Rev. James R. Schook-Assignment Record

Assignment Record – Rev. James R. Schook

Summary of Case: A priest of the Louisville archdiocese ordained in 1975, Schook worked as a parish priest and as chaplain for the Catholic Deaf Community. He was placed on leave in July 2009 due to an allegation that he had abused a teenage male in 1985. Four more men subsequently came forward with accusations that they, too, had been molested by Schook, in the 1970s and 1980s. Three of the four said they were children at the time. Schook admitted in 1985 that he had a sexual addiction; he was sent to treatment. Archdiocesan officials stated they thought his problem was with men, not boys. In the mid-1990s he admitted that he had paid a man for sex; he was referred to counseling. After his 2009 suspension Schook was allowed to live in another parish in the archdiocese while he was being investigated; the secretary of that parish complained and was fired. The archdiocese said she was let go due to budget constraints. In June 2011 Schook was indicted on sodomy charges involving two boys in the 1970s. He pleaded not guilty. His trial was delayed numerous times due to claims of ill health. He was convicted in April 2014 for sexually abusing one of the boys in the 1970s and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Ordained: 1975

Start	Stop	Assignment	Town/Accusations	State	Position	Notes
1975 Louisville archbishop was Thomas Joseph McDonough (1967-1981).	1980	St. Thomas More	Louisville • Schook was accused in 2009 by five men of having sexually abused them in the 1970s and 1980s, four of whom said they were children at the time of the abuse. One of them said Schook first abused him when he was 13 years-old in 1971 when Schook was a seminary student, and that the abuse continued for years.	KY	3/3 ,2/2	Parish had a school with 263-236 students.
1980	1981	St. Raphael the Archangel	Louisville	KY	4/4	Parish had a school with 518 students.
1981 Thomas Cajetan Kelly, O.P. succeeded McDonough (1981-2007).	1985	Ascension of Our Lord	Louisville	KY	2/2	Parish had a school with 408-432 students.
1985	1987	St. Lawrence	Louisville • A man reported in 2009 that Schook molested him as a teenager in 1985. • A former Trinity High School student said he told a school counselor in 1985 that Schook had sexually abused him during a camping trip, and that Schook abused other teens. The archdiocese said in 2011 they had no record of the allegation.	KY	2/2	Parish had a school with 395-378 students. Schook admitted to archdiocesan officials in 1985 that he had a sex addiction. He was sent to treatment and allowed to stay in ministry. The archdiocese claimed they thought his problem was with men, not boys.
1987	1988	St. Polycarp	Pleasure Ridge Park	KY	2/2 Parish had a school with 391 students.
		The Catholic Deaf Community
1988	1994	Our Lady of Consolation	Valley Station	KY	1/1	Parish had a school with 240-150 students.
1994	1999	St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi	Payneville	KY	1/1	Schook admitted to his superiors in the mid-1990s that he paid a man for sex. He was referred to counseling.
1996	1999	St. Theresa	Rhodelia	KY	1/3
1999 Joseph Edward Kurtz replaced Kelly (2007- ).	July 2009	St. Ignatius	Louisville	KY	1/1,1/2	Affiliated with the parish was the Thomas Merton Child Development Center, which had 121-77 students. There was also a catechesis program from 2003-2009 with 75-8 students. Schook was placed on leave in July 2009 after a man came forward with an accusation that Schook molested him when he was a teenager.
July 2009	March 2010	St. Therese	Louisville	KY		Schook was allowed to live at St. Therese after his suspension. St. Therese's church secretary complained to the archdiocese that Schook was allowed to roam around unsupervised, including among children, and often wearing shorts, a t-shirt or swim trunks. She said she was subsequently fired. She and her husband sued, saying she was told not to reveal that Schook was living at the parish and to "stay out of it". Her husband had been part of a settlement of those claiming abuse as children in the archdiocese. The man claimed abuse by former St.Therese pastor Edwin Scherzer. Scherzer was convicted in 2005. The archdiocese removed Schook permanently from ministry in March 2010 after its review board determined that the accusations against him were credible. He was allowed to remain a priest, but was told to live a life of "prayer and penance".
March 2010			Louisville	KY		The archdiocese removed Schook permanently from ministry in March 2010 after its review board determined that the accusations against him were credible. He was allowed to remain a priest, but was told to live a life of "prayer and penance". Schook was indicted on sodomy charges in June 2011 against two boys in their early teens in the 1970s. He pleaded not guilty. After numerous delays due to claims of ill health, Schook was convicted April 10, 2014 for sexually abusing an altar boy in the 1970s, beginning when the boy was 13 years-old. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Schook was allowed home incarceration until May 30, for medical reasons.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1976-2009)

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 Schook'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 April 17, 2014.