1975

Milwaukee archbishop was William Edward Cousins (1958-1977)

Milwaukee

• The archdiocese received a report in 2002 that Knighton had sexually abused a minor in 1975.

1976

Cousins was succeeded by Rembert George Weakland, O.S.B. (1977-2002)

Milwaukee

• In February 2002 a 28 year old former St. Pius student told the archdiocese that Knighton sexually abused him in 1988 and 1989. Per his accuser, Knighton had befriended him in 1986 when he was 12 years old and his mother was dying of cancer. The accuser testified that the first inappropriate touch was when Knighton kissed him on the lips the day his mother died.

School had 1,827-1,705 students.

Archdiocesan officials didn't notify the District Attorney until April 2002. Knighton was criminally charged in June of that year.

School had 1,531-1,533 students.

In 1993 the father of the boy who said he was abused by Knighton in 1988-1989 told Knighton of the allegations and Knighton, in turn, told the archdiocese to "clear this up". Archdiocesan officials said they did not act because there was not a formal complaint.

Knighton is not indexed in the 1997 Directory.

This assignment is per the Milwaukee archdiocese.

Knighton is not indexed in the 1999 or 2000 Directories.

This assignment is per the Milwaukee archdiocese.

2000

Phoenix bishop was Thomas Joseph O'Brien (1981-2003)

School had 825 students.

Milwaukee vicar for clergy, Rev. Joseph F. Hornacek, wrote in a June 2000 letter to the Phoenix diocese that Knighton was a priest in good standing and that there was "nothing in his background that would require us to limit any ministry with children".

2002

Weakland was replaced in Milwaukee by Timothy Michael Dolan (2002-2009)

Knighton was restricted by the archdiocese from contact with minors in February 2002 after he was accused of sexually abusing a minor in 1988 and 1989. Archdiocesan officials didn't notify the District Attorney until April 2002, when a second allegation surfaced of abuse of a minor dating to 1975. At that point Knighton was removed from public ministry. He was criminally charged in June of that year. He then moved to Phoenix with his 8 year old adopted son.

Knighton was acquitted in August 2003 by a Milwaukee County jury.

2003

Milwaukee archbishop Dolan was succeeded by Jerome Edward Listecki (2009-)

Phoenix bishop O'Brien was replaced by Thomas James Olmsted (2003-)

Phoenix

• By 2004, there was at least one more allegation against Knighton.

Despite Knighton's 2003 acquittal, the Milwaukee Archdiocesan Review Board upheld the allegations of child sexual abuse against him, citing a "preponderance of evidence." He remained fully restricted from ministry. His name does not appear in the Directories after 2003.

After the Milwaukee archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in January 2011, Knighton told a bankruptcy judge that the archdiocese owed him $450,000.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1976-2003)

• Priest Charged with Youth Sex Assault, By Marie Rohde, Journal Sentinel Online, June 18, 2002
• Accused Priest Was Phoenix Educator, By Joseph A. Reaves and Kelly Ettenborough, Arizona Republic, February 15, 2003
• Priests with troubled pasts, By Joseph A. Reaves and Kelly Ettenborough, The Arizona Republic, May 4, 2003
• Sexual Abuse Trial against Priest Opens, By Reid J. Epstein, Journal Sentinel Online, August 21, 2003
• Jury Finds Priest Not Guilty, By Reid J. Epstein, Journal Sentinel Online, August 22, 2003
• Archdiocese Upholds Abuse Allegations against Priest, By Tom Heinen, Journal Sentinel Online, April 8, 2004
• Milwaukee Archdiocese Statement, July 9, 2004 (as updated November 26, 2007)
• The 11 abuse cases the P-I examined, By Michelle Nicolosi and Claudia Rowe, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 19, 2004
• Priest Says Milwaukee Archdiocese Mishandled Case, Owes Him $450,000, By Annysa Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, January19, 2011
• Priest ‘concerned’ about $450,000 in Back Pay from Milwaukee Archdiocese, By Jacqueline Palank, Wall Street Journal, January 20, 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 Knighton'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 March 20, 2012