Rev. Robert M. Timchak

Summary of Case: Timchak was charged in Oct. 2009 with 17 counts of child sexual abuse for having of child pornography on his computer. He had been put on leave of absence in April 2009, and sent to a treatment facility.

Ordained: 1992

   

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1992

Scranton bishop was James Clfford Timlin (1984-2003)

1994 St. Mary's Church of the Immaculate Conception Wilkes-Barre PA 3/3, 2/2  
1992 1994 St. Joseph (Slovak) Wilkes-Barre PA   This was a mission of St. Mary's.
1994 1996 St. John the Evangelist Pittston PA 3/3

In residence. 		 
1994 1996 Seton Catholic High School Pittston PA Director of Religious Formation Seton Catholic had 300-307 students.
1996 1998 Holy Saviour WIlkes-Barre PA 2/2  
1996 1998 St. Christopher's Bear Creek Township PA   This was a mission of Holy Saviour in Wilkes-Barre.
1996 1997 Valley Crest Home Wilkes-Barre PA   This was a station of Holy Saviour.
1996 1998 Bishop Hoban High School Wilkes-Barre PA Director of Religious Formation Bishop Hoban HIgh had 595-550 students.
1998 2000 Annunciation Williamsport PA 2/2 Parish had a school with 154-150 students.

2000

Timlin was succeeded as Scranton bishop by Joseph Francis Martino (2003-2009)

2006 Transfiguration (Polish) West Hazleton PA 1/1

Parish had a school with 175-100 students, and a religious education program with 142-140 students.

Timchak was known for his focus on youth and started a children's ministry at this parish. (The Times-Tribune
October 19, 2009)

2000 2006 SS. Peter and Paul Williamsport PA 1/1  
2000 2009 Times Leader Wilkes-Barre PA

columnist

([Wilkes-Barre]Times-Leader
October 24, 2009)

  
2005 2006 Bishop Hafey High School Hazleton PA Chaplain  
2005 2006 Presbyteral Council   PA    
2006 2007 Unassigned or Leave of Absence       According to the diocese, Timchak worked fo the Luzerne County Probation Office during his leave of absence.
2007 2009 St. Vincent de Paul Milford PA 2/2

This parish was "restructured" with St. John Neumann in Lords Valley.

Parish had a catechesis program with 465 students.

2007 2009 St. John Neumann Lords Valley PA  

This parish was "restructured" with St. Vincent de Paul in Milford.

Parish had a catechesis program with 6-86 students.

2007 2009     PA occasional substitute teacher Per the diocese, Timchak subbed on occasion in area elementary schools during this time period. (Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton
October 19, 2009)
Sept. 2007 Nov. 2007 Notre Dame Elementary School East Stroudsburg PA student teacher for fourth grade  
Dec. 2008   Notre Dame Elementary School East Stroudsburg PA occasional substitute teacher After Dec. 2008 Timchak occasionally said Mass at this school and may have attended school functions. (Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton
October 23, 2009)
2007 2009 Good Shepherd

Blooming Grove

• Timchak was arrested and charged in Oct. 2009 with 17 counts of child sexual abuse for having child pornography on his computer. (The Times-Tribune
October 19, 2009)

PA  

This was a mission of St. John Neumann.

In Dec. 2008 an anonymous source told the diocese that someone using Timchak's email address had accessed child porn. The diocese told the county D.A., and an investigation ensued, without Timchak's knowledge.

Timchak admitted that he had tried to delete the images from his computer. ([Wilkes-Barre]Times Leader
November 5, 2009)

Timchak was put on leave of absence in April 2009. and sent to a medical facility for treatment.


Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1993-2009 )

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 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 Timchak'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 Oct. 2, 2010