Assignment Record – Rev. Englebert M. Axer, S.J.

Summary of Case: Ordained in 1939, Axer was a priest of the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus who spent the bulk of his career as a professor at the University of Seattle. He died in 1989. The Province notified the Seattle U. community in 2006 that Englebert had been accused of sexually abusing a boy in 1956 at a summer ministry program in northern California. His name was included on Seattle archdiocese's list January 15, 2016 of clergy and religious with admitted, established or credible allegations against them of sexual abuse of a minor.

Born: July 8, 1911
Ordained: 1939
Died: September 27, 1989

   

Start Stop Parish/Assignment Town/Accusations State/Country Position Notes

1939

Leavenworth bishop was Paul Clarence Schulte (1937-1946).

1940 St. Mary's College St. Mary's KS    

1940

Seattle archbishop was Gerald Shaughnessy, s.m. (1933-1950).

1941 Manresa Hall Port Townsend WA    
1941 1946 Seattle College Seattle WA    
1943 1946 Seattle Preparatory School Seattle WA    
1946 1949 Georgetown University Washington DC Doctoral student in Philosophy.  
1950 1951 Jesuit Mission

Tokyo Japan    
1951 1952         Axer is not indexed in the 1952 Directory.
1952 1955   Kobe Japan    
Summer 1956    

 

• Axer was accused of sexually abusing a boy during a summer ministry program in northern California in 1956.

CA   In 2006 the Oregon Province of the Jesuits notified the Seattle University community of the accusation against Axer.
1975   Our Lady of the Lake Seattle WA    

1955

Seattle archbishop was Thomas Arthur Connolly (1950-1975), followed by Raymond Gerhardt Hunthausen (1975-1991).

1989 Seattle University Seattle WA professor Axer died on September 27, 1989.

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1940-1989)

• Four Jesuits Plan Jubilee Rites, The Progress, June 5, 1964
• Catholic Alumni Clubs Slate Conference, The Progress, September 3, 1964
• Priest Brings Mass to the Mountain, by Katia Blackburn, Associated Press, February 13, 1986
• Social Security Death Index, September 27, 1989
• Seattle U. Releases ID of Accused Priest, Seattle Times, October 11, 2006
• Seattle U. Identifies 2nd Accused Priest, By Scott Gutierrez, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, October 12, 2006
• Seattle U. Official Quits As Sexual-Harassment Claims Surface, By Nick Perry, Seattle Times, October 13, 2006
• Abuse Cases Put Focus on Jesuits, By Janet I. Tu, The Seattle Times, October 16, 2006
• Deal Reported in Abuse Cases, By Janet I. Tu, Seattle Times, November 19, 2007
• Jesuit Head of Seattle U. Knew of Priest's Abuse, Lawsuit Claims, By Janet I. Tu and Nick Perry, Seattle Times, January 14, 2009
• Faithful Witnesses: We Remember Our Departed Brothers and Sisters, Western Washington Catholic Charismatic Renewal, downloaded January 22, 2016
• Archdiocese of Seattle List, January 15, 2016
• Here Are All the Seattle Catholic Priests Who Have Been Accused of Sexually Assaulting Children, By Sydney Brownstone, The Stranger, January 15, 2016


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 Axer'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 April 24, 2016.