Assignment Record– Rev. Robert A. Stricker

Summary of Case: Robert A. Stricker was ordained for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 1948. After two years of study in Rome he returned to Cincinnati, where he assisted at St. William's in Price Hill and taught at Elder High School. In the mid-1950s he was a student of library science for a year at Catholic University in Washington DC. He went on to work for many years as a librarian for the Cincinnati archdiocese. In 1974 Stricker was assigned to parish work as an assistant in White Oak and, from 1997 until his retirement in 1993, he was pastor of St. Boniface in Northside. He regularly celebrated mass during retirement at St. Theresa's in Mount Airy.

In 1993 a man told archdiocesan officials that Stricker had sexually abused him as a boy in the 1950s at St. William's. The allegations were deemed unsubstatiated and Stricker was kept in ministry. His accuser came forward again in May 2008, with additional information. Bishop Pilarczyk stated that the allegations had "some semblance of truth." Stricker was placed on leave. An internal investigation found again that the allegations could not be substantiated and Stricker was returned to ministry in July 2008.

Stricker died in March 2017. 

Ordained: 1948
Retired: 1993
Died: March 22, 2017

1948

Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Archbishop was John Timothy McNicholas, O.P. (1925-1950).

1950

McNicholas was succeeded by Karl Joseph Alter (1950-1969).

Cincinnati (Price Hill)

• In 1993 a man reported to the archdiocese that Stricker sexually abused him as a boy in the 1950s, when the priest was assigned to St. William's.

1960

Alter was replaced as Cincinnati archbishop by Paul Francis Leibold (1969-1972), followed by Joseph Louis Bernardin (1972-1982).

1977

Bernardin was succeeded by Daniel Edward Pilarczyk (1982-2009).

1993

Dennis Marion Schnurr replaced Piarczyk (2009-).

Stricker was kept in ministry in 1993 after a man reported abuse by the priest as a boy in the 1950s; the archdiocese deemed the allegation "unsubstantiated." He was suspended in May 2008 after the same man went to the archdiocese with additional information and Bishop Pilarczyk found the accusation to have "some semblance of truth." In July 2008 Stricker was reinstated after an archdiocesan investigation again determined that the allegation could not be substantiated. He had been working during retirement "for years" at St. Theresa's in Mount Airy.

Stricker died March 22, 2017.

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.

Source: Official Catholic Directory (Kenedy & Sons, 1949-2016).

• Retired Priest Accused of Abusing a Minor Put on Leave, Beacon Journal, May 1, 2008
• Alleged '50s Abuse Gets Priest Suspended, Cincinnati Enquirer, May 2, 2008
• Cincy-Area Priest Suspended for Alleged Sexual Abuse of Boy, By Tom Beyerlein, Dayton Daily News, May 1, 2008
• Retired Priest Suspended after Abuse Charge Renewed, By Travis Gettys, WLWT, May 1, 2008
• Archdiocese Appoints Fr. Kiffmeyer to Holy Family Parish, Local 12, May 1, 2008
• Accused Priest Restored to Ministry, By Tom Beyerlein, Dayton Daily News, July 17, 2008
• Claim of Priest Abuse Dismissed, By Dan Horn, Cincinnati Enquirer, July 18, 2008
• Fr. Robert Stricker, Kentucky Enquirer, March 25, 2017

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 Stricker's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with the allegations against him, as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegations 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 31, 2021.