residing at SLU High in previous and subsequent years as well.
1962 1965 The Queen's Work St. Louis MO  

This was a Jesuit magazine.

The 1963-1965 Directories index Campbell twice, as both at The Queen's Work and St. Louis Univ. High. He is not, however, listed in the archdiocesan pages as at the high school.

1965 1970 National Sodality Service Center St. Louis MO This was formerly The Queen's Work.
1970 1976 St. Francis (College) Church

St. Louis

In Oct. 2003 the Missouri Province Jesuits settled with a man who claimed that Campbell sexually abused him during counseling sessions at St. Francis. The man said the abuse started two or three years prior to his 1972 St. Louis Univ. High School graduation, and went on for two or three years after. He said Campbell told him the sexual activity would cure him of his insecurities. The Jesuits acknowledged that this man was the 13th to come forward with credible accusations against Campbell.

MO 3/7, 3/8, 4/10, 3/9 St. Francis Xavier had a school with 220-284 students.
1970 1976 The Jesuit Community at St. Louis University

St. Louis

The victim with whom the Jesuits settled in Oct. 2003 said much of the abuse occurred in an SLU dormitory, where Campbell lived and provided counseling.

MO   St. Louis University said in 2003 that it had no connection with Campbell and that he was never employed there.
1976 1979 St. Louis Jesuit House of Retreats (White House) St. Louis MO    

1979

Carberry was succeeded by John Lawrence May (1980-1992).

1982 St. Louis University St. Louis MO    
1982 1987 St. Louis University High School St. Louis MO   St. Louis Univ. High had 968-952 students, all male.
1987 1989 St. Louis Jesuit House of Retreats (White House) St. Louis MO   Campbell was barred from contact with children in 1987, due to sexual abuse allegations.

1989

Denver archbishop was James Francis Stafford (1986-1996).

1991 Regis College Denver CO   Campbell was removed from public ministry in St. Louis and sent to Denver in 1989.

1991

Charles Joseph Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. replaced Stafford (1997-2011).

2004 Xavier Jesuit Center Denver CO  

Campbell was stripped of all public priestly duties in 1993.

Campbell is not indexed beyond the 2004 Directory.

2004 2009         Campbell died April 10, 2009, in St. Louis.

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1951-2004)

Jesuits Pay $185,000 to a Former Student, He, 12 Others Say They Were Molested, By Priest Who Led Retreats Here, By Patricia Rice, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 23, 2003
Group Asks SLU to Seek out Abuse Victims/ SLU High Graduate Tries to Give Letter to Biondi, By Tim Bryant, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 17, 2003
Former St. Louis Resident Who Settled Priest Abuse Case Confronts Retired Jesuit, Associated Press, December 20, 2003
Sex Allegations Follow Ex-Priest to Denver Area
Man's Abuse Claims Shock Neighbors, By Eric Gorski and Sean Kelly , Denver Post , December 22, 2003
Accused Priest Doesn't Worry Diocese Retiree Has Not Sought to Work, Officials Say, By Eric Gorski, Denver Post, December 23, 2003
Elderly Priest Accused of Past Sex Abuse Will Stay in Denver, By Eric Gorski, Denver Post, March 4, 2004
Seattle Man Sues Spokane's Gonzaga Prep., News Tribune , June 14, 2012



Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Campbell's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on June 17, 2013