Rev. Philip J. Jacobs

Summary of Case: Jacobs was removed from ministry in the Columbus OH diocese in 1993 after reports to the diocese that he had sexually abused children. He may have abused at least 10 Ohio children. He was sent to treatment, after which he went to work as a priest in the Victoria diocese in Vancouver, British Columbia. He was removed from ministry there in 2002 after the news of the abuse allegations in Ohio came to light. He subsequently is said to have worked in a "non-church" job in Europe. In Aug. 2010 Jacobs was arrested as he disembarked from a plane in Victoria upon his arrival from San Francisco. He was charged with sexual assault, sexual interference, and sexual exploitation involving children under the age of 14.

Ordained: 1974

   

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1974

Columbus bishop was Edward John Herrmann (1973-1982)

 1975         Jacobs is not indexed in the 1975 Directory.
1975 1979 St. Anthony's

Columbus

• Jacobs' cousin told his parish priest and the diocese in 1996 that Jacobs molested him in 1976 at a family cottage, when the cousin was 14 years old. (Columbus Dispatch (Ohio)
April 27, 2002

OH 2/2 Parish had a school with 266-280 students.
1979 1981 St. Philip's

Columbus

• In 2002 a 35 year old man said he had been molested by Jacobs when he was a boy in 1978 and 1979, and that the abuse happened at Jacobs' family cottage. (Columbus Dispatch (Ohio)
April 27, 2002)

OH 2/2 Parish had a school with 286-285 students.

1981

Hermann was succeeded by James Anthony Griffin (1983-2004)

 1986 On Leave for Studies        
1986 1993 St. Paul's Westerville OH

4/4

In residence

 Parish had a school with 600-605 students.
1986 1993 Pontifical College Josephinum

Columbus

• Griffin is quoted in 2002 as saying "...there were a couple of complaints and some other....reports..." that lead to Jacobs removal from ministry in the Columbus diocese." (Columbus Dispatch (Ohio)
April 27, 2002)

• A 2010 news report states that ten people had accused Jacobs of having sexually abused them as children while he was a priest in Ohio. (WSYX
August 8 2010)

OH Professor; Vice Rector

This was a diocesan seminary.

 

 
1993 1995 Absent on Sick Leave       Jacobs was sent to treatment after his removal from ministry in 1993. (Columbus Dispatch (Ohio)
April 27, 2002)
1995 1996 On Duty Outside the Diocese        

1996

Victoria bishop was Remi Joseph De Roo (1962-1999)

1998 St. Rose of Lima Sooke, Vancouver Island B.C.
Canada		  

Jacobs is not indexed beyond the 1997 Directory.

Per news reports, Jacobs went to the Victoria diocese after being removed from ministry in Ohio. Victorian diocesan officials were given Jacobs' records by the Columbus diocese. (Columbus Dispatch (Ohio)
May 1, 2002)

Per Roussin, Jacobs was assessed by psychiatrists, was required to be seen regularly by a psychiatrist, and was supposed to be monitored by two senior priests and two lay members of the church. He was also told not to be alone with individual children or small groups of children. (Times Colonist
August 8 2010)

1998

De Roo was replaced as Victoria bishop by Raymond Roussin, S.M. (1999-2004)

2002 St. Joseph the Worker

Saanich, Vancouver Island

• In 2002, after news of past allegations against him and his removal from St. Joseph's, a local person reported having been victimized as a minor by Jacobs, but police didn't press charges due to insufficient evidence. (BCLocalNews
August 9 2010)

• Accused and charged in Aug. 2010 of having offended against children up to age 14 while at this parish. (C-Fax
August 6, 2010)

B.C.
Canada		 Pastor in 1996-2002 Jacobs was removed from ministry in the Victoria diocese in May 2002 due to revelations of past allegations of child sexual abuse in Ohio. (Columbus Dispatch (Ohio)
May 1, 2002)
  2010     Europe non-church position (Times Colonist
August 10 2010) 		Jacobs was arrested Aug. 4, 2010 in Vancouver, B.C. at the Victoria airport for sexual assault, sexual interference, and sexual exploitation. (Vancouver Sun
August 6, 2010)


Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1976-1997)

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 Jacob'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 Aug. 20, 2010