Assignment Record– Rev. Alphonse B. "Fr. Mike"Jansonis

Summary of Case: Ordained a priest of the Boston archdiocese in 1945, Jansonis assisted in parishes throughout the archdiocese until being named pastor of St. Francis' in Lowell in 1970. Per the archdiocese Jansonis went on health leave in 1977 and permanent disability in 1980. His obituary shows that he moved to Pocasset MA on Cape Cod in 1977 where he worked as a week-end assistant at a parish. He died in 2000. Jansonis was accused in a 2005 civil suit of having sexually abused a girl in the 1950s while he was assigned to Most Holy Redeemer parish in East Boston.

Born: 1919
Ordained: June 29, 1945
Died: May 13, 2000

7/10/45

Boston archbishop was Richard James Cushing (1944-1970).

Boston

(East) Boston

• Jansonis was accused in a 2005 lawsuit of sexually abusing a girl while he was assigned to Most Holy Redeemer.

8/18/70

Cushing was succeeded by Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983).

1977

Bernard Francis Law replaced Medeiros as Boston archbishop (1984-2002).

Fall River bishop was Daniel Anthony Cronin (1970-1991), followed by Sean Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap. (1992-2002).

Sources:

• Alphonse B. 'Father Mike' Jansonis, 80, Cape Cod Times, May 15, 2000
• John DoeNos. 30 - 68 and Mary Roe Nos. 6 - 8, v. Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston, C.A. 05-0006
• BishopAccountability Letter to Dr. Mary Jane Doherty, Chairperson of the Archdiocese of Boston Review Board, BishopAccountability.org, July 27, 2011
• Mass. Group Discloses New Names of Accused Priests, By Jay Lindsay, Boston Globe, July 28, 2011
• Boston Archdiocese Posts Sex-Abuse Database Online, By Joan Frawley Desmond, National Catholic Register, August 25, 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 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 Jansonis' 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 3, 2015.