Rev. Luke Zimmer- Assignment Record

Rev. Luke Zimmer, ss.cc.

Summary of Case: Zimmer was a Sacred Hearts priest who founded the Apostolate of Christian Renewal, through which he traveled the U.S. directing parish renewals. He also lead retreats and pilgrimages worldwide. He was accused in a 1993 lawsuit of having abused a girl in Wisconsin from 1979-1980. Zimmer died in 1997.

Ordained: 1954

Died: 1997

Start	Stop	Parish	Town/Accusations	State	Position	Notes
1954 Manchester Bishop was Matthew Francis Brady (1944-1959)	1955	Queen of Peace Mission Seminary	Jaffrey	NH	9/12
1955 Fall River bishop was James Louis Connolly (1951-1970)	1957	Sacred Hearts Novitiate	Fairhaven	MA	Director of Vocations
1957	1959	Monastery of the Sacred Hearts	Fairhaven	MA	18/19, 13/17
1959 Winona bishop was Edward Aloysius Fitzgerald (1949-1969)	1961	Seminary of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary	Winona	MN	Superior	The seminary was affiliated with St. Mary's College in Winona.
1961 Los Angeles archbishop was James Francis Aloysius McIntyre (1948-1970)	1967	Bishop Amat Memorial High School	La Puente	CA		The school had 513-784 boys and 607-788 girls.
1967 Honolulu bishop was James Joseph Sweeney (1941-1968), followed by John Joseph Scanlan (1968-1981)	1968	Sacred Hearts Seminary	Hauula, Oahu	HI	2/3
1968	1971?	St. Patrick's	Oahu, Honolulu	HI	15/16, 14/15 In residence.	Parish had a school with 775-781 students. Zimmer is indexed but is not listed in the Honolulu diocesan pages of the 1971 Directory as at St. Patrick's.
1968	1971?	St. James	Palolo	HI		This was a mission of St. Patrick's in Hauula, Oahu.
1971	1973		Kaneohe	HI		Zimmer is indexed in the 1972 and 1973 Directories as at P.O. Box 797 in Kaneohe. The Sacred Hearts' Center-Bethany was at P.O. Box 787. Zimmer is not listed there in the Honolulu diocesan pages.
1973 McIntyre was succeeded as Los Angeles archbishop by Timothy Manning (1970-1985), followed by Ronger Michael Mahony (1985- )	1976	Christ the King Center	Los Angeles	CA	2/7, 2/4	This was a Sacred Hearts Fathers' residence.
1976	1981	Sacred Hearts Fathers Apostolate of Christian Renewal-Christ the King Center	Pomona • Zimmer was accused in a 1993 lawsuit of abusing a girl from 1979-1980 at a Christian Renewal Center in Wisconsin	CA	1/2, 1/3, 1/4	Zimmer gave parish renewals throughout the U.S. He also directed retreats and lead pilgrimages around the world.
1981	1988	Apostolate of Christian Renewal-Christ the King Center	La Puente	CA	1/1
1982	1989	Congregation of the Sacred Hearts	La Verne	CA	6/8, 2/4, 2/5, 3/6, 2/4
1989	1997	Apostolate of Christian Renewal-Christ the King Cente Holy Family Home of Peace	Fillmore	CA	1/1	Zimmer died Jan. 7,1997 (Memorial Mass Homily Jan. 7, 1997)

Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1955-2000)

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 Zimmer'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 Feb. 8, 2011