| Rev. Joseph H. Haas Summary of Case: Haas was removed from active ministry in 2004 after a woman came forward with accusations that he had sexually abused her in 1977-1978 when she was a second grader and parishioner at Holy Rosary parish in Milwaukee. Another, "less serious" accusation was investigated by police in 2000. There were no charges filed. Ordained: 1959 Retired: 2004 |
| Start | Stop | Parish | Town/Accusations | State | Position | Notes |
1959 Milwaukee archbishop was Albert Gregory Meyer (1953-1959), followed by William Edward Cousins (1958-1977) |
1969 | Holy Rosary | Milwaukee | WI | 2/3, 2/2 | Parish had a school with 408-236 students. |
| 1969 | 1973 | St. Hedwig's (Polish) | Milwaukee | WI | 2/2, 2/3 | Parish had a school with 263-151 students. |
1973 Cousins was succeeded by Rebert George Weakland, O.S.B. (1977-2002) |
1983 | Holy Rosary | Milwaukee • Haas was accused in 2004 of having sexually abused a girl in 1977-1978 when the girl was a Holy Rosary second grader. (Journal Sentinel Online |
WI | 1/3, 1/2 | Parish had a school with 170-304 students. It consolidated with St. Hedwig's and SS. Peter and Paul's schools in 1982. |
| 1983 | 1995 | St. Patrick's | Elkhorn | WI | 1/1, 1/2 | Parish had a school with 146-192 students, and a religious education program with 235-205 students. |
1995 Timothy Michael Dolan replaced Weakland (2002-2009) |
2004 | St. Peter of Alcantara | Port Washington • Haas was accused of "inappropriate behavior" in 2000. A police investigation did not substantiate the accusation. (Journal Sentinel Online |
WI | 1/1 | St. Peter's had a school (consolidated with St. Mary's) with 337-276 students, and a religious education program with 463-350 students. |
2004 Dolan was succeeded by Jerome Edward Listecki (2009-) |
2010 | Retired | West Allis | WI | Haas was placed on leave in February 2004, after allegations of abuse stemming from the late 1970s emerged. He retired and agreed not to return to parish ministry in September 2004. (Journal Sentinel Online September 13, 2004) |
| Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1960-2010) 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 Haas' 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 March 14, 2011 |