Archdiocese of Dubuque – Table of Accused Priests
February 21, 2006
Table of priests against whom public accusations of sexual abuse of minors have been made and/or
lawsuits have been filed. They are listed chronologically according to the earliest time the sexual abuse
occurred, according to the accusations. The name of the priest is included, as well as dates of birth,
ordination, and death. In the “Comments” section, the time that the accusation became public is
indicated. At the end of the table, there is provided an alphabetical list of the priests, with each priest’s
dates and places of assignments. The current status of the priest is also listed in that summary.
Being included in this table does not necessarily mean that the accusation has been proven in a court of
law or shown to have occurred through an outside investigation or admitted to by the person accused.
Earliest
Claimed
Abuse
Name
Date of
Birth
Date of
Ordination
Date of
Death
Comments
1930s
Joseph I.
Patnode
11/20/1885
06/11/1918
12/30/1977
Accused of sexual abuse of
several male minors. Accusation
made public in the Telegraph
Herald on June 18, 2003.
1940s
Robert V.
Swift
02/01/1918
12/17/1944
08/20/1980
Accused of sexual abuse of
several male minors. Made public
in a letter to the editor of the
Telegraph Herald on January 22,
2006.
1950s
Henry N.
Dunkel
01/31/1921
07/28/1945
10/28/1998
Accused of sexual abuse of
several female minors.
Accusation made public in several
letters to the editor of the
Telegraph Herald in the 1990s
and 2000s.
1950s
William A.
Goltz
02/18/1925
04/16/1950
01/07/2006
Accused of sexual abuse of
several male minors. Three
lawsuits filed in 2005; settled in
mediation February 21, 2006.
1950s
Albert L.
Carman
05/25/1911
07/28/1945
04/19/1980
Accused of sexual abuse of male
minors. Lawsuit filed in 2005;
settled in mediation February 21,
2006.
1950s
John A.
Schmitz
06/10/1929
02/02/1957
10/15/1991
Accused of sexual abuse of female
minors. Made public at Pastoral
Study Day in Waterloo in 2002.
First lawsuit filed in California in
2004. A second lawsuit was filed
in 2005 and settled in mediation
February 21, 2006.