| Rev. Jerome E. Lanser Summary of Case: Accused in a 1992 lawsuit of having sexually assaulted a boy, ages 8 to 13, from 1964 to1969 at a Milwaukee parish. The case was dismissed in 1997 due to the statute of limitations, but the archdiocese later paid the plaintiff a settlement. Lanser was placed on leave in 1993 and beginning in 2004 was noted to be fully restricted from ministry. "Numerous" additional allegations surfaced against him after his 2000 retirement. Ordained: 1958 Retired: 2000 Died: March 12, 2012 |
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| Start | Stop | Parish | Town/Accusations | State | Position | Notes |
1958 Milwaukee archbishop was Albert Gregory Meyer (1953-1958), followed by WIlliam Edward Cousins (1958-1977) |
1964 | St. Peter's | Beaver Dam | WI | 2/3 | Parish had an elementary school with 567-509 students, and a 9th grade with 41-74 students. |
| 1964 | 1969 | St. Mary's | Menomonee Falls • Lanser was accused in a lawsuit in the 1990s of having sexually assaulted a boy from 1964-1969, beginning when the boy was 8 years old and continuing until he was 13. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [Wisconsin] |
WI | 2/3, 2/5 | Parish had a school with 823-597 students. |
| 1969 | 1971 | St. Margaret Mary's | Milwaukee | WI | 4/4, 3/4 | Parish had a school with 658-629 students. |
| 1971 | 1976 | St. Leo's (German) | Milwaukee | WI | 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 | |
1976 Rembert George Weakland, O.S.B. succeeded Cousins (1977-2002) |
1979 | Sacred Heart | Racine | WI | 1/2 | Parish had a school with 245-261 students. |
| 1979 | 1981 | St. Mary's | Pewaukee | WI | 2/2, 1/1 | Parish had a school with 198-201 students. |
| 1981 | 1988 | St. Roman's | Milwaukee | WI | 3/3, 2/3 | Parish had a school with 392-448 students. |
| 1988 | 1990 | Franciscan Villa | South Milwaukee | WI | Chaplain | This was a nursing home which included a child day care, with 40 children. |
| 1989 | 1995 | St. John's | South Milwaukee | WI | 3/3, 2/2 In residence. |
Parish had a school with 121-235 students, and a religious education program with 170-240 students. The 1994 and 1995 Directories index Lanser as both at St. John's and On Leave. |
| 1993 | 2000 | On Leave | ||||
2000 Weakland was replaced by Timothy Michael Dolan (2002-2009) |
2003 | Retired | Milwaukee "Numerous" additional allegations surfaced after Lanser's retirememnt. |
WI | Lanser is not indexed beyond the 2003 Directory. The archdiocesan website noted in 2004 that Lanser was fully restricted from ministry. That status remains in 2011. (Statement by Milwaukee Archdiocese 7-09-04) |
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| 2003 | 2012 | Lanser died in March 2012. |
| Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1959-2003) 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 Lanser'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 February 15, 2021. |