Rev. Robert S. Koerner, o.m.i.

Assignment Record – Rev. Robert S. Koerner, o.m.i.

Summary of Case: A priest of the Missionary Oblates of Mary ordained in 1937, Koerner served in Texas, Montana and California, spending the bulk of his career in southern California Latino parishes. He died in June 1999. In March 2003 the San Diego diocese announced that Koerner sexually abused children, "generally boys", throughout his 27 years as pastor of St. Patrick's in Calipatria. San Diego bishop Brom said he first learned of accusations against Koerner in October 2006, when parishioners told him Koerner's abuse was part of the parish's history.

Ordained: 1937
Died: June 25, 1999

Start	Stop	Parish/Assignment	Town/Accusations	State	Position	Notes
1937 San Antonio bishop was Arthur Jerome Drossaerts (1918-1940)	1940			TX		Koerner is not indexed in the 1937-1940 Directories. Koerner entered the minor seminary in San Antonio in 1924, at age 12. He was ordained in San Antonio in 1937.
1940 Corpus Christi bishop was Emmanuel Boleslaus Ledvina (1921-1949).	1941	Our Lady of Guadalupe	Mission	TX	2/2	Our Lady of Guadalupe had a school.
1940	1941	St. Anthony's	Penitas	TX		This was a mission of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mission, TX.
1940	1941		Granjeno, Madero, Abran, Habana, Los Ebanos, Guadalupe Terrero, La Joya, Cuevitas	TX		These were missions of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mission, TX.
1941 Los Angeles archbishop was John Joseph Cantwell (1922-1947)	1942	The Guardian Angel	San Fernando	CA		This was a mission of Santa Rosa Church in San Fernando, CA.
1942	1944	St. Ferdinand's (Old Mission)	San Fernando Valley	CA	4/5	St. Ferdinand's had a school. Koerner is indexed but not listed as here in the L.A. archdiocesan pates of the 1944 Directory.
1942	1944	Our Lady of Perpetual Help	Newhall	CA		This was a mission of St. Ferdinand's. Koerner is indexed but not listed as here in the L.A. archdiocesan pates of the 1944 Directory.
1942	1944	Our Lady Queen of Peace	Sepulveda	CA		This was a mission of St. Ferdinand's. Koerner is indexed but not listed as here in the L.A. archdiocesan pates of the 1944 Directory.
1944	1956	Guardian Angel	Pacoima	CA	1/1
1956 Great Falls bishop was William Joseph Condon (1939-1967)	1963	Our Lady of Guadalupe	Billings	MT	1/1	Our Lady of Guadalupe had a religious vacation school.
1963 San Diego bishop was Charles Francis Buddy (1936-1966), followed by Francis James Furey (1966-1969), Leo Thomas Maher (1969-1990), and Robert Henry Brom (1990-).	1990	St. Patrick's	Calipatria • In March 2003 Bishop Brom announced, "Koerner sexually abused children throughout the years of his pastorate at St. Patrick's, from 1963 to 1990." The diocesan chancellor said at the time that "more than two or three" victims had been identified thus far, and that they were "generally boys".	CA	Pastor; Appointed Superior of Oblates in the Imperial Valley in Sept. 1963.
1990	1991					Koerner is not indexed in the 1991 Directory, nor is he listed in the diocesan pages as at his previous or subsequent assignments.
1991 Oakland bishop was John Stephen Cummins (1977-2003).	1994	Mount Mary Immaculate, Center for Spiritual Growth	Lafayette	CA
1994	1995					Koerner is not indexed in the 1995 Directory.
1995 San Antonio bishop was Patrick Fernandez Flores (1979-2004).	1999	Oblate Madonna Residence	San Antonio	TX		This was a retirement home for the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Koerner died June 25, 1999.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1938-2000)

• Calipatria Church Told of Alleged Priest Abuse; Inquiry Names Now-Dead Pastor, By Sandi Dolbee, San Diego Union-Tribune, March 3, 2003
• Bishop Says Late Priest Abused Minors in Imperial Valley, Associated Press State & Local Wire [Calipatria, Calif.], March 3, 2003
• Names of Accused San Diego Priests, Lompoc Record [San Diego CA], March 30, 2007
• Diocese Names 38 Accused Priests, By Sandi Dolbee and Mark Sauer, Union-Tribune [San Diego CA], March 31, 2007
• Documents Released by San Diego Diocese Oct. 25, 2010, Koerner file, pp. 4, 9, and 50.
• Priests against Whom There Are Credible Allegations, Diocese of San Diego [San Diego CA], March 30, 2007

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 Kowerner'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 March 21, 2013