Assignment Record– Rev. Walter (aka Vaclovas aka Wenceslaus) Katarskis

Summary of Case: Katarskis was ordained in his native Lithuania in 1942. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1948 and settled into work as a priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, in Dayton and Vandalia parishes. In 1972 he became the sole priest at Holy Cross in Dayton, the Lithuanian parish where he served for twelve years after his arrival to the U.S. He remained at Holy Cross until his death in 1993.

In 2002 a woman reported to the archdiocese that when she was 10-11 years old in the early 1960s and a student at St. Albert the Great in Dayton, Katarskis sexually abused her. Katarskis was a St. Albert's assistant 1960-1965. In 2010 the woman spoke publicly of the alleged abuse prior to filing a police report; she said she did not want to sue, but wanted the Church to know about its predator priests, and to encourage other victims to come forward.

Born: June 27, 1916
Ordained: 1942
Died: December 20, 1993

1948

Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Archbishop was John Timothy McNicholas, O.P. (1925-1950), followed by Karl Joseph Alter (1950-1969).

Dayton

• In 2002 a woman told the archdiocese that Katarskis sexually abused her when she was ages 10 and 11 in the early 1960s and a St. Albert's student. She said the last time the priest abused her she vomited, and he screamed at her that she had sinned by making him [abuse] her.

St. Albert's had a school with 810-405 boys and 811-421 girls.

The woman spoke of the alleged abuse in a 2010 press conference, prior to filing a police report. She said she was not seeking money, but wanted the Church to know about its predator priests and to encourage other victims to come forward.

1966

Alter was succeeded as Cincinnati archbishop by Paul Francis Leibold (1969-1972.)

1972

Archbishop of Cincinnati was Joseph Louis Bernardin (1972-1982), followed by Daniel Edward Pilarczyk (1982-2009).

Katarskis died December 20, 1993.

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.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (Kenedy & Sons, 1949-1995).

• Rev. Vaclovas Katarskis, findagrave.com, accessed January 16, 2017
• Woman Accuses Dead Priest of Sex Abuse, By Kennan Oliphant, WDTN, June 25, 2010
• Woman Claims Area Priest Abused Her 50 Years Ago, By Jeremy P. Kelley, Dayton Daily News, June 26, 2010


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 Katarski'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 January 17, 2017.