Assignment Record– Rev. Robert Ryer

Summary of Case: Ryer was ordained for the Archdiocese of Boston in 1943 where he worked in parishes throughout his career, with the exception of 1948-51 when he was assigned to a parish in the Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana. He died in 1967. Ryer was accused in a 2003 lawsuit of having sexually abused children at Blessed Sacrament in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood between 1958-1960. Per news reports in 2010, three cases regarding abuse by Ryer had been settled.

Ordained: 1943
Died: April 30, 1967

Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1944-1968)

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 Ryer'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 November 2, 2015.