Assignment Record – Rev. Gerald Allen Funcheon, o.s.c.

Summary of Case: Ordained a Crosier priest in 1965, Funcheon was moved many times during his career with assignments in Indiana, Nebraska, Minnesota, Florida, Texas, Hawaii, California, and on military bases in the United States and Germany. He left the Crosiers in the 1980s and continued to work as a priest for the Indiana diocese of Lafayette. Funcheon has admitted to sexually abusing numerous children, and accusations span the length of his decades of active ministry. Documents show that Funcheon's superiors had concerns about his interest in young boys as far back as his time as a seminarian. In 2003 the pastor of a parish where Funcheon served in the early 1970s stated, "The picture I now have is of a predator who has potentially hundreds of direct and indirect victims here at St. Odilia alone." In 1994 Funcheon was said by Lafayette bishop Higi to be "unassignable". Funcheon was sent to treatment at the Vianney Renewal Center in Missouri and given retirement status. He spent the late 1990s in Washington state with his ailing mother, was in Florida in the early 2000s, and sometime after 2002 he returned to the Vianney Center, where he was known to be living in March 2013.

Ordained: 1965
Retired: 1995

Fall 1958

Boston archbishop was Richard James Cushing (1944-1970)

1959

Lincoln bishop was James Vincent Casey (1957-1967).

Summers including 1965, 1966

Ft. Wayne bishop was Leo Aloysius Pursley (1956-1976).

Syracuse

• A man claimed in a 2007 lawsuit that when he was a 10 year-old boy in the summer of 1965 he was repeatedly sexually assaulted, battered and molested by Funcheon. at the Lake Wawasee CYO camp.

Funcheon spent six summers working at this camp.

When Funcheon was a fourth year theology student in 1965, a Crosier official observed of him, "Almost his sole interest is young boys."

Aug. 26, 1965

1967

1966

1970

St. Paul and Minneapolis archbishop was Leo Binz (1961-1975).

Shoreview

• Funcheon was accused in a 2003 lawsuit of having sexually abused a boy at St. Odilia's from 1971-1974, beginning when the boy was 11 years-old. Funcheon was said to have been the boy's religion, sex eucation and physical education teacher. The lawsuit also said that Funcheon kept in his school office a popcorn maker, bean bags and television for "entertaining boys privately". Funcheon's accuser said the abuse occurred at the school and church, in Funcheon's rectory bedroom and during trips on which Funcheon would take boys from the school.

• Another man in 2003 said that he, too, was sexually abused as a boy by Funcheon during a sleepover with three other boys at St. Odilia's rectory, in the 1970s.

• A third man came forward in the 2000s with claims that Funcheon sexually abused him as a boy at St. Odilia's.

• In a Nov. 2014 lawsuit Funcheon was accused of sexually abusing four boys, from 1970-1974. The boys were St. Odilla parishioners and students.

4/4, 2/4

Funcheon also worked at the YMCA while at St. Odilia's.

St. Odilia's had a school with 520-448 students.

In 2003 St. Odilia's pastor wrote in a letter regarding Funcheon, "The picture I now have is of a predator who has potentially hundreds of direct and indirect victims here at St. Odilia alone. I believe much more will come to light, including more lawsuits."

1975

Miami archbishop was Coleman Francis Carroll (1958-1977).

1976

Ft. Wayne bishop was William Edward McManus (1976-1985).

1976

U.S. Military Ordinariate bishop was Terence James Cooke (1968-1983).

1979

St. Cloud bishop was George Henry Speltz (1968-1987).

1980

St. Paul-Minneapolis archbishop was John Robert Roach (1975-1995).

1982

Honolulu bishop was Joseph Anthony Ferrario (1982-1993).

Honolulu

• By Feb. 2012 Funcheon was the subject of at least three accusations of child sexual abuse stemming from his time at Damien Memorial.

• In May 2012 another former Damien High student accused Funcheon in a lawsuit of having sexually abused him. This accuser said the abuse occurred when he was 13 years-old, on an overnight retreat.

• Two more former Damien students accused Funcheon in a March 2013 lawsuit of sexually abusing them "multiple times" in the early 1980s.

This assignment is per news reports.

Damien parents met with the school principal to express concerns about Funcheon's inappropriate behavior. Funcheon was subsequently transferred out of the school.

Funcheon worked at "numerous Honolulu parishes" on weekends.

1984

Monterey bishop was Thaddeus Anthony Shubsda (1982-1991).

Salinas

• Per a Feb. 2012 announcement, Funcheon was accused of sexually abusing at boy during his time at Palma High.

• A second man filed suit in March 2012 with the claim that Funcheon sexually abused him when the man was a Palma High student in 1984-1985.

• By March 2013 five men had come forward with claims that Funcheon sexually abused them when they were Palma students in the 1980s. One of them said he may have been drugged prior to being sexually assaulted in 1984 by Funcheon.

• Funcheon was accused in a Nov. 2014 lawsuit of sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy in 1984, during a camping trip.

This assignment is per news reports.

Funcheon is said to have arrived at Palma High "with the blessings of Bishop Thaddeus Shubsda and his own Crosier provincial", after he was accused in Hawaii.

1985

St. Paul-Minneapolis archbishop was John Robert Roach (1975-1995).

