Assignment Record – Rev. Joseph C. Gill, s.j.

Summary of Case: A priest of the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus ordained in 1959, Gill spent most of his career at St. Francis Mission on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. In 2003 Gill was one of a number of priests, brothers and nuns accused of abusing children at the mission. His accuser said Gill would fondle and beat boys. Gill was transferred from the mission to a Jesuit community in Wauwatosa, WI in 2003. He died Dec. 9, 2012.

Ordained: 1959
Died: Dec. 9, 2012



   

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

1959

Kansas City archbishop was Edward Joseph Hunkeler (1951-1969).

1960 St. Mary's College St. Mary's KS  

1960

Springfield bishop was William Aloysius O'Connor (1948-1975).

1961 St. Joseph's Hall Decatur IL Jesuit Tertianship Listed under, "House of the Third Year Probation and Retreat House."

1961

Rapid City bishop was William Tibertus McCarty, c.ss.r. (1948-1969), followed by Harold Joseph Dimmerling (1969-1987).

1982 Rosebud Reservation: St. Francis Mission

St. Francis

• Gill was accused in 2003 of fondling and beating boys during his time at St. Francis Mission. His accuser wrote that Gill was one of a number of priests, brothers and nuns who abused children at St. Francis Mission boarding school. Gill stated in a 2003 news article, "There were always children around. The kids were always coming up, looking for attention. I suppose that could be misinterpreted."

SD Principal 1971-1972 St. Francis was a Jesuit Mission which served the Lakota (Sioux) people.
1961 1982 Rosebud Reservation St. Charles in St. Francis; St. Mary in Ironwood; St. Peter in Okreek; St. Rose in Soldier Creek; St. Patrick in Spring Creek; St. Agnes in Parmelee; Sacred Heart in Uppercutmeat; Sts. Patrick and Bridget in He Dog; St. Ignatius in White Riever; Holy Family in Horse Creek; Immaculate Conception in Two Strike; St. Peter in Wood; Sacred Heart in Norris; St. Thomas in Mission     These were missions of St. Francis Mission.
1982 1984 St. Agnes Parmalee SD 1/1  
1984 1985         Gill is not indexed in the 1985 Directory, nor is he listed as at previous assignment.
1985 1987 St. Agnes Parmalee SD 2/2 In residence.  
1985 1987 Sacred Heart Uppercutmeat SD   This was a mission of St. Agnes in Parmalee.

1987

Colorado Springs bishop was Richard Charles Patrick Hanifen (1983-2003).

1988 Sacred Heart Retreat House Sedalia CO    

1988

Dimmerling was succeeded as Rapid City bishop by Charles Joseph Chaput, o.f.m.Cap. (1988-1997).

  Rosebud Reservation: St. Francis Mission and Rosebud Educational Society School St. Francis SD    
1988 1991 Rosebud Reservation St. Charles in St. Francis; St. Mary in Ironwood; St. Peter in Okreek; St. Rose in Soldier Creek; St. Patrick in Spring Creek; St. Agnes in Parmelee; Sacred Heart in Uppercutmeat; Sts. Patrick and Bridget in He Dog; St. Ignatius in White Riever; Holy Family in Horse Creek; Immaculate Conception in Two Strike; St. Peter in Wood; Sacred Heart in Norris; St. Thomas in Mission SD   These were missions of St. Franics Mission.
1991 1994 Rosebud Reservation: St. Thomas the Apostle, St. Francis Mission and Rosebud Education Society School, St. Peter. Mission, St. Francis Mission, Okreek SD    
1994 1997 Kino Jesuit Community Howes SD    
1994 1997 St. Isaac Jogues Rapid City SD 1/3 St. Isaac Jogues' had a religious education program with 500-170 students.
1994 1997 Indian Health Service, Sioux San Hospital,Pennington County Jail. Rapid CIty, Pennington County SD   These were missions of St. Isaac Jogues.

1998

Blase Joseph Cupich replaced Chaput (1998-2010).

2000 St. Brigid's Rosebud SD 1/1 St. Brigid's had a religious education program with 126-162 students.
1998 2000 St. Rose's Soldier Creek SD   This was a mission of St. Brigid's in Rosebud.
2000 2001 St. Charles' St. Francis SD    
2000 2003 Rosebud Reservation Church St. Francis SD    
1997 2003 Rosebud Reservation: St. Francis Mission and Rosebud Educational Society St. Francis SD    

2003

Milwaukee archbishop was Timothy Michael Dolan (2002-2009). followed by Jerome Edward Listecki (2009-).

2012 Jesuit Community at St. Camillus Wauwatosa WI   Gill died Dec. 9, 2012.

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1960-2012)

• Sioux Allege Abuse at Church Boarding Schools, By Sharon Waxman, Pioneer Press, carried in Washington Post [South Dakota]
Downloaded June 2, 2003
• South Dakota Sex Abuse Scandal: a Peek inside the Church's Drawers, By Stephanie Woodard, Huffington Post, April 19, 2011
• Fr. Joseph C. "Joe" Gill, findagrave.com

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 Gill'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 Feb. 3, 2014