Rev. James M. Godin

Summary of Case: Godin rwas removed from active ministry in 2002 after acknowledging he had engaged in "inappropriate behavior" with a 17 year-old boy 19 years previously. He was included on a list released in 2004 by the Milwaukee archdiocese of priests restricted from ministry due to substantiated inappropriate sexual contact or sexual abuse of minors. Godin was laicized sometime before November 2007.

Ordained: 1979

   

Start Stop Parish Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1979

Milwaukee archbishop was Rembert George Weakland, O.S.B. (1977-2002)

1981 St. Alphonsus' Greendale WI 4/4 Parish had a school with 625-554 students.
1981 1983 St. Agnes' Milwaukee WI 2/3, 2/2 Parish had a school with 293-391 students.
1983 1984 St. Peter Claver's

Sheboygan

• In August 2002 Godin was removed from active ministry due to what he told his congregation was "inappropriate behavior" with a 17 year-old boy 19 years previously. Godin was removed, according to the archdiocese, for having a "substantiated incident of sexual abuse or inappropriate sexual contact with a minor". (Associated Press State & Local Wire August 21, 2002)

 WI 2/3 Parish had a school with 210 students.
1984 1988 St. John's Cathedral Milwaukee WI 2/6, 2/4  
1988 1991 St. Patrick's Whitewater WI 2/2  
1988 2000 Whitewater Campus Ministry, Shalom Center Whitewater WI Campus Minister  
1997 2002 St. Patrick's Whitewater WI 2/2, 1/1 Parish had a religious education program with 204-238 students.

2002

Weakland was replaced by Timothy Michael Dolan (2002-2009)

2003 On Leave      

Godin is not indexed beyond the 2003 Directory.

Godin was named as fully restricted from ministry on a 2004 archdiocesan list of restricted priests. (Statement by Milwaukee Archdiocese July 9, 2004) A November 2007 updated archdiocesan list showed that Godin had been laicized. (Statement by Milwaukee Archdiocese Nov. 26, 2007)

 

Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1980-2003)

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 Godin'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 April 29, 2011