Rev. Christopher Rossman – Assignment History

Assignment Record– Rev. Christopher "Chris" Rossman

Summary of Case: Christopher Rossman was ordained for the Archdiocese of Kansas City, KS in 2007. He assisted in parishes in Olathe and Topeka before being named pastor of two Holton parishes in 2011. He was also chaplain on the Potawatomie Reservation, Mayetta. In 2015 he became pastor of parishes in Baldwin City and Lapeer. Rossman was suspended from ministry in September 2016 after reports to church officials that he had visited inappropriate websites depicting minors. The archdiocese said it notified the FBI, and law enforcement launched an investigation.

Ordained: 2007

Start	Stop	Assignments	Town/Accusations	State	Position	Notes
2007 Archdiocese of Kansas City, KS Archbishop Joseph Fred Naumann (2005-).	2009	Prince of Peace	Olathe	KS	2/3, 2/2	Prince of Peace had a grade school with 609-615 students, and a CCD program with 1,454-1,219 students.
2009	2010	Mother Teresa of Calcutta	Topeka	KS	2/2	Mother Teresa parish had a CCD program with 400 students.
2011	2015	St. Francis Xavier	Holton	KS	1/1
2011	2015	Our Lady of the Snows Oratory	Potawatomie Reservation, Mayetta	KS	chaplain	This was a mission of St. Francis Xavier in Holton.
2011	2015	St. Dominic	Holton	KS	1/1	St. Dominic had a CCD program with 159-121 students.
2015	2016	Annunciation	Baldwin City	KS	pastor
2015	2016	St. Francis of Assisi	Lapeer • Rossman was suspended in September 2016 after a report that he had visited "inappropriate websites, including those depicting minors." The archdiocese said it notified the FBI.	KS	pastor

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.

Source: Official Catholic Directory (Kenedy & Sons, 2007-2015).

• Kansas priest suspended after reports of inappropriate online activity, KMBC, September 11, 2016
• FBI investigates Kansas priest for inappropriate conduct, KSHB, September 11, 2016
• Catholic priest suspended after reports he visited inappropriate websites, Fox 4, September 12, 2016

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 Rossman'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 September 17, 2016.