Assignment Record – Rev. Henry M. Lutgen

Summary of Case: Henry M. Lutgen was ordained a priest of the St. Cloud MN diocese in 1947. Through most of the 1950s into the early 1960s, Lutgen was superintendent of the St. Cloud Children's Home and director of Catholic Charities. He also served on the diocese's Marriage Tribunal. In 1961 he went on to pastor a parish in St. Wendel MN for a year, moving the following year to Melrose MN, where was an assistant and then pastor of a parish, as well as chaplain of hospital and nursing facility. He is not indexed in the Official Catholic Directories after 1969. Lutgen is deceased. Public records show a Rev. Henry Michael Lutgen who was born in Minnesota in 1992 and died in in California in 1980. He left a wife, and a son born in 1969.

Lutgen's name was included on the St. Cloud diocese's list released in January 2014 of clergy who were "likely involved in the sexual abuse of minors."

Ordained: 1947

1947

St. Cloud bishop was Joseph Francis Busch (1915-1953).

St. Mary's

1950

Washington DC archbishop was

1952

Busch was succeeded as St. Cloud bishop by Peter William Bartholome (1953-1968).

1962

George Henry Speltz replacedBartholome (1968-1987).

3/3, 3/4, 2/2, 1/3, 1/2

In residence 1962-1965.

1962

This was a mission of St. Mary's in Melrose.

Lutgen is not indexed beyond the 1969 Directory. He is deceased.

An internet search yields sources showing a Rev. Henry Michael Lutgen who was born July 13,
1922 in Albany MN and died December 12, 1980 in Escondido CA. He left a wife, and a son born in September 1969. His gravestone names him "Harry M. Lutgen."

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1948-1969)

• Press Release from Donald J. Kettler, Bishop of Saint Cloud, Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Cloud via WJON, January 3, 2014
• The Diocese of St Cloud Release Their List of 33 Priests Accused of Sexually Abusing Minors, By Mike Bryant, Legal Examiner, January 3, 2014
• St. Cloud Diocese Releases List of Clergy Accused of Abuse, By Frank Lee, St. Cloud Times, January 4, 2014
• St. Cloud Diocese Reveals Names of Priests Accused of Abusing Children, By Jean Hopfensperger, Star Tribune, January 3, 2014
• St. Cloud Bishop Releases Names of 33 Accused Priests, By Alex Svejkovsky, WJON, January 3, 2014
• St. Cloud Diocese Issues Revision