Rev. Michael J. Kossak, s.j.-Assignment Record

Assignment Record – Rev. Michael J. Kossak, s.j.

Summary of Case: Kossak was investigated by the Deptartment of Social Services in Boston in 1989 for inappropriate sexual behavior with male high school students. DSS gave him a warning.

Ordained: 1987

Start	Stop	Assignment	Town/Accusations	State	Position	Notes
1987 Oakland bishop was John Stephen Cummins (1977-2003).	1988	The Jesuit Community at the Jesuit School of Theology	Berkeley	CA
1988 Boston archbishop was Bernard Francis Law (1984-2002).	1989	Boston College High School	Boston • Kossak was accused in 1989 of "inappropriate sexual behavior" with BC High students. He left BC High after an investigation by the Department of Social Services. DSS gave him a warning.	MA		BC High was a Jesuit high school for boys.
1989	1991	St. Francis Xavier	Weymouth	MA	4/4 In residence.	Parish had a school with 172 students.
1989	1991	South Shore Hospital	Weymouth	MA	Chaplain
1990	1991	Loyola House	Boston	MA		This was a Jesuit residence on Newbury St.
1991	1992					Kossak is not indexed in the 1992 Directory.
1992	1993	Loyola House	Boston	MA
1993 Miami archbishop was Edward Anthony McCarthy (1977-1994), followed by John Clement Favalor (1994- ).	1998	Gesu	Miami	FL	7/12, 6/8, 5/7
1998 St. Petersburg bishop was Robert Nugent Lynch (1995- ).	1999	Sacred Heart	Tampa	FL	3/5	Parish had a school with 285 students, and a religious education program with 73 students.
1999	2001	Loyola House	Boston	MA		Kossak is not indexed beyond the 2001 Directory.
2001	2011					Kossak is was known in 2011 to be teaching at Becker College in Worcester, MA. He may also have been teaching at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1988-2001)

• Jesuits Turn Over Priests' Names, Initial Statement Was Misleading, Boston Globe, March 8, 2002
• School 'Help Line' to Aid Abuse Victims, By Walter V. Robinson, Boston Globe, March 14, 2002
• The Missing Names from Cardinal O’Malley’s Lst of Accused Clerics, Boston Globe, November 20, 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 Kossak'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 28, 2011.