Rev. James R. Schook

Summary of Case: In July 2009, Schook was placed on leave by the archdiocese due to an allegation that he had abused a teenage male in 1985. Four more men subsequently came forward with accusations that they, too, had been molested by Schook, in the 1970s and 1980s.

Ordained: 1975

   

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1975

Louisville archbishop was Thomas Joseph McDonough (1967-1981)

1980 St. Thomas More

Louisville

• Schook was accused in 2009 by five men of having sexually abused them in the 1970s and 1980s, when they were children. (The Courier-Journal
September 13, 2009)

KY

3/3 ,2/2

 

 Parish had a school with 263-236 students.
1980 1981 St. Raphael the Archangel Louisville KY 4/4 Parish had a school with 518 students.

1981

Thomas Cajetan Kelly, O.P. succeeded McDonough (1981-2007)

1985 Ascension of Our Lord Louisville KY 2/2 Parish had a school with 408-432 students.
1985 1987 St. Lawrence

Louisville

• A man reported in 2009 that Schook molested him as a teenager in 1985 (off of church property). (WLKY
July 30, 2009)

KY 2/2 Parish had a school with 395-378 students.
1987 1988 St. Polycarp Pleasure Ridge Park KY 2/2 Parish had a school with 391 students.  
    The Catholic Deaf Community        
1988 1994 Our Lady of Consolation Valley Station KY 1/1 Parish had a school with 240-150 students.
1994 1999 St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi Payneville KY 1/1  
1996 1999 St. Theresa Rhodelia KY 1/3  

1999

Joseph Edward Kurtz replaced Kelly
(2007- )

2009 St. Ignatius Louisville KY 1/1,1/2

Affiliated with the parish was the Thomas Merton Child Development Center, which had 121-77 students. There was also a catechesis program from 2003-2009 with 75-8 students.

Schook was placed on leave in July 2009 after a man came forward with an accusation that Schook molested him when he was a teenager. (WAVE
July 30, 2009)

Four more people surfaced with accusations of sexual abuse by Schook in the 1970s and 1980s, when they were minors. (The Courier-Journal
September 13, 2009)


Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1976-2009)

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 Schook'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. 21, 2010