Assignment History– Rev. Ronald Sam Gilardi, O.F.M. Cap.

Summary of Case: Ronald Sam Gilardi was ordained for the Capuchin Franciscans in 1988. He taught at St. Thomas More Prep - Marian High School in Hays, Kansas until 1996, which shared an address with the Capuchins' St. Bonaventure Friary. He resided there until 1995. In 1996 Gilardi was moved to Victoria, Kansas, where he was involved with the Capuchin Center for Spiritual Life and, from 1997-2000, he was the sole priest at St. Catharine's in Catharine, Kansas.

In June 2000 Gilardi was arrested after a report was filed that he had sexually abused a 14-year-old male St. Thomas More Prep - Marian High student in 1993-1994. The boy was a boarder from Texas. Charges included criminal sodomy and indecent liberties with a child. His victim said Gilardi plied him with tobacco, alcohol and pornography. Gilardi pleaded guilty to the indecent liberties charge; he was ordered to spend 32 months in a treatment facility, followed by five years' probation. His order sent him to the Vianney Renewal Center in Dittmer, Missouri.

As of November 2017 Gilardi appears to have been registered as a Missouri Sex Offender. His last known address is that of the RECON/Wounded Brothers Project in Robertsville, Missouri.

Ordained: 1988

1988

Diocese of Salina

Bishop was George Kinzie Fitzimons (1984-2004).

Hays

• GIlardi was arrested in June 2000 after accusations that he had sexually abused a 14-year-old male student at TMP-Marian High during 1993-1994. The priest was charged with criminal sodomy, indecent liberties with a child and other sexual offenses. The boy, who was from Texas, was a boarder at the school. Gilardi was said to have plied him with tobacco, alcohol and pornography.

St. Thomas More Prep - Marian High and St. Bonaventure Friary shared an address.; the Capuchin friars were involved with the school. The school had a college prep program with a residency program for boys, and a special program for candidates for priesthood and religious life. The school overall had 276-342 students.

Gilardi pleaded guilty in May 2001 to indecent liberties with a child. He was ordered in July 2001 to spend 32 months in a treatment facility, followed by five years' probation. He was sent to the Servants of the Paraclete's Vianney Renewal Center in Dittmer, MO.

Gilardi's victim filed a lawsuit in Texas in March 2001. In August 2001 the lawsuit was dismissed, due to jurisdictional problems. It was refiled in Kansas. The high school settled for $30,000 with Gilardi's victim in December 2001.

A November 2017 Google search shows Gilardi to have been on the Missouri Sex Offender Registry, his last known address that of the RECON/Wounded Brothers Project in Robertsville.

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.

Source: Official Catholic Directory (Kenedy & Sons, 1981-2000).

• Suit Claims Molestation by Priest, by Toni Heinzl, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 8, 2001
• Lawsuit against Hays High School Dismissed in Texas, Associated Press, August 5, 2001 
• Sex Assault Lawsuit Belongs in Kansas, Judge Rules Case Involves Priest's Molestation of a Texan in That State, by Toni Heinzl, Fort Worth Star Telegram, August 3, 2001
• Priest Pleaded, Kansas City Star, May 12, 2001 
• High School Settles Lawsuit Over Molestation by Priest, Associated Press, December 5, 2001
• Hays High School Settles Priest Molestation Suit, Wichita Eagle (AP), December 5, 2001
• A Quiet Refuge — under Watchful Eyes, by Tim O'Neil and Patricia Rice, St. Louis Post Dispatch, March 3, 2002
• Dodge, Salina dioceses release sex-abuse stats, by Bill Wilson, Hutchinson News, February 27, 2004
• Abusive Priests Often End up in St. Louis, by Tim Townsend, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 19, 2005
• Salina Diocese, by Shaun Hittle, Lawrence Journal-World, June 25, 2010
• Ronald Sam Gilardi - Missouri Sex Offender Profile, missourisexoffendesrlist.com, accessed November 16, 2017


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 Gilardi'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 November 16, 2017.