Rev. R. Joseph Hemmerle

Summary of Case: Hemmerle was removed from ministry in January 2002, when a man went to the police with a report that Hemmerle had molested him at a summer camp in the mid-1970s, when the man was 11 years old. The archdiocese had known about the allegation since Sept. 2001, when the accuser went to them. Hemmerle was cleared by the archdiocese and reinstated in June 2002, despite the fact that the police investigation was ongoing.

Ordained: 1967

   

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1967

Louisville archbishop was Thomas Joseph McDonough (1967-1981)

1968 St. John's Louisville KY

2/2

 

  
1968 1969 St. Raphael the Archangel Louisville KY 3/3 Parish had a school with 852 students.

1971

McDonough was replaced as archbishop by Thomas Cajetan Kelly
(1981-2007)

2001 Camp Tall Trees

Meade County

• A man reported to the archdiocese in Sept. 2001 that Hemmerle molested him in the mid-1970s at this camp, when the man was 11 years old. The man stated that he didn't want money, only assurance that Hemmerle not work with minors unsupervised, and that he receive counseling. The archdiocese did not provide such assurance, so the man went to the police. (The Courier-Journal [Louisville]
May 9, 2002)

KY Director; also served as a camp couselor prior to ordination, from 1957-1966.

This was a summer camp for boys in Otter Creek Park.

 
1969 1982 St. Thomas-St. Vincent Home Louisville KY In residence. St. Thomas-St. Vincent Home was an orphanage.
1969 2002 Trinity High School

Louisville

 

 KY religion teacher, wrestling coach, cross country coach, track coach

Trinity High had 1360-1005 students.

Hemmerle was placed on leave in Jan. 2002 due to an accusation of sexual abuse of a boy in the mid-1970s. The archdiocese was aware of the accusation in Sept. 2001, but Hemmerle wasn't removed until the accuser went to the police. (The Courier-Journal [Louisville]
May 9, 2002)

1982 2002 St. Bartholomew's Louisville KY

2/2, 2/3

 

St. Bartholomew's had a school with 232-177 students.

Hemmerle was reinstated by the archdiocese in June 2002. (The Courier-Journal [Louisville]
June 1, 2002) At the time of reinstatement, the police were still investigating Hemmerle, despite the archdiocese's statement that the police had cleared him. (The Courier-Journal [Louisville]
June 13, 2002)

2002 2003 Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral Bardstown KY 3/4 The Basilica had a greade school with 406 students, and a high school with 296 students.

2003

Joseph Edward Kurtz succeeded Kelly
(2007-)

2009 Holy Cross Loretto KY   Hemmerle is listed in the Louisville diocesan pages under "Holy Cross Cemetery Trust, Inc.".
2003 2009 St. Francis of Assisi St. Francis KY 1/1 St. Francis had a religious education program with 160-60 students.


Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1968-2009)

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 Hemmerle'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 Jan. 8, 2010