Assignment Record– Rev. Robert Yurgel, OFM.Cap In 2008 a 23-year-old man reported to the Charlotte-Meckenburg police that Yurgel sexually abused him beginning in 1999 when he was a 14-year-old altar boy at St. Matthew's in Charlotte, and Yurgel was an assistant priest. The young man said the abuse occurred at St. Matthew's, at Our Lady of Consolation where Yurgel was next assigned, in a car in the parking lot of St. Michael's in Gastonia where Yurgel sometimes presided over a Spanish mass, and at the boy's home when his parents were out. Yurgel was arrested in NJ and extradited to NC; he pleaded guilty and was sentenced in February 2009 to at least seven years and eight months in prison, and was ordered to register as a sex offender. Yurgel's victim sued the Charlotte diocese and Capuchin Franciscans in 2008, claiming they covered up his case, and that the diocese knew of sexual misconduct by Yurgel in 1999. The diocese and order settled with the man in 2010.
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| Start | Stop | Assignments | Town/Accusations | State | Position | Notes |
Jan. 1992 Diocese of Charlotte Bishop was John Francis Donoghue (1984-1993). |
June 1992 | Catholic Conference Center | Hickory | NC | novice | |
July 1992 Diocese of Wilmington Bishop was Robert Edward Mulvee (1985-1995). |
July 1993 | St. Felix Friary | Wilmington | DE | spiritual formation work | |
Aug. 1993 Diocese of Paterson Bishop was Frank Joseph Rodimer (1977-2004). |
June 1996 | Our Lady of Lourdes Friary | Paterson | NJ | studies | |
1996 Archdiocese of New York Archbishop was John Joseph O'Connor (1984-2000). |
1997 | Immaculate Conception Friary | New York (Bronx) | NY | studies |
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May 1997 Diocese of Charlotte Bishop was William George Curlin (1994-2002). |
June 1999 | St. Matthew's | Charlotte (Ballantyne) • Yurgel was accused in 2008 of sexually abusing a 14-year-old altar boy in 1999. He and his family attended St. Matthew's. |
NC | 3/3, 2/2 | St. Matthew's had a CCD program with 1,510 - 1,514 students. Yurgel helped start a parish youth group. Yurgel pleaded guilty to a second-degree sex offense in February 2009 in a deal with the judge. |
| July 1997 | Oct. 1999 | Our Lady of Consolation | Charlotte • Yurgel's victim from St. Matthew's said the abuse occurred at St. Matthew's and at Our Lady of Consolation. He said Yurgel also abused him at his family's home when his parents were away. |
NC | NC | This assignment is per news reports, which said Yurgel was at this parish for three months before being transferred out of the area. |
| St. Michael's | Gastonia • Yurgel's St. Matthew's victim said some of the abuse occurred in a car in St. Michael's parking lot. |
NC | Yurgel occasionally presided over Spanish mass at St . Michael's. | |||
1999 Archdiocese of New York O'Connor was succeeded as archbishop by Edward Michael Egan (2000-2009). |
2001 | Immaculate Conception Friary | New York | NY | Yurgel's victim filed a civil suit in October 2008 against the Capuchin Franciscans and the Charlotte diocese, claiming they covered up his abuse case. Per the suit, the diocese knew by 1999 of sexual misconduct by Yurgel with an adult male parishioner, and that in October 1999 diocesan officials found a personal email from the plaintiff to Yurgel. The diocese was said to have contacted Yurgel's order, and Yurgel was quickly transferred out of the diocese. |
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2001 Diocese of Paterson Bishop was Frank Joseph Rodimer (1977-2004). |
2003 | Our Lady of Lourdes | Paterson | NJ | 2/2 | Our Lady of Lourdes had a school with 240 students, and a CCD program with 56 students. |
2003 Archdiocese of New York Archbishop was Edward Michael Egan (2000-2009). |
2005 | Immaculate Conception Friary | New York | NY | ||
2005 Diocese of Paterson Bishop was Arthur Joseph Serratelli (2004-). |
2008 | St. Mary's Hospital | Passaic | NJ | chaplain | Per news reports, Yurgel's order said he was assigned to St. Mary's Hospital in October 1999. The Directories don't show him as there until 2005. |
| St. Francis | Hackensack | NJ | Yurgel occasionally said mass at St. Francis. | |||
| 2006 | 2008 | Our Lady of Mt. Carmel | Passaic | NJ | 3/4 In residence. |
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel had a school with 338-319 students, and a CCD program with 76-65 students. Yurgel was arrested in April 2008 after Charlotte-Meckenburg NC police received a report from a 23-year-old man that the priest sexually abused him in 1999 when the young man was a 14-year-old parishioner of St. Matthew's. Yurgel was charged with five counts of indecent liberties with a child over 6 and two charges of statutory rape of a child over 6. Yurgel was extradited from NJ to NC. After pleading guilty, he was sentenced in February 2009 to at least seven years and eight months in prison. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender. |
2008 Archdiocese of New York Archbishop was Edward Michael Egan (2000-2009). |
2009 | Immaculate Conception Friary | New York (Bronx) | NY | Yurgel is not indexed beyond the 2009 Directory. The 2008 civil suit was settled by the Charlotte diocese in May 2010 for $1 million. Additionally, the Capuchins agreed to give the plaintiff $230 thousand in exchange for dismissal with prejudice of claims against it. |
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. |
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