Assignment Record– Rev. Francis E. Burris, s.j.

Summary of Case: Francis Burris was ordained a priest of the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus in 1937. He was a parish pastor in the Seattle diocese for two years, then moved to the Spokane diocese where he was assigned to Gonzaga College High School, St. Mary's Indian Mission and then Gonzaga University. His whereabouts after 1950 are unknown. Burris' 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: 1937

  

:

     
Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1937

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

 1938 Alma College Alma CA    

1938

Seattle bishop was Gerald Shaughnessy, s.j. (1933-1950).

 1939 Manresa Hall Port Townsend WA    
1939 1940 St. Patrick's Dockton WA pastor St. Patrick's is noted in the Directory to have been "attended from Bellarmine College."

1940

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

 1942 Gonzage University College and High School Spokane WA   The high school had 420-447 students, all boys.
1942 1946 St. Mary's Indian Mission Omak WA

1/2 , Superior

 

 St. Mary's had a school with 72-81 students.
1942 1946 St. Anthony's Chapel Desautel WA   This was a mission of St. Mary's Indian Mission in Omak.
1942 1944   East Omak WA   This was a station of St. Mary's Indian Mission in Omak.
1944 1946 St. Joseph's East Omak WA   This was a mission of St. Mary's Indian Mission in Omak.
1944 1946   Malott WA   This was a station of St. Mary's Indian Mission in Omak.
1946 1950 Gonzaga University

 Spokane WA   Burris is not indexed beyond the 1950 Directory.

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1938-1950)

• 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 Burris' 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 Oct. 21, 2014.