Rev. Robert J. Knapp

Summary of Case: Knapp's personnel file, released in 2004, revealed "a father-son" relationship with a child, sexual misconduct with three women and "hundreds of incidents" with a victim between 1979 and 1984. Knapp was defrocked by the Vatican in June 2011.

Ordained: 1964

     

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1964

Boston archbishop was Richard James Cushing (1944-1970)

1969 Star of the Sea Quincy MA 2/2 , 3/3  

1969

New York archbishop was Terence James Cooke (1968-1983)

1970 Fordham University New York NY graduate studies  

1970

Cushing was succeeded by Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983)

1971   Boston MA   Knapp's assignment is unclear. He is indexed in the 1971 Directory as at 1 Lake St., Brighton MA, which was the address for the Chancery.
1971 1972 St. John the Evangelist Wellesley MA

4/4

In residence.

Parish had a school with 77 boys and 75 girls.
1972 1973 St. Joseph Novitiate and Scholasticate Danvers MA In residence. This was the home of the Northeastern Province of the Brothers of St. Francis Xavier (Xavierian Brothers).
1973 1975 Casa Santa Rome Italy graduate studies  

1975

 

 1976 St. Paul's Cambridge MA 6/7  
1976 1982 Pope John XIII National Seminary

Weston

• FIles released in 2004 in which Knapp was accused of having a "father-son" relationship with a child, as well as "sexual misconduct" with three women. The accusations include "hundreds of incidents" between 1979-1984 with a victim. (Boston Herald
January 15, 2004)

MA In residence, per the 1977 and 1978 Directories. Knapp is listed in the 1980-1982 Directories as Rev. Robert Knapp, M.R.E., S.T.D.  

1982

Bernard Francis Law replaced Medeiros (1970-2002)

1986 Regis College Weston MA Campus Minister  
1986 1988 St. Mary of the Annunciation Melrose MA 3/5

Parish had a school with 245 students.

Knapp is not indexed in the Directories beyond 1988.

1988

Law was succeeded by Sean Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M. (2003-)

2011         In June 2011 the archdiocese announced that Knapp had been removed from the clerical state by the Vatican. (Boston Globe, June 14, 2011)


Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1965-1988)

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 Knapp'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 June 14, 2011