Assignment Record– Rev. Robert W. Kirchmeyer

Summary of Case: Kirchmeyer's personnel file was released by the archdiocese in January 2004, due to allegations of abuse. He was not removed from ministry because the accusations were either anonymous, or they were withdrawn. Kirchmeyer retired in Febuary 2004, and died February 26, 2008.

Born: June 4, 1926
Ordained: January 10, 1952
Retired: February 2, 2004
Died: February 26, 2008

   

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1952

Boston archbishop was Richard James Cushing (1944-1970).

1956 St. Stephen's Framingham MA 3/3 ,4/4 Parish had a school with 211-235 boys and 227-345 girls.

1956

Cushing was succeeded by Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983).

1971 St. John the Evangelist Winthrop MA 4/4, 3/4, 2/4 Parish had a school with 423-277 boys and 458-305 girls.
1971 1975 St. Gregory's Boston (Dorchester) MA 4/6, 3/5, 2/5 Parish had a school with 426-384 boys and 467-429 girls, and a high school with 550-578 girls.
1975 1983 St. Joseph's Holbrook MA 2/2, 2/3 Parish had a school with 290-236 students.

1983

Bernard Francis Law replaced Medeiros (1983-2002), followed by Sean Patrick O'Malley (2003- ).

2004 St. Alphonsus Beverly-Danvers MA 1/2  
2004 2008 Senior Priests/Retired • Files were released by the archdiocese in 2004 due to allegations of child sexual abuse, but Kirchmeyer was not removed from ministry because the allegations were either anonymous or withdrawn.     Kirchmeyer died in Florida on February 26, 2008.


Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1953-2009)

• New Files Show Paquin Victim Abused by 2 Priests, By Robin Washington, Boston Herald, January 15, 2004
• Father Kirchmeyer Retires from St. Alphonsus, By Robert M. O'Grady, The Pilot, February 27, 2004
• Father Kirchmeyer, Former Pastor in Beverly, By Father Robert M. O’Grady, The Pilot, March 7, 2008
• Boston Archdiocese Posts Sex-Abuse Database Online, By Joan Frawley Desmond, National Catholic Register, August 25, 2011



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 Kirchmeyer'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 October 5, 2015.