Rev. Ignatius M. Burrill, s.j.

Summary of Case: A priest of the Chicago-Detroit Province of the Society of Jesus, Burrill was accused in 2011 of having sexually abused a male student in the 1950s at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, OH. In April 2012 a Boston attorney announced that he had recently settled a claim involving Burrill. Burrill was a high school teacher and counselor for most of his career. He died in 1987.


Ordained: 1937
Died: March 8, 1987

1937

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

1938

Cleveland bishop was Joseph Schrembs (1921-1945).

1939

Detroit archbishop was Edward Aloysius Mooney (1937-1958).

1941

Indianapolis archbishop was Joseph Elmer Ritter (1934-1946), followed by Paul Clarence Schulte (1946-1970).

1950

Detroit archdiocese

1951

Chicago archbishop was Samuel Alphonsus Stritch (1939-1958).

1952

Cleveland bishop was Edward Francis Hoban (1945-1966).

Cleveland

• The Chicago-Detroit province of the Jesuits announced in Sept. 2011 that a former St. Ignatius, Cleveland, student reported to them that Burrill had sexually abused him in the 1950s.

1956

Chicago archdiocese

1958

Stritch was succeeded by Albert Gregory Meyer (1958-1965).

1963

John Patrick Cody replaced Meyer as Chicago archbishop (1965-1982), followed by Joseph Louis Bernardin (1982-1996).

Loyola Academy was a high school with 1,591-1,708 students. It was all male when established in 1909. The school began admitting girls to some classes in 1970. Per Burrill's obituary, "He was active in Loyola's athletic programs, its band and its religious activities, especially the foreign missions. In recent years, he also operated a candy stand near the school's bus entrance."

In April 2012 Boston Attorney Mitchell Garabedian announced he had recently settled a claim involving Burrill.

Burrill died March 8, 1987

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1938-1988)

• Rev. Ignatius Burrill of Loyola Academy, Chicago Tribune, March 11, 1987
• Jesuits Respond to Allegations of Abuse, Catholic Universe Bulletin September 2, 2011
• New Garabedian List, Bishopaccountability.org, April 11, 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 Burrill'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 13, 2012.