Assignment Record – Rev. Charles Jeffries Burton, s.j. aka Charles J. Burton, s.j. aka C. Jeffries Burton, s.j. aka Rev. Jeff Burton, s.j.

Summary of Case: Burton was ordained a priest of the Society of Jesus, Maryland Province, in 1967. His ministry took him from Maryland to Chile, North Carolina and New Jersey. He taught, served in hispanic ministry, established and co-directed a youth ministry program, and worked as a campus minister. In 1994 the Jesuits received a report that in 1982 Burton had engaged in "inappropriate touching" with a minor in North Carolina. Burton underwent a brief period of therapy, but remained in ministry. In June 2007 the Jesuits claimed that they discovered the earlier accusation in reviewing Burton's personnel file. Burton acknowledged the sexual misconduct and was removed from active ministry. He died in August 2011.

Ordained: 1967
Died: Aug. 20, 2011

   

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

1967

Baltimore archbishop was Lawrence J. Shehan (1961-1974).

1968 College of the Sacred Heart Woodstock MD  
1968 1970 Colegio San Mateo Orsono Chili   This was a Jesuit secondary school.

1970

Raleigh bishop was Vincent S. Waters (1945-1974).

The diocese was split in 1972 and Charlotte was formed. Its bishop was Michael Joseph Begley (1972-1984).

1978 Chapel of the Holy Redeemer Hot Springs NC

2/2, 2/3,1/2 Administrator until 1976, pastor 1977-1978.

 
1970 1978 St. Therese of the Little Flower Revere NC   St. Therese of the Little Flower was a mission of Chapel of the Holy Redeemer in Hot Springs.
1978 1982 Youth Ministries Charlotte Diocese

Flat Rock

• The Jesuits received a report in 1994 that Burton had "inappropriately touched" an adolescent in North Carolina in 1982.

NC co-director Burton is not indexed in the 1979 Directory, but he is listed in the Charlotte diocesan pages at this assignment.

1979

Baltimore archbishop was William Donald Borders (1974-1989).

1980 Self-Help, Inc Baltimore MD   The1980 Directory indexes Burton ias "C. Jeffries Burton", for the first time, rather than "Charles J." He is indexed as at this assignment, but not listed there in the Baltimore archdiocesan pages. Rev. Henry J. Butler, s.j. is listed as Self-Help, Inc.'s director.

1982

Camden bishop was George H. Guilfoyle (1968-1989).

 1988 Holy Name Camden NJ 1/3, 1/5, 1/6, 1/4 Holy Name had a school with 176-220 students. Burton is "Charles J. in the 1983 and 1984 Directories, and C. Jeffries in the 1985-1988 Directories.
1987 1988 Vicar for Hispanic Ministry Camden NJ   This assignment is per media reports.

1988

 

 1989 Jesuit Ferdinand Wheeler House Baltimore MD   Burton continues to be listed as at Wheeler House through the 1991 Directory, but he is also listed as at Camden diocese assignments.

1989

Guilfoyle was replaced as Camden bishop James T. McHugh (1989-1998).

1994 Camden Diocesan Center Mays Landing NJ    
1989 1994 Camden Diocesan Center Pomona NJ   After the allegation surfaced in 1994 that Burton had molested a minor in NC in 1982, Burton underwent therapy for a brief time.
1989 1992 Holy Spirit Church Atlantic City NJ 2/2 In residence.  
1992 1998 St. Peter's Pleasantville NJ 3/3, 4/4 In residence. St. Peter's had a school with 160-212 students.

1998

Nicholas Anthony DiMarzio followed McHugh as Camden bishop (1999–2003).

 2002 St. James Ventnor NJ 3/3, 2/2 In residence. St. James had a school with 265-258 students, and a religious education program with 133 students.

2002

Joseph A. Galante succeeded DiMarzio (2004–2013).

 2006 Assumption Parish Pomona NJ 3/3 In residence. Assumption had a regional school with 245-273 students and a religious education program with 850 students.
1994 2006 Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Pomona NJ campus ministry  
1994 2003 Atlantic Community College Mays Landing NJ campus ministry  
2003 2006 Atlantic Community College

 Pomona NJ campus ministry The 2006 Directory indexes Burton three times, once as "C. Jeffries Burton, s.j." with a 1967 ordination year, and twice as "Jeffries Burton, s.j." with a 1972 ordination year (without the first initial "C").
2006 2007         Burton is not indexed in the 2007 Directory, nor is he listed as at Assumption.

April 2007

Richmond bishop was Francis Xavier DiLorenzo (2004 -)

June 2007 Sacred Heart South Richmond VA   This assignment is per news reports. Burton was removed from Sacred Heart in June 2007, due to the discovery in his personnel file that he had molested an adolescent in 1982 in North Carolina. Burton acknowledged the "misconduct".

2007

Baltimore archbishop was William Henry Keeler (1989-2007), followed by Edwin O'Brien (2007-2012).

2008 Jesuit Fathers and Brothers Maryland Provincial Curia Baltimore MD    
2008 2010 Colombiere Jesuit Community Baltimore MD    
2010 2011         Burton is not indexed in the 2011 Directory. He died Aug. 20, 2011.

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1968-2012)

• Father Jeff Burton, S.J. to Celebrate, Golden Jubilee, August 1, Stockton College, ACCC Campus Minister Celebrates, 50th Anniversary as a Jesuit, Office of Public Relations, Stockton College, Thursday, July 22, 2004
• Priest Removed over Previous Sex Admission, By Robin Farmer, Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia), July 3, 2007



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 Burton'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 June 27, 2013