Rev. Gary Jacobson
Summary of Case: There were several complaints of sexual abuse and inappropriate sexual behavior toward girls and young women made to the archdiocese during the 1980s and 1990s. He was sued in 2002, along with the archdiocese. The last known instance of a report to church officials regarding concern about his inappropriate behavior was in 2002. Jacobson was still involved in parish work during his retirement in 2002.
Ordained: 1965
Start | Stop | Assignment | Town/Accusations | State | Position | Notes |
1965 Portland bishop was Edward Daniel Howard (1926-1966) |
1966 | Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception | Portland | OR |
In residence |
The Cathedral had a school with 264 students. |
1966 Bishop was Robert Joseph Dwyer (1966-1974) |
1967 | St. Anthony's | Portland | OR | 2/2 In residence |
St. Anthony's had a school with 120 students. |
1967 | 1968 | St. Thomas More | Portland | OR | 3/3 In residence |
St. Thomas More had a school with 355 students.1968 |
1968 | 1973 | All Saints | Portland | OR | 2/4, 3/4 | All Saints had a chool with 466-357 students. |
1973 | 1974 | St. Paul's | Eugene | OR | 2/2 | St. Paul's had a school with 232 students. |
1974 Cornelius Michael Power replaced Dwyer as bishop (1974-1986) |
1976 | St. Stephen's | Portland | OR | 2/3 Administrator |
St. Stephen's had a school with 245 students. |
1976 | 1978 | Immaculate Conception | Stayton | OR | 3/3 In residence |
Immaculate Conception had a school with 294 students. |
1978 | 1980 | Queen of Peace | Salem • Accused of molesting a girl from this parish during weekly visits with her family to have dinner and watch football. The incidents of abuse went on from the time the girl was 7-9 years old. The girl reported that her best friend was also molested by Jacobson also during a sleepover at her house (archdiocesan documents). |
OR | 1/2, 1/1 | Queen of Peace had a school with 149-139 students. |
1980 | 1981 | Our Lady of Sorrows | Portland | OR | 2/2 In residence |
Our Lady of Sorrows had a school with 249 students. |
1981 | 1985 | St. Henry's | Gresham • A woman went to the archdiocese in 1987 to complain about Jacobson's sexual advances toward women and high school aged girls. The woman worked at St. Henry's with Jacobson. Jacobson recruited all girls for a folk group and the woman reported observing Jacobson angrily demanding the girls sit next to him on the piano bench to the point where he was touching them, and that he was seen by others kissing one of the girls. (archdiocesan documents) |
OR | 2/3 | |
1985 William Joseph Levada replaced Power as bishop (1986-1995) |
1990 | Christ the King | Milwaukie • Accused in 1987 of touching a 15 year old girl in an inappropriate way. The girl's mother reported his behavior to the archdiocese. He was an umpire for girls softball, and there was talk of his inappropriate behavior toward the girls. He was evaluated psychologically in April 1987. It was recommended that he not be involved in parish life, and that he receive lon-term, intensive therapy. (archdiocesan documents) |
OR | 3/3, 2/2 | Christ the King had a school with 118-149 students. |
1990 | 1991 | St. Mary of the Valley Convent | Beaverton | OR | Chaplain | |
1991 | 1992 | Our Lady of the Lake | Oswego • The woman who approached the archdiocese in 1987 with her concerns about Jacobson's behavior complained again in Dec. 1993 and in a March 1993 letter to Rev. Charles Lienert of current inappropriate attention by Jacobson toward a young woman. Lienert notified Levada, and said they must consider putting additional restrictions on Jacobson's ministry. (archdiocesan documents) |
OR | 1/2 Temporary Administrator |
Our Lady of the Lake had a school with 200 students and a CCD program with 645 students. |
1992 | 1994 | Absent on Sick Leave |
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1994 Francis Eugene George followed Levada as bishop (1996-1997) |
1997 | Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception | Portland | OR | 4/4 In residence. |
The Cathedral had a school with 200 students. |
1997 John George Vlazny became bishop after George (1997- ) |
2009 | Retired | Beaverton | OR | Living at St John Vianney Residence, which is an archdiocesan retirement facility for priests. He was sued, along with the archdiocese, in 2002 for sexual abuse of a girl during his time at Queen of Peace Catholic School in Salem OR. There was concern in March 2002 that Jacobson was becoming "too close" to a family at the parish where he was "helping out", St. Cecila's in Beaverton. The family had a fourth grade daughter whom the concerned person felt was vulnerable and at risk with Jacobson, given his history. (archdiocesan documents). |
Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1966-2009).
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
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This assignment record collates Jacobson's career history as it is represented
in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the
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This assignment record was last updated on Sept. 22, 2009