Rev. George T. Hovanec

Summary of Case: In April 2002 woman wrote to Bishop Pilla to report that she had been sexually abused by Hovanec 47 years earlier, when she was in seventh grade. The woman stated that Hovanec touched and patted her in a very sexually inappropriate way before inviting her to the basement to count Sunday envelopes. She fled. Hovanec died Feb. 20, 1965.

Ordained: 1929

     

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1929

Cleveland bishop was Joseph Schrembs (1921-1945)

1931 St. Mary's (Slovenian) Cleveland (Collinwood) OH

3/3

 

 Parish had a school with 420 students.
1931 1932 Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Slovak) Cleveland OH 2/2 Parish had a school with 835 students.
1932 1936 St. John the Baptist's (Slovak) Akron OH 2/2 Parish had a school with 203-162 students.
1936 1937 St. Mathias (Slovak) Youngstown OH 2/2 Parish had a school with 452 students.
1937 1940 St. Joseph's Alliance OH

3/3, 2/3

 

 Parish had a school with 342-268 students.
1940 1943 awaiting appointment        
1943 1945 St. Anthony of Padua Fairport Harbor OH 2/2 Parish had a school with 175-161 students.

1945

Edward Francis Hoban replaced Schrembs as bishop (1945-1966)

1949 unassigned        
1949 1951 St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Wooster OH 2/2 Parish had a school with 167-164 students.
1951 1954 SS. Cyril and Methodius (Slovak)

Barberton

• In 2002 a woman reported to the diocese that Hovanec had molested her 47 years earlier, when she was a seventh grader at SS. Cyril and Methodius. (Akron Beacon Journal
May 10, 2002)

OH 2/2 Parish had a school with 355-404 students.
1954 1957 St. Vincent de Paul Elyria OH 2/2 Parish had a school with 211-287 students.
1957 1959 Children's Village of St. Vincent de Paul/Parmadale Cleveland OH In residence. Parmadale was an orphanage with 198-189 boys and 126-117 girls.
1959 1961 Villa Sancta Anna Home for Aged Beachwood Village OH Chaplain  
1961 1965 not assigned

      Hovanek died Feb. 20, 1965


Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1930-1966)

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 Hovanec'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. 11, 2009