Assignment Record– Rev. Charles R. Kane

Summary of Case: Kane died in 1986. In 1998 his sister told a priest that Kane had sexually abused her youngest son, and that "something was going on" with a "young man" who had moved in with Kane, and to whom Kane left his estate.

Ordained: 1953
Died: May 19, 1986

     

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

10/12/53

Boston archbishop was Richard James Cushing (1944-1970).

 2/17/57 St. Cecilia's Ashland MA

2/2

 

  
2/18/57 2/15/59 St. Joseph's Medford MA 5/5 Parish had a school with 395 boys and 349 girls.1958
2/16/59 2/15/60 St. Theresa's Revere MA 3/3  
2/16/60 6/19/67 St. John Chrysostom Boston (West Roxbury) MA 2/2  

6/20/67

Succeeding Cushing was Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983).

 4/03/72 St. Brigid's Boston (South Boston) MA

3/3, 2/4

 

 Parish had a school with 299-233 boys and 298-221 girls.
4/04/72 3/04/74 MA Correctional Institute Concord MA    
12/06/72 3/04/74 St. Mary's Billerica MA 3/3, 3/4, 2/3  
12/01/74 3/31/75 Health Leave        
4/01/75 6/30/75         There is a gap in assignments/whereabouts in the Boston archdiocese's assignment history for Kane.
7/01/75 10/25/76 St. Mary's Georgetown MA    
12/26/76 5/14/79 St. Joseph's Ipswich MA 2/2  
5/15/79 9/28/81 St. Philip Neri's Newton (Waban) MA

3/3, 4/4

Noted in the Directory to be in residence 1980-1981.

 

9/29/81

Bernard Francis Law replaced Medeiros (1970-1983).

5/18/86 St. Michael's Bedford MA 1/2, 1/3

Kane died May 19, 1986

After Kane's death, in 1998, Kane's sister told a priest that her youngest son, Kane's nephew, was sexually abused as a child by Kane. Also, there had been a "young man" who had moved in with Kane, and she thought there was "something going on" between them.


Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1955-1987)

• Memo to Rev. William F. Murphy from Sr. Rita V. McCarthy, June 8, 1998
• Boston Archdiocese Posts Sex-Abuse Database Online, By Joan Frawley Desmond, National Catholic Register,
August 25, 2011
• North Shore Priests on List, Salem News, August 26, 2011


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 Kane'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 October 3, 2015.