Assignment Record – Rev. William Norbert Bischoff, s.j.

Summary of Case: William N. Bischoff was a Jesuit priest of the Oregon Province, ordained in 1947. He was an academic affiliated with the Jesuits' Gonzaga University in Spokane in the 1950s, and Seattle University from 1969 until his death in 1991. He appears to have been based in the Province's Indian Missions during the 1960s. Bischoff's name was included on the Province's 2011 list of "perpetrators of sexual abuse"; the Jesuits agreed to post the list on its website as part of its bankruptcy reorganization plan.

Ordained: June 16, 1947
Died: October 27, 1991

  

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Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1947

San Francisco archbishop was John Joseph Mitty (1935-1961).

 1950 Alma College Alma CA The 1948 Directory lists Bischoff as a 4th year theology student. The 1948 and 1949 Directories index him as at Alma College, but do not list his as there in the San Francisco pages.  

1950

Spokane bishop was Charles Daniel White (1926-1955).

 1952 Gonzaga University Spokane WA    

1953

Seattle archbishop wasThomas Arthur Connolly (1950-1975).

 1954 Manresa Hall Port Townsend WA tertianship  

1954

White was succeeded as Spokane bishop by Bernard Joseph Topel (1955-1978).

 1962 Gonzaga University Spokane WA    
1962 1965         William N. is not indexed in the 1963- 1965 Directories. A William J. is indexed and listed as at Alma College in Los Gatos, CA in the 1963 Directory (4th year theologian), and in the 1964 Directory as at St. Stanislaus Novitiate in the Detroit Province (tertian father). In the 1965 DirectoryWilliam J. is indexed and listed as at St. Ignatius Church in St. Ignatius MT (Helena diocese).

1965

Great Falls bishop was William Joseph Condon (1939-1967).

 1966 Montana Indian Missions Great Falls MT    

1966

Portland in Oregon archbishop was Robert Joseph Dwyer (1966-1974).

 1969 Jesuit Missions Portland OR   William J. is shown in the 1965-1968 Directories as in Nespelem WA, at Sacred Heart Mission (Spokane diocese). William J. is not indexed beyond the 1968
Directory.

1969

Connolly was succeeded as Seattle archbishop by Raymond Gerhardt Hunthausen (1975-1991).

 1991 Seattle University Seattle WA   Bischoff died Oct. 27, 1991.

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1948-1993)

• Father Bischoff to Say First Mass in Home Parish Here, by Mrs. Ray Fontaine, Yakima News, June 27, 1947
• Non-Monetary Commitments, Oregon Jesuits, Dec. 7, 2012


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 Bischoff'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 Dec.10, 2019.