Assignment Record– Rev. John J. "Jack" White

Summary of Case: In 2003 a Massachusetts man accused White and Rev. Paul Shanley of having raped him when he was a boy in the 1970s. White and Shanley were close companions for many years, beginning in the 1960s. White owned a gay themed hotel in Palm Springs California, which he sold in 1994. He and Shanley owned another one in the 1990s, selling it in 1997. White fled Massachusetts for Thailand in March 2002, likely following Shanley, who left the preceding week for a Thailand city known for its child sex trade. White died in Thailand in February 2004. Shanley was convicted in Massachusetts in 2005 of rape and sexual assault of a child.

Ordained: 1957
Died: February 16, 2004

     

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1957

Boston archbishop was Richard James Cushing (1944-1970).

1959 St. Pius X Milton MA 3/3 Parish had a school with 104 boys and 106 girls.
1959 1967 St. Patrick's Stoneham MA

6/6, 4/5, 3/5, 4/5, 3/4

Paul Shanley was also at this parish1959-1967

Parish had a school with 449-332 boys and 484-403 girls.

Shanley was convicted in 2005 of rape and sexual assault of a child. He has dozens of accusations against him.

Shanley and White had a close relationship from the 1960s on. (Boston Globe
February 25, 2004)

1967

Cushing was succeeded by Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983).

1977 St. Philip's Boston (Roxbury) MA

1/2, 1/3, 1/1

Shanley was at this parish 1972-1976.

 
8/77 6/79 Health Leave        
6/79 9/79 Metropolitan State Hospital Waltham MA temporary chaplain  
9/79 1/80 Our Lady of Grace Chelsea MA parochial vicar  
1970s   Warwick House

Boston (Roxbury)

• In Sept. 2003 a man claimed that White and Shanley raped him when he was a boy in the 1970s. (Boston Globe
February 25, 2004)

  street minister (per news reports)  
10/80 3/83 St. Bridget Maynard MA parochial vicar  
3/83 8/85 Health Leave      
1981 1983 Emmanuel College Boston MA faculty  

8/83

Bernard Francis Law followed Medeiros as Boston archbishop (1984-2002).

3/84 St. Pius V Lynn MA 4/4 Parish had a school with 588 students.  
3/84 8/85 Health Leave        
8/85 6/90 On Duty Outside the Diocese Los Angeles CA   In 1990 White bought a hotel, Whispering Palms, which catered to a gay clientele. (Boston Globe
April 19, 2002) He sold it in 1994.
1990 1996 Absent on Sick Leave   CA  

The 1993 Directory gives a phone number for White which, per a 2010 google search, is that of Our Lady of the Assumption in Chelsea MA.

White and Shanley operated a bed and breakfast, the Cabana Club Resort, which catered to a gay clientele, in the 1990s in Palm Springs, CA. They sold it in 1997. (New York Times
April 10, 2002)

  2002 St. Mary's Billerica MA Per news accounts, White was in residence at St. Mary's in 2002. It is unclear how long he had resided there. White left for "an open-ended trip" to Thailand in March 2002, a week after Paul Shanley traveled to Thailand. White indicated on his entry form that his permanent address was Chonburi-Pty, which was a stop on the way to Pattaya. Shanley's entry form indicated he was headed to Pattaya, which had become notorious for its child-sex trade. (Boston Herald
May 7, 2002)

1996

Sean Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M., Cap. replaced Law
(2003-).

2004 Retired/Senior Priests      

 

 

White died in Thailand February 16, 2004.


Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1958-2005)

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 .White'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 January 26, 2021.