Assignment Record– Rev. Kenneth J. Schoettmer

Summary of Case: Kenneth Schoettmer was ordained for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 1968. He assisted in Walnut Hills, Madisonville, Wyoming and Clifton parishes until 1982, when he was named pastor of a parish in Hamilton. He held that role for twelve years, leaving in 1994 to serve briefly as temporary administrator in North Fairmount. There is an unexplained gap in Schoettmer's assignments in 1995. In 1996 he was assigned a pastorship in Millville.

Schoettmer was placed on leave by the archdiocese in June 2001, pending an investigation into allegations of inappropriate contact with young males. He told police that he had used a parish computer to download pornography and to contact juveniles. In a letter to parishioners, Schoettmer admitted to sexual contact with three different teenage boys between 1984 and 1999. He pleaded guilty in 2003 to fondling a 17-year-old boy in 1999. Charges of rape and sexual battery were dropped because his victim did not want to testify. Schoettmer was sentenced to five years' probation and ordered to register as a sex offender. He was laicized in 2007.

Ordained: 1968
Laicized: 2007

1968

Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Archbishop was Karl Joseph Alter (1950-1969), followed by Joseph Louis Bernardin (1972-1982).

Assumption of the BVM had a school with 71-90 boys and 72-92 girls.

1982

Bernardin was succeeded as Cincinnati archbishop by Daniel Edward Pilarczyk (1982-2009).

Schoettmer is not indexed in the 1996 Directory, nor is he listed in the Cincinnati pages as at his previous or next assignments.

Cincinnati (Millville)

• Schoettmer told police in June 2001 that he had used his parish computer to download pornography and to contact juveniles.

Queen of Peace had a school with 275-309 students, and a CCD program with 115-168 students.

Schoettmer was placed on leave in June 2001 pending an investigation by the county sheriff's of accusations of "inappropriate contact with young males." Schoettmer admitted in a letter to parishioners that he had engaged in sexual contact with three different teenage boys between 1984 and 1999. He said none of the boys were from Queen of Peace.

Schoettmer is not indexed beyond the 2002 Directory.

Schoettmer pleaded guilty in 2003 to molesting a 17-year-old in 1999. Charges of rape and sexual battery were dropped because Schottmer's victim did not want to testify. Schoettmer was sentenced to five years' probation and was ordered to register as a sex offender.

Schoettmer remained on administrative leave until his laicization by the Vatican, which was announced in 2007.

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, 1969-2002).


• Priest's Conduct Reviewed, By Cindi Andrews and Janice Morse, Cincinnati Enquirer, June 23, 2001
• Priest Admits to Parishioners Sexual Encounters with Boys, By Tim Bonfield and Walt Schaefer, Cincinnati Enquirer, June 24, 2001
• Police: Church Computer Used for Porn, By Janice Morse, Cincinnati Enquirer, June 30, 2001
• Accusations Not First to Target Priest, By Janice Morse, Cincinnati Enquirer, August 5, 2001
• Charges Unlikely against Priest, By Janice Morse, Cincinnati Enquirer, September 27, 2001
• Policy Shift Could Oust Eight Area Priests, By Tom Beyerlein, Dayton Daily News, June 27, 2002
• Two Ex-Priests Indicted on Sex Abuse, By Dan Horn, Cincinnati Enquirer, March 22, 2003
• Priest Pleads Guilty, Won't Face Jail Time, By Sharon Turco and Dan Horn, Cincinnati Enquirer, downloaded June 12, 2003
• Status Report on Clerics Credibly Accused of Child Abuse, Archdiocese of Cincinnati Statement, accessed February 2, 2006
• Accused Priests Remain on Payroll, By Tom Beyerlein, Dayton Daily News, April 22, 2007
• Vatican Removes 2 Accused of Sexual Abuse from Priesthood, WLWT, May 11, 2007
• Vatican Ousts 2 from Priesthood, Cincinnati Post, May 12, 2007
• Two Area Priests Defrocked over Sex Abuse Allegations, By Tom Beyerein, Dayton Daily News, May 12, 2007 

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 Schoettmer'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 February 6, 2017.