Assignment Record– Rev. Paul M. Arbogast

Summary of Case: Arbogast was accused in a 2003 lawsuit of having sexually abused teen boys in the 1970s. He left the priesthood in the late 1980s, married and had children. He was suspended from his position as a teacher at a Catholic high school in 2003, due to the allegations. He died October 16, 2013.

Ordained: 1955
Died: October 16, 2013

   

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes
1955 1958 Casa Santa Maria dell 'Umilta Via dell' Rome Italy    

1958

Covington bishop was William Theodore Mulloy (1944-1959), followed by Richard Henry Ackerman, C.S.Sp (1960-1978)

1968 Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption Covington KY 4/6, 5/7, 3/5, 3/6, 3/7 The Cathedral had a school with 180-111 boys and 157-92 girls, until 1967 when it merged with another school nearby to form Bishop Howard Elementary.
1960 1973 Diocesan Director of Music Covington KY    
1964 1971 Diocesan Liturgical Commission Covington KY    
1968 1975 Covington Latin School

Covington

• Arbogast was accused in 2003 of having sexually abused teen boys in the 1970s. The diocese stated that in their searching of their files, "nothing turned up" regarding Arbogast in terms the sexual abuse of minors. (The Cincinnati Enquirer [Kentucky]
September 27, 2003)

KY Headmaster 1968-1973 Covington Latin had 187-297, all male. It was an accelerated high school which admitted students as young as eleven or twelve years of age.
1975 1978 Mother of God Covington KY

3/4

In residence.

May have still been a Covington Latin School faculty member, although is not listed as such in the Directories.

1978

Ackerman was succeeded by William Anthony Hughes (1979-1995)

1981

 

 Madonna Manor Nursing Home Covington KY

Chaplain

In residence.

 
1978 1981 Covington Latin School Covington KY faculty member  
1981 1986 Lexington Catholic High School Lexington KY Principal

Lexington Catholic had 283-266 boys and 290-272 girls.

Arbogast is not indexed in the Directories after 1986.

Arbogast left the priesthood in the 1980s, married and had children. He returned in 2002 to teach at Covington Latin School. He was suspended in September 2003 due to allegations of child sexual abuse stemming from his time as a priest. (Cincinnati Enquirer
September 21, 2003)

Arbogast died October 16, 2013. (Kentucky Enquirer October 18, 2013)


Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1956-1986)

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 Arbogast'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 September 17, 2019.