Msgr. Peter Gomez Armstrong

Summary of Case: A prominent priest of the San Francisco archdiocese whose assignments included long time CYO director and chaplain for the San Francisco 49ers, Armstrong was accused sometime in the 1990s or early 2000s of having molested a teenage boy in Marin County. Armstrong retired in 2001 and died in 2009.

Ordained: 1954
Died: Nov. 17, 2009

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1955-2010)

• S.F. Archdiocese Quietly Removing Accused Priests, By Jaxon Van Derbeken, San Francisco Chronicle, August 29, 2002
• See No Evil, By Ron Russell, San Francisco Weekly, May 21, 2003
• Monsignor Peter Gomez Armstrong (1929-2009), San Francisco Chronicle, November 21, 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 Armstrong'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 Sept. 19, 2010