Assignment Record– Rev. Leonard Oliver Colston

Summary of Case: Leonard Colston was ordained for the Duluth MN diocese in 1980, at age 54. He served in parishes in Brainerd, Floodweed, Meadowlands and Elmer MN before transferring in 1984 to the New Ulm MN diocese where he worked in Nicollet, Hutchinson, Ortonville and Olivia parishes. Per Duluth diocesan officials, Colston resigned September 6, 1986. His whereabouts after that are unclear. He died November 4, 2004. Colston's name was included on the Duluth diocese's December 2013 list of clergy who had been credibly accused of sexual abuse of young persons while serving in the diocese.

 

Born: October 10, 1936
Ordained: 1980
Died: November 4, 2004

 

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Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

6/06/79

Duluth bishop was Paul Francis Anderson (1969-1982).

5/17/80 St. Michael's Duluth MN

deacon/assistant

1979-1980: Rev. James Walsh, Rev. Mr. Leonard Colston

St. Michael's had a school with 117 students.
6/18/80 10/14/81 St. Francis' Brainerd MN

2/2

1980-1981: Revs. Bernard Popesh, Leonard Colston.

St. Francis' had a school with 193 students.

10/14/81

Anderson was succeeded by Robert Henry Brom (1983-1989).

9/09/83 St. Louis' Floodwood MN 1/1 Administrator  
10/14/81 9/09/83 St. Mary's Meadowlands MN   This was a mission of St. Louis' in Floodwood.
10/14/81 9/09/83 St. Joseph's Elmer MN   This was a station of St. Louis' in Floodwood
1983 1984 Absent on Leave        

1984

New Ulm bishop was Raymond Alphonse Lucker (1975-2000).

1985 St. Paul's Nicollet MN 1/1  
1985 1985 St. Anastasia's Hutchinson MN 1/1  
1985 1986 St. John's Ortonville MN 1/1  
1986   St. Aloysius Olivia MN 1/1

Colston is not listed as at St. Aloysius in the New Ulm pages of the 1987
Directory. Per the Duluth diocese, Colston resigned September 6, 1986.

Colston died November 4, 2004. His name was included on the Duluth diocese's December 2013 list of clergy who had been credibly accused of sexual abuse of young persons while serving in the diocese.

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1980-1987)

Clergy with Credible Claims against Them Concerning Sexual Abuse of a Young Person, Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth, December 31, 2013
Bishop Sirba Releases Names of Credibly Accused Priests, Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth, December 31, 2013
Diocese of Duluth Releases Names of Accused Priests, By Tom Olsen, Duluth News Tribune, December 31, 2013
The Diocese of Duluth Release Their List of 17 Priests Accused of Sexually Abusing Minors, By Mike Bryant, Legal Examiner, December 31, 2013
Bishop Sirba Releases Names of 17 Priests Accused of Sexual Abuse in Duluth Diocese, Northlands News Center, December 31, 2013
Duluth Diocese Releases List of Accused Priests, By Tom Olsen, Duluth News Tribune, January 1, 2014

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 Colston'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 19, 2015.