Assignment Record– Rev. Settimo Basso, C.P.

Summary of Case: A Scalabrinian priest ordained in 1941 in Italy, Basso arrived in the United States in 1947. The same year he began work at St. Lazarus' parish in East Boston MA where he stayed until 1970, having assumed the role of pastor in 1961. Through the 1970s Basso assisted at several parishes in RI, moving in 1979 to the Seminary of St. Charles in Staten Island NY for a year. In 1980 Basso was transferred to an Ontario Canada parish, assisting until his 1988 return to Johnston RI. That assignment lasted until his return in 1997 to Italy, where he died in 1999. Basso was accused in a 2007 lawsuit of having sexually abused an East Boston boy in 1960-1961, at St. Lazarus'.

Ordained: September 7, 1941
Died: December 1999

Basso is not indexed in the 1942-1947 Directories.

He was ordained in Italy and arrived in the United States in November 1947.

1947

Boston archbishop was Richard James Cushing (1944-1970).

East Boston

• Basso was accused in a 2007 lawsuit of having sexually abused a boy at this parish in 1960-1961.

3/3, 2/2,1/3,1/2

Pastor until his death in 1961 was Louis Toma. Basso was pastor 1961-1970.

Parish had a school with 228-147 boys and 228-167 girls.

Toma is said to have abused "numerous" girls in his 50 years at St. Lazarus.

Although the lawsuit refers to Basso as "Septimo", his first name in the Directories is consistently "Settimo".

1970

Providence bishop was Russell Joseph McVinney (1948-1971) followed by Louis Edward Gelineau (1971-1997).

1979

New York archbishop was Terence James Cooke (1968-1983).

Assistant

This assignment is per Scalabrini.org.

Basso is not indexed in the 1980-1987 Directories.

1988

Providence diocese

3/3, 2/3, 2/4, 4/4

The 1998 Directory notes Bass to be "in residence".

Per Scalabrini.org, Basso became ill on a visit to Italy in 1997 and was forced to remain there. He retired to the community of Senior clerics.

Basso is not indexed in the 1999 Directory. He died in December 1999.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1948-1998)

• Scalabrini.org, In the Father's House
• http://www.bishop-accountability.org/complaints/2007_12_31_Boston_John_Doe_30_68_Complaint_RR.pdf
• Letter to Dr. Mary Jane Doherty, Chairperson of the Archdiocese of Boston Review Board, July 27, 2011
• Mass. Group Discloses New Names of Accused Priests By Jay Lindsay, Boston Globe, July 28, 2011
• P. Settimo Basso, Scalabrini.org Website

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 Basso'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 August 31, 2015.