Assignment Record– Rev. Jesse S. Linam

Summary of Case: Jesse S. Linam was ordained for the Galveston-Houston diocese in 1961. He assisted in parishes in Rosenberg, Houston and Galveston before pastoring in Channelview, Freeport and Bellview. In 1993 he was permanently removed from ministry due to unspecified allegations of child sexual abuse from years before. In 2002 he was the subject of a lawsuit, accused of having sexually abused a boy at St. Andrew's in Channelview during 1973-1974. The suit alleged that Linam had sexually abused "numerous minor boys" between 1961 and 1993. It was dismissed due to the Texas statute of limitations, which required those alleging abuse as minors to come forward by age 20.

Linam is shown in the Official Catholic Directory to have been retired 1998-2010, after which he is no longer indexed. He is last known to have been living in Anderson TX.

Ordained: 1961
Retired: 1998

1961

Diocese of Galveston-Houston

Bishop was Wendelin Joseph Nold (1950-1975).

Holy Rosary had a school with 288-324 students.

1972

Nold was succeeded as Galveston-Houston bishop by John Louis Morkovsky (1975-1984), followed by Joseph Anthony Fiorenza (1984-2006).

Channelview

• Linam was accused in a lawsuit filed in July 2002 of sexually abusing a boy at St. Andrew's 1973-1974. The suit alleged that there were " numerous minor boys abused by Linam between 1961 and 1993."

This was a mission of SS. Peter & Paul in Bellview.

Linam was permanently removed from ministry in August 1993 due to an accusation that he had sexually abused a minor years before.

1998

Fiorenza was replaced as Galveston-Houston bishop by Daniel Nicholas DiNardo (2006-).

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.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (Kenedy & Sons, 1962-2010).

• Abuse Suit Filed Against Retired Priest, By Tara Dooley, Houston Chronicle July 12, 2002
• John Doe, Plaintiff, v. Reverend Jesse S. Linam et al, ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS' MOTIONS TO DISMISS, August 21, 2002
• Judge Throws out Suit Against Accused Priest, By Tara Dooley, Houston Chronicle, August 30, 2002
• Scandal LIngers as Bishops Meet, Houston Chronicle, June 19, 2003

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 Linam'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 December 22, 2016.