St. Stephen's had a school with 480 students.

Funcheon's assignment here was terminated in April 1986.

1986

Lafayette bishop was William Leo Higi (1984-2010).

Dunnington

• Funcheon wrote in a letter to a newspaper that he was removed from ministry because a family accused him of planning to molest their son.

1994

1995

St. Louis archbishop was Justin Francis Rigali (1994-2003).

1997

Yakima bishop was Carlos Arthur Sevilla, s.j. (1996-2011).

2000

St. Petersburg bishop was Robert Nugent Lynch (1995-).

In Sept. 2012 testimony Funcheon admitted to molesting children while a priest.

In March 2013 Funcheon was known to be living at the Vianney Renewal Center for troubled priests in Dittmer, MO.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1966-2002)

• Faith Betrayed, The Lafayette Diocese has been home and haven to men of God who shattered lives and walked away, By Linda Graham Caleca and Richard D. Walton, Indianapolis Star, February 16, 1997
• Sins of the Fathers, Indianapolis Star, February 16, 1997
• Lawsuit Accuses Priest of Abuse, Man's Charges Date to 1970s at St. Odilia, By Todd Nelson, Saint Paul Pioneer Press [Minnesota],
September 20, 2003
• Suit Filed against Former Priest, Crosiers, By Paul Gustafson, Star Tribune [Minneapolis, MN], September 20, 2003
• Indy Man Sues, Claims Abuse by Former Priest, Suit, Alleging Assault at Summer Camp in 1965, Points Finger at Diocese, CYO, ByJeff Wiehe, News-Sentinel [Indiana], July 11, 2007
• Clergy Sex Abuse Advocate Says Victims Still in 'Shadows,' Hope Is for Others to Come Forward, By Cliff Buchan, Forest Lake Times, February 5, 2009
• Nine Men to Share $1.7 Million from Catholic Order That Admits Sex Abuse, By Emily Gurnon, Pioneer Press, February 5, 2009
• Breaking News: Priest Who Worked at St. Odilia in 1970s Found Libel in Sexual Abuse Settlement, By Michelle Miron, Shoreview Press, February 6, 2009
• Ruben Rosario: Keep One Eye on the Lord, the Other on Church Leaders, By Ruben Rosario, Pioneer Press, February 8, 2009
• Court Drops Abuse Suit against Ind. Diocese, Chicago Tribune, August 28, 2009
• Group Says Child Predators Worked at Catholic School, By Jim Mendoza, HawaiiNewsNow, February 10, 2012
• Identities Revealed of Three Former Palma Employees Accused of Child Sexual Abuse, Monterey Herald, February 27, 2012
• Former Damien Memorial High Employee in Trouble Again… Alleged Child Abuse in California, Damon Tucker, February 27, 2012
• Names of Former Palma High Employees Accused of Child Molestation Revealed, The Californian, February 27, 2012
• Palma Part of Bankruptcy Case Involving Child Sex Abuse Allegations, By Virginia Hennessey, Monterey Herald, February 27, 2012
• Advocacy Group: Clock Ticking for Any Sex-abuse Victims at Salinas School, By Sunita Vijayan, The Californian, February 28, 2012
• Second Man Accuses Former Palma School Priest, By Virginia Hennessey, Monterey Herald, March 4, 2012
• Gerald Funcheon: a Missing Priest Appears …., By Joelle Casteix, Worthy Adversary, March 14, 2012
• Former Palma Student Alleges Abuse by Priest; Documents Show History of Suspicions about Teacher, By Julia Reynolds, Santa Cruz Sentinel, March 29, 2012
• Lawsuit Alleges Crosier Priest Accused of Molesting Student in 1980s, By Sunita Vijayan, Salinas Californian, March 30, 2012
• Palma Alumnus Alleges Abuse, Reaches out to Other Possible Victims, By Virginia Hennessey, Monterey Herald, May 12, 2012
• First of What May Be Dozens of Child Sex Abuse and Cover up Lawsuits Filed under New Unusual Hawaii Law, Damon Tucker: Hawaii News and Island Information, May 25, 2012
• Lawsuit under New Hawaii Law Claims Former Priest Sexually Abused Boy during Overnight Retreat, The Republic, May 25, 2012
• Lawsuit Claims Abuse by Former Honolulu Priest, Hawaii News Now, May 25, 2012
• Three More Claims of Sexual Assault Made by Palma Alumni, By Virginia Hennessey, Monterey Herald, July 30, 2012
• Former Damien Students File Lawsuit for Alleged Sex Abuse, By Lisa Kubota, Hawaii News Now, March 21, 2013
• Former Palma Teacher Admits Molesting Student in 1980s, By Virginia Hennessey, Santa Cruz Sentinel, March 27, 2013
• Fr. Gerald Allen Funcheon Assignment History, andersonadvocates.com
• Local priest may have abused 50 children, KARE, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Feb. 26, 2014.
• New lawsuits hit ex-local priest, By Rosa Salter Rodriguez, The Journal Gazette, Nov. 27, 2014.
• Crosier, Gerald Funcheon documents, andersonadvocates.com, accessed Nov. 27, 2014
• Gerald Funcheon and Crosier order press conference, andersonadvocates.com, accessed Nov. 27, 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 Funcheon'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 November 27, 2014.