Assignment Record – Rev. Harold H. Ernsdorff, s.j.

Summary of Case: Harold Ernsdorff was a priest of the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus, ordained in 1943. He was pastor of a parish with an affiliated school on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Washington state. He spent his last five years at Seattle Prep High school in Seattle until his death in 1958. Ernsdorff's name was included in 2011 on the Oregon Province's list of its members who have been identified as perpetrators of sexual abuse.

Ordained: 1943
Died: Aug. 21, 1958

1943

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

1944

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

1945

Baker City bishop was Joseph Francis McGrath (1918-1950), followed by Francis Peter Leipzig (1950-1971).

1954

Seattle archbishop was Thomas Arthur Connolly (1950-1975).

Seattle Prep. had 420-430 students, all boys.

Ernsdorff died Aug. 21, 1958.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1944-1960)

• Non-Monetary Commitments, The Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus website, accessed 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 Ernsdorff'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 Nov. 12, 2014.