Rev. Charles V. Cross

Summary of Case: Removed from ministry in May 2002. Alleged to have molested at least four male teenagers in early 1960s. Had not served as a parish priest since 1985 because of "unrelated claims of sexual misconduct.". Main duty was to oversee maintenance at diocese headquarters. One man sued Cross in 1995 after telling the diocese. The case was dismissed due to statute of limitations.

Ordained: 1960

Died: April 24, 2010

     

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1960

Mobile-Birmingham bishop was Thomas Joseph Toolen (1927-1969)

1961 St. Matthew's Birmingham AL

3/3

In residence

Parish had a school with 147 boys and 134 girls.
1960 1961 Blessed Sacrament

Birmingham

• Accused in 1993 and sued in 1995 for sexual abuse of a boy. The abuse is said to have occurred from 1960-1964, beginning when the boy was 14 years old and Cross was assigned to Blessed Sacrament. (Birmingham News [Alabama]
May 10, 2002)

AL 2/2 School with 198 boys and 167 girls.
1961 1964 St. Ann's

Decatur

• Bishop Foley stated in 2002 that others had come forward with accusations that Cross molested them at St. Ann's. (Birmingham News [Alabama]
May 10, 2002)

AL 4/4, 3/3, 2/3 Parish had a school with 153-200 boys and 122-161 girls.
1961 1964 St. Paul's Athens AL   This was a mission of St. Ann's in Decatur.
1964 1965 St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Mobile AL 4/4 Parish had a school with 322 boys and 285 girls.
1965 1967 St. Aloysius Bessemer AL

3/3

 

 Parish had a school with 95-87 boys and 119-108 girls.
1967 1968 Holy Spirit Huntsville AL 2/3 Parish had a school with 178 boys and 197 girls.
1968 1969 St. Margaret Hospital Montgomery AL Chaplain  

1969

Birmingham bishop was Joseph Gregory Vath (1969-1987)

1974? St. Peter's Birmingham AL

3/4

In residence

In the 1972-1974 Directories, Cross is indexed as at St. Peter's, but is not listed there in the Birmingham diocesan pages.

Birmingham was established as a diocese in 1969.

1974? 1975 St. Mark's Birmingham AL

1/1

Administrator

  
1975 1976 St. Paul's Cathedral Birmingham AL 2/4 The Cathedral had a school with 220 students.
1976 1985 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Gardendale

• A "transient" accused Cross of sexually assaulting him in 1985. Cross was sent to the Servants of the Paraclete, which was a treatment center in New Mexico for priests with psychological disorders, including those of a sexual nature. (Birmingham News [Alabama]
May 10, 2002)

AL

1/1

Pastor

  
1976 1985 St. Henry's Warrior AL    

1985

Vath was replaced by Raymond James Boland (1988-1993)

1986         Cross is not indexed in the 1986 Directory.
1986 1993 Diocesan Tribunal     Auditor, Judge Instructor, Secretary  

1986

Boland was succeeded by David Edward Foley (1994-2005)

2002 Blessed Sacrament

Birmingham AL

2/2

In residence.

Cross was suspended from ministry in May 2002 due to allegations of sexual abuse. (Birmingham News [Alabama]
May 10, 2002)
    St. Thomas Catholic Life Center East Lake AL Director of general services for the diocese. This was the diocesan headquarters.
2002 2003 Retired Alabaster AL   The 2004 Directory is the last in which Cross is indexed.
2003 2010         Cross died April 29, 2010. (Burmingham News
April 29, 2010)


Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1961-2003).

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 Cross' 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 Aug. 10, 2011