Assignment Record– Rev. Valentine "Val" J. Klimek

Summary of Case: Val Klimek was a priest of the St. Cloud MN diocese, ordained in 1944. He assisted in parishes in St. Cloud, was spiritual director at Cathedral High School and went on to pastor parishes in St. Wendel, Duelm, Royalton and Rockville. He also held several Chancery positions: Catholic Youth Organization director and member of the Marriage Relations Council. He died August 7, 1994. Klimek's name was among 33 on a list released by the St. Cloud diocese January 3, 2014 of clergy involved in incidents of likely claims of sexual abuse of minors.

 

Ordained: 1944
Died: August 7, 1994

 

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Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1944

St. Cloud bishop was Joseph Francis Busch (1915-1953).

 1947 Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

St. Cloud

 MN 6/6, 5/6, 3/5

The Cathedral had a grade school with 850-870 students, and a high school with 688-875 students.

1947

St. Louis archbishop was

1948 Absent with Leave St. Louis MO    

1948

Chicago archbishop was

 1949 Loyola University Chicago IL    

1949

St. Cloud diocese

 1952 Holy Angels St. Cloud MN 3/3, 3/4, 3/5 Holy Angels had a school with 177-207 students.

1949

Busch was succeeded as St. Cloud bishop by Peter William Bartholome (1953-1968).

 1954 Cathedral High School St. Cloud MN Spiritual Director  
1949 1954 Catholic Youth Organization St. Cloud MN Director  
1952 1956 Marriage Relations Council St. Cloud MN    
1952 1958 St. Columbkille's St. Wendel MN 1/1  

1958

George Henry Speltz replaced Bartholome (1968-1987).

 1971 St. Lawrence's Duelm MN 1/1 St. Lawrence's had a school with 81-45 students.
1962 1965 Catholic Charities St. Cloud MN Director  
1971 1982 Holy Trinity Royalton MN 1/1  

1982

Speltz was succeeded by Jerome George Hanus, O.S.B. (1987-1994).

 1989 Mary of the Immaculate Conception Rockville MN 1/1  
1989 1991 Retired Royalton MN   Address is Rt. 2.
1991 1994 Retired Little Falls MN   Klimek lived at St. Otto's Care Center. He died August 7, 1994.

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1945-1995)

• Press Release from +Donald J. Kettler Bishop of Saint Cloud, Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Cloud via WJON, January 3, 2014
• The Diocese of St Cloud Release Their List of 33 Priests Accused of Sexually Abusing Minors, By Mike Bryant, Legal Examiner, January 3, 2014
• St. Cloud Diocese Releases List of Clergy Accused of Abuse, By Frank Lee, St. Cloud Times, January 4, 2014
• St. Cloud Diocese Reveals Names of Priests Accused of Abusing Children, By Jean Hopfensperger, Star Tribune, January 3, 2014
• St. Cloud Bishop Releases Names of 33 Accused Priests, By Alex Svejkovsky, WJON, January 3, 2014

 



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 Klimek'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 July 27, 2015.