Assignment Record – Rev. George D. Koharchik

Summary of Case: An Altoona-Johnstown diocesan priest, Koharchik was removed from active ministry in August 2012, after allegations surfaced that he had sexually molested multiple young boys in the late 1970s. The District Attorney launched an investigation into the claims. In 2015 testimony before a Grand Jury Koharchik admitted to molesting boys. Investigators deemed him a "child predator." He was defrocked in January 2016.

Ordained: 1974
Incardinated: Altoona-Johnstown
Laicized: January 22, 2016


   

Start Stop Parish/Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1974

Altoona-Johnstown bishop was James John Hogan (1966-1986).

1979 St. Clement's

Johnstown

• Koharchik was accused publicly in August 2012 of having sexually abused "multiple" young boys at a parish or parishes in the late 1970s. The diocese did not specify the parishes.

 PA 3/3, 2/2, 2/3 St. Clement's had a school with 233-251 students, and a Vacation school until 1977 with 72-92 students.
1979 1980         Koharchik is not indexed in the 1980 Directory, and he is not listed in the Altoona-Johnstown diocesan pages as at St. Clement's.
1980 1984 St. Clement's Johnstown PA 4/4, 3/3 In residence. St. Clement's school had 214-232 students.
1984 1986 St. Joseph's Portage PA 2/2 St. Joseph's had a school with 164 students.

1986

Hogan was replaced by Joseph Victor Adamec (1987-2011).

1987 St. John the Evangelist Bellefonte PA 3/3 St. John's had a school with 134 students.
1986 1987 Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Penns Valley PA   This was a mission of St. John the Evangelist in Bellefonte.
1987 1995 St. Casimir's Johnstown PA 1/2, 1/3  
1995 1999 St. Joseph's Portage PA 1/1 St. Joseph's had a school with 95-55 students, and a religious education program with 210-176 students.
1999 2006 St. Mary's Shade Gap/Orbisonia PA 1/1 St. Mary's had a religious education program with 47-32 students.
1999 2008 State Correctional Institution Huntingdon PA Chaplain  
  Aug. 2012 Diocesan Personnel Board Altoona-Johnstown PA    

June 2006

Mark Leonard Bartchak succeeded Adamec (2011-).

2012 St. Catherine of Siena Mount Union PA Pastor

St. Catherine's had a religious education program with 49-41 students.

Koharchik was removed from active ministry in August 2012 after reports surfaced that Koharchik had sexually abused young boys in the late 1970s. The District Attorney launched an investigation.

2012 2016 On Leave      

He was laicized by the Vatican january 22, 2016.

In the PA Attorney General's Grand Jury report released March 1, 2016, Koharchik was called a
" child predator."

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1975-2011)

• Unedited: Diocese of Altoona-johnstown News Release Regarding Rev. George D. Koharchik (8/24/12), WJAC, August 24, 2012
• Diocesan Priest Placed on Leave Following Allegations of Sexual Misconduct in Cambria Co., WJAC, August 24, 2012
• Priest at Mount Union Catholic Church Placed on Leave Amid Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors, By Anne Danahy , Centre Daily Times, August 24, 2012
• Cambria Priest on Leave, Accused of Child Sex Abuse, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 24, 2012
• Priest Accused of Abuse, By Kathy Mellott, Tribune Democrat, August 24, 2012
• American Priest Accused of Child Sex Abuse Placed on Leave, Press TV, August 25, 2012
• Diocese Investigates Sexual Misconduct Claims, By Altoona Mirror, Zach Geiger, August 25, 2012
• Cambria County Priest Accused of Child Sex Abuse, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 27, 2012
• Until Victims Come Forward, Prosecutors Unable to Investigate Allegations against Priest, By Maria Miller, WJAC, August 28, 2012
• Don't Jump to Conclusions, The Tribune-Democrat, August 29, 2012
• Abuse Claims Recur, By Kathy Mellott, The Tribune-Democrat, September 1, 2012
• Cambria DA's Office Launches Investigation into Priest, By Zach Geiger, Altoona Mirror, September 7, 2012
• State May Lead Priest Probe, By Kathy Mellott, The Tribune-Democrat, September 16, 2012
• Grand Jury Report on Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, Office of the Attorney General, March 1, 2016
• 'Give us our shot': Altoona victim of priest sex abuse tells lawmakers, By Ivey Dejesus, PennLive, July 8, 2016


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 Koharchik'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 July 11, 2016.