Rev. Robert Kapoun-Assignment

Assignment Record– Rev. Robert Kapoun

Summary of Case: Known as the "Polka Padre", Kapoun had a band that played polka music at mass and at churches throughout Minnesota. Kapoun is known to have sexually abused adolescent boys as early as 1966, and throughout his career. He was the subject of five lawsuits, in 1989 and 1995. Archbishop Roach is said to have known of Kapoun's sexual abuse of children in at least 1973, when he was an auxiliary bishop, but took no action. Kapoun admitted to sexually abusing boys. He wasn't removed from ministry until 1996 when a victim went public, imploring the bishop to remove him. He was given early retirement in 1997, and paid a monthly amount by the archdiocese that exceeded his pension. In December 2013 Kapoun was known to be splitting his time between his lake front home in Cold Spring, Minnesota, and a home in Palmetto, Florida. He died in Florida December 10, 2020.

Ordained: 1964
Retired: 1997
Died: December 10, 2020

Start	Stop	Assignment	Town/Accusations	State	Position	Notes
1964 Leo Binz was archbishop of St. Paul-Minneapolis (1961-1975).	1967	Holy Redeemer	Montgomery	MN	2/2 Pastor was Rev. Francis J. Tomek.	Parish had a school with 378-363 students.
1967	1971	St. Kevin	Minneapolis • Kapoun was accused in a 1995 lawsuit of sexually abusing a St. Kevin's altar boy and parish school student from 1966-1969.	MN	2/2 Kapoun worked under Rev. Robert A. Vashro.	Parish had a school with 335-253 students.
1971	1974	St. Raphael's	Crystal Village • Kapoun was accused in a 1989 civil suit of having sexually abused a 12-year-old St. Raphael's altar boy, who was also a student at the parish school, in 1973 and 1974. • In a 1995 lawsuit Kapoun was accused of sexually abusing a boy in 1973. The boy's father had died, and Kapoun is said to have stepped in as a "father figure". A parishioner is said to have reported the accusations to Bishop Roach, whose response was "Well, it might be true, and then again maybe it isn't."	MN	2/3 Pastor was Msgr. Stanley J. Smec. In the third spot were Revs. Robert J. Carlson in 1971-1972, James B. Finnegan 1972-1973, and Joseph L. Wajda 1973-1974.	Parish had a school with 614-578 students. Wajda was accused in two 1989 lawsuits of sexually adolescent boys at St. Raphael's in 1973 and 1974. He was allowed to continue working as a priest until 2002.
1974 John Robert Roach replaced Binz as St. Paul-Minneapolis archbishop (1975-1995).	1976	Home of the Good Shepherd	St. Paul • Kapoun was accused in a 1995 lawsuit of sexually abusing a St. Raphael's altar boy and parish school student in 1975. Some of the abuse is said to have occurred at the Home of the Good Shepherd.	MN	Chaplain A second chaplain, Rev. John Fitzpatrick, worked under Kapoun 1975-1976.	The Home of the Good Shepherd is characterized in the Directories as a protective institution. It had 60 girls.
1976	1977	Sick Leave
1977	1984	St. Patrick's	Cedar Lake • In a 1995 lawsuit Kapoun was accused of abusing a boy at St. Patrick's in 1980 or 1981.	MN	1/1	Msgr. Smec testified in 1995 trial that in 1983 he reported allegations against Kapoun to Archbishop Roach.
1977	1984	St. Catherine's	Spring Lake	MN	1/1 Administrator	St. Catherine's was a mission of St. Patrick's.
1984	1996	St. Scholastica	Heidelberg	MN	1/1	Roach testified in a 1996 trial that he allowed Kapoun to stay in ministry in 1987, despite knowing he had sexually abused boys, because he thought he was a "changed man" after he had received counseling, and that he found Kapoun to be "believable, holy, very honest...". Kapoun admitted to abusing boys, but denied abusing some of those who sued.
1984	1996	St. Joseph's	Lexington	MN	1/1	In Feb. 1996 a jury awarded one of Kapoun's victims $1.1 million in damages, but the MN Court of Appeals reversed the decision in 1997 on a technicality. The archdiocese and Kapoun filed to collect $6,000 from the victim to defray legal expenses.
1991 Harry Joseph Flynn replaced Roach as St. Paul-Minneapolis archbishop (1995-2008).	1996	St. Thomas'	St. Thomas	MN	1/1	Kapoun was removed from the three parishes in which he was working in 1996 only after one of his victims went public.
1996	1998	Special Assignment		MN	Chancery Pro Tem	In 1997 Kapoun was given early retirement; he was paid monthly by the archdiocese an amount that exceeded his pension.
1997	2001	Special Assignment; Retired	Cold Spring	MN	Chancery Pro Tem
2001	2002	Retired	Cold Spring	MN		Kapoun is not indexed beyond the 2002 Directory.
2002	2020		Cold Spring/ Palmetto	MN/FL		In an October 2013 interview Kapoun stated that he split his time between his lakefront property in Cold Spring, MN and a second home in Florida. Died December 10, 2020 in Palmetto, FL.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: Kenedy & Sons, 1965-2002).

