Assignment Record– Rev. Douglas F. Fortner

Summary of Case: Douglas F. Fortner was a priest of the Covington KY diocese, ordained in 1970. He worked in schools and parishes throughout the diocese until November 2006 when an accusation of sexual abuse that the bishop termed "credible" emerged. The abuse was said to have occurred at least 25 years previously. Fortner was placed on Administrative Leave. He died January 30, 2015. His obituary identifies him as a retired priest of the diocese.

Ordained: 1970
Laicized: January 27, 2010
Died: January 30, 2015

   

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1970

Covington bishop was Richard Henry Ackerman, C.S.Sp. (1960-1978).

1971 St. Francis de Sales Newport KY 2/2 Parish had a school with 97 boys and 113 girls.
early 1970s   Holy Cross High School Covington KY faculty member  
early 1970s   Newport Central Catholic High School Newport KY faculty member  
early 1970s   Covington Catholic High School Park Hills KY faculty member  
1971 1975 Mother of God Covington KY

3/3, 2/2, 2/3

In residence.

 

1975

William Anthony Hughes replaced Ackerman as Covington bishop (1979-1995).

1982 St. Catherine of Siena

Ft. Thomas

• Fortner was accused in 2006 of sexual abuse, stemming from about this time period (at least 25 years before 2006).

KY 2/2 Parish had a school with 231-189 students.
1982 1983 St. Pius X Edgewood KY 2/3 Parish had a school with 652 students.
1983 1990 St. Anthony's Bellvue KY 1/2, 1/1 Parish had a school with 166-167. It merged in 1987 with Sacred Heart. The 1989 and 1990 Directories do not list a school for St. Anthony's.

1990

Hughes was succeeded by Robert William Muench (1996-2001).

1999 St. Pius X Edgewood KY 1/2, 1/3 Parish had a school with 685-568 students, and a religious education program with 298-212 students.

2002

Roger Joseph Foys replaced Muench
(2002 -).

2003 Sts. Boniface and James Ludlow KY 1/1 Parish had a religious education program with 30 students.
1999 2007 St. John's Covington KY 1/1 Parish had a religious education program with 11 students.
1999 2006 St. Ann's Covington KY  

This was a mission of St. John's.

Fortner was removed from active ministry in Nov. 2006, due to what the bishop termed a "credible" accusation of sexual abuse from 25 years previously.

2006 2008         Fortner is not indexed in the 2008 Directory.
2008 2009 Administrative Leave        
  2015 Retired       Fortner died January 30, 2015. His obituary identifies him as having been retired. However, the diocese's 7/31/20 list of accused shows he was laicized 1/27/10.


Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1971-2009)

• Covington Priest On Leave After Charges Of Sex Abuse, By Richard Chiles, WCPO [Kentucky], November 19, 2006
• Covington Priest Put on Leave, Cincinnati Enquirer, November 20, 2006
• Douglas Franklin Fortner (1946-2015), legacy.com, accessed March 12, 2015.

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 Fortner'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 collates Fortner'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 August 13, 2020.