Assignment Record – Rev. John H. Acres, S.J.

Summary of Case: Ordained a Jesuit of the New England Province in 1983, Acres was accused by former Boston College High School students of inappropriate sexual behavior. Acres taught English there before ordination, according to the 1980 yearbook, and worked in the Admissions Department in the late 1980s. Acres left the Jesuit order sometime between 1995 and 2002, reportedly working at secular colleges during that period. The Jesuits turned Acres' name over to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office in 2002. Cardinal O'Mally did not include Acres or other accused religious order priests in his list of Boston accused.

Ordained: 1983

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: Kenedy & Sons, 1985-1995).

• Jesuits Turn Over Priests' Names, Initial Statement Was Misleading, by Walter V. Robinson and Sacha Pfeiffer, Boston Globe, March 8, 2002
• Probe Eyes 5 Jesuits Tied to BC High, by Eric Convey, Boston Herald, March 8, 2002
• School 'Help Line' to Aid Abuse Victims, by Walter V. Robinson, Boston Globe, March 14, 2002
• The Missing Names from Cardinal O’Malley’s List of Accused Clerics, Boston Globe, November 20, 2011

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 & 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 Acres' 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 October 9, 2016.