Assignment Record – Rev. Francis "Frank" J. Fallert, s.j.

Summary of Case: A Jesuit priest of the Oregon Province ordained in 1952, Fallert spent his entire career in rural Alaska. He was a school principal, parish pastor and, for five years, Alaska's Jesuit Superior General. He died in 1990. Fallert was accused in a 2009 lawsuit of the sexual abuse of a girl in St. Michael's Alaska, in the 1950s.
Ordained: 1952
Died: 1990


   

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

1952

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

1953 Alma College Los Gatos CA  

1953

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

1954 Manresa Hall Port Townsend WA tertianship  

1954

Alaska Vicariate bishop was Francis Doyle Gleeson, s.j. (1948-1968).

1956 St. Michael's

St. Michael's

• Fallert was accused in a 2009 lawsuit of sexually abusing a girl at St. Michael's 1956-1957.

AK 1/1  
1954 1956   Stebbins. Unalakleet AK   These were stations of St. Michael's.

1956

The Fairbanks diocese was established in 1962.

 1965 Copper Valley School Glenallen AK

High school Principal.

Fallert is listed second of three priests under "Glenallen" in the 1957 and 1958 Directories.

Copper Valley had a grade school with 25-52 students and a high school with 15-75 students.
1958 1965 Holy Family Glenallen AK

4/4, 1/3, 1/4

Vice-Superior 1959-1965

 
1958 1961   Tok Junction, Northway, Delta Junction, Gulcana, Chitina AK   These were stations of Glenallen.
1961 1965   Gulcana, Chitina AK  

These were stations of Glenallen.

Fairbanks- elevated to diocese 1962

1965

Gleeson was succeeded by Robert Louis Whelan, s.j. (1968-1985).

1974 St. Joseph's Tununak (Nelson Island) AK 1/1  
1965 1974   Toksook AK   This was a station of St. Joseph's in Tununak.
1974 1975 St. Catherine's Chefornak AK    
1974 1975   Toksook Bay, Newtok     These were missions of St. Catherine's in Cheformak.
1974 1975   Nightmut, Umkrumute AK   These were stations of St. Catherine's in Cheformak.
1974 1975 Sacred Heart Chefornak AK 1/1  
1975 1977         Fallert is indexed in the 1976 and 1977 Directories as at Sacred Heart, but he is not listed as there in the Fairbanks diocesan pages.
1977 1982 Alaska Jesuit Superior's Residence in Fairbanks     1/2, 1/1 Superior  

1982

Whelan was replaced as Fairbanks bishop by Michael Joseph Kaniecki, s.j. (1985-2000).

1986 St. Lawrence's Mountain Village AK 1/1  
1982 1986 St. Charles Spinola Pilot Station AK   This was a mission of St. Lawrence's in Mountain Village.
1986 1987 Holy Family Newtok AK 1/1  
1987 1988 House of Prayer Fairbanks AK    
1988 1990 St. Joseph's Tunanak AK 1/1  
1988 1990 St. Peter the Fisherman Toksook Bay AK   This was a mission of St. Joseph's in Tunanak.
1988 1990   Umkumute AK   This was a station of St. Joseph's in Tunanak.
1988 1990 Holy Family Newtok AK   Fallert died in June 1990.

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1953-1991)

• Deaths, USA Today, June 8, 1990
• James Doe 59 et al v. Society of Jesus, Oregon Province et al, Alaska Superior Court, 4th Judicial District at Bethel, January 2009
• 43 More Allege Sex Abuse by Catholics, Church Leaders Are Accused of Negligent Supervision, By Lisa Demer, Anchorage Daily News, January 14, 2009
• Priest Accused in Lawsuit of Sex Abuse in Alaska, Associated Press, carried in KGW, January 14, 2008
• Lawsuit: Seattle U. President Knew of Abuse, By Heather Bosch, KIRO, January 14, 2009
• Jesuit Head of Seattle U. Knew of Priest's Abuse, Lawsuit Claims, By Janet I. Tu and Nick Perry, Seattle Times, January 14, 2009
• Seattle U. President Denies Claims That He Knew of Abuse, By Nick Perry and Janet I. Tu, Seattle Times, January 15, 2009
• The "Pedophile's Paradise", By Brendan Kiley, The Stranger, February 4, 2009
• The Jesuit Stories behind the Bankruptcy of the Oregon Province, Good Jesuit, Bad Jesuit, November 12, 2009
• Excerpt from Bankruptcy Reorganization Documents for Fairbanks Diocese, January 25, 2010
• Pilot Station - Saint Charles Spinola Catholic Church, Diocese Of Fairbanks



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 Fallert'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 Dec. 30, 2013.