Assignment Record– Rev. Bennett "Ben" Colucci, O.F.M. Cap.

Summary of Case: Bennett "Ben" Colucci was ordained for the Capuchin Franciscans in 1957. He spent his career in Washington DC, Pittsburgh PA, the dioceses of Arecibo, San Juan and Ponce in Puerto Rico, Denver CO, and Salina KS. Colucci was removed from ministry in Denver in 1993 for "reported misconduct" and was transferred to KS. He retired in 2005. In 2015 a woman reported to the Capuchins that Colucci sexually abused her in the 1980s when she was a student at Marycrest High School in Denver, where Colucci was working. The Order deemed the allegation credible.

Ordained: 1957
Retired: 2005

1957

Washington DC archbishop was Patrick Aloysius O'Boyle (1947-1973).

Washington

1958

Pittsburgh bishop was John Francis Deardon (1950-1958), followed by John Joseph Wright (1959-1983).

1959

Arecibo bishop was Alfredo José Isaac Cecilio Francesco Méndez-Gonzalez, C.S.C. (1960-1974).

1963

San Juan archbishop was James Peter Davis (1943-1964), followed by Luis Apote Martínez (1964-1999).

Santa Cruz had a school with 512-550 students.

The 1967 Directory indexes but does not list Colucci in the San Juan pages as at Santa Cruz.

1967

Ponce bishop was Juan Fremiot Torres Oliver (1964-2000).

1970

Denver archbishop was James Vincent Casey (1967-1986).

Denver

• A woman reported to the Order in 2015 that Colucci sexually abused her when she was a Marycrest student in the 1980s. The Order deemed the accusation credible.

1986

Casey was succeeded by James Francis Stafford (1986-1996).

Denver

• Colucci was removed from ministry in 1993 for "reported misconduct."

1994

Salina bishop was George Kinzie Fitzsimons (1984-2004), followed by Paul Stagg Coakley (2004-2010).

7/7, 6/6, 5/5, 4/4

In residence

St. Joseph's had had a CCD program with 290-137 students, and a a school until 2001 with 152-308 students.

Only the 2002 and 2004 Directories index Colucci; the others for 1994-2005 do not index him, yet he is listed consistently in the Salina pages as at St. Joseph's.

2007

Coakley was succeeded as Salina bishop by Edward Joseph Weisenburger (2012-).

St. Fidelis had a CCD program with 174-201 students.

When the allegation was made public in March 2016 that Colluci had abused a girl in the 1980s, the Denver archdiocese stated, "Father Colucci has not been in active ministry for many years, [so] it was not necessary for the Capuchin Franciscans to remove him from ministry as a result of the complaint."

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1958-2014)

• A Life Dedicated to Prayer, By Fr. Charles Polifka, O.F.M.Cap., Provincial Porter, a newsletter of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America, Spring 2013, Issue 154
• Which Leaves Brother Ben, By Brother Brandon Berg, The Caperone, Newsletter of the North American Pacific Capuchin Conference Novitiate, August 2011
• Archdiocese of Denver Receives a Complaint of Abuse, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver, March 3, 2016
• Colorado Woman Says Priest Sexually Abused Her As a Teen, By Kieran Nicholson, Denver Post, March 2, 2016
• Allegation of sexual misconduct in Denver lodged against retired Capuchin, The Register, March 25, 2016

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 Colucci'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 January 6, 2017.