Rev. Bruce O. Ewing

Summary of Case: Ewing was ordained in 1974 and left the priesthood in 1977. A woman came forward with accusations in 2002 that Ewing sexually abused her over a three-year period in the 1970s, beginning when she was 14 years old. The case was brought to trial, and in 2007 Ewing was convicted of third degree rape. He was sentenced to five years probation.

Ordained
: 1974

   

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1974

Louisville archbishop was Thomas Joseph McDonough (1967-1981)

1977 St. Vincent de Paul's

Louisville

• A woman accused Ewing in a 2002 lawsuit of having sexually abused her over at least three years, beginning in 1974, when she was 14 years old. (The Courier-Journal [Louisville KY]
April 27, 2002)

KY 2/2 Parish had a school with 122-203 students.
1974 1977 Methodist Evangelical Hospital Louisville KY Chaplain This was a station of St. Vincent de Paul's in Louisville.
1977 1980 Absent on Leave      

The 1980 Directory is the last in which Ewing is indexed. He left the priesthood in 1977 and went on to own a tavern, work as a mechanic of the city, and to serve as an ombudsman for residents of neighborhoods being moved because of airport expansion. He also served at one time as a police chaplain, and as an aide to a city Alderman.

He was named in a lawsuit in 2002, and criminally charged in January 2003 with rape and sodomy of a girl when he was a priest in the 1970s. (The Courier-Journal [Louisville KY]
January 31, 2003) Ewing pleaded not guilty. The case ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury. (The Courier-Journal
September 4, 2004) A retrial in 2007 resulted in a guilty verdict. (The Courier-Journal [Louisville KY]
March 22, 2007) He was sentenced to five years probation. (WAVE
May 18, 2007)


Source
: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1975-1980)

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 Ewing'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 December  23, 2009.