• Polka Priest Accused of Sexual Misconduct, United Press International, August 22, 1989
• Archdiocese Settles Suits Charging Abuse, Los Angeles Times, May 19, 1990
• 4 Suits Accuse Priest of Sexual Abuse, By Margaret Zack, Star Tribune, February 8, 1995
• Man Wins $550,000 in Sex Assault by Priest, By Chip Johnson, Saint Paul Pioneer Press, February 8, 1996
• Archdiocese Removes 'Polka Padre' after Molested Victim Goes Public, By Chip Johnson, Saint Paul Pioneer Press, February 9, 1996
• Former Archbishop Testifies Priest Seemed Rehabilitated, By Chip Johnson, Saint Paul Pioneer Press, February 13, 1996
• $ 600,000 More Awarded for Abuse, By Margaret Zack, Star Tribune, February 14, 1996
• Archdiocese Fined More Than $1 Million, By Leslie Wirpsa, National Catholic Reporter, March 1, 1996
• Archdiocese Admits Liablity for Abuse by 'Polka Padre', By Margaret Zack, Star Tribune, March 20, 1996
• No Damages in Priestly Abuse Suit, By Margaret Zack, Star Tribune, March 26, 1996
• Judge Won't Reduce Award of Damages, Star Tribune, April 16, 1996
• Court Dismisses $ 1 Million Abuse Suit, By Margaret Zack, Star Tribune, May 28, 1997
• Archdiocese, Priest Unlikely to Collect Legal Costs in Child Molestation Case, By Margaret Zack, Star Tribune, June 10, 1997
• Lawyer: Archdiocese Not Billing, By Clark Morphew, Saint Paul Pioneer Press, June 13, 1997
• Latest Polka Padre Ruling Hits Sour Note with Juror, By Doug Grow, Star Tribune, June 18, 1997
• Special Reports: Catholic Bishops and Sex Abuse, Dallas Morning News, June 12, 2002
• Minnesota Cases That Made Headlines, By Linda Scheimann, Star Tribune, February 28, 2004
• For an Abusive Priest, Retirement Income Came with a Premium, By Madeleine Baran, Minnesota Public Radio, October 9, 2013
• From the Archives: Polka Padre Kapoun Resigns over Abuse, By Dan Olson, Minnesota Public Radio, October 9, 2013
• MN - Proven Predator Priest Gets Extra Pay & No Supervision; SNAP Responds, By Bob Schwiderski, Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, October 9, 2013
• Proven Predator Priest Get Extra Pay & No Supervision, SNAP, October 10, 2013
• Priest Sex Abuse Survivor Rails against Church, By Allen Costantini, KARE, October 11, 2013
• Child Molesting Cleric Gets Monthly Bonus, SNAP, October 11, 2013
• St Paul & Minneapolis List of Credibly Accused Priests, released December 5, 2013
• Archdiocese Names 34 Priests Accused of Sexually Abusing Minors, By Tony Kennedy, Star Tribune, December 5, 2013
• Archdiocese's List Includes Minnesota River Valley Area Priests, By Jessica Bies, The Le Center Leader, December 6, 2013
• Cover-up unravels from the inside, By Madeleine Baran, Minnesota Public Radio, July 21, 2014
• The Polka Padre and His Troubling Past, By Chris Anderson, Herald-Tribune, May 8, 2016
• 'Polka Padre' and known sexual abuse perpetrator Father Kapoun dies at 82, The Catholic Spirit, December 17, 2020

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This assignment record collates Kapoun'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 May 25, 2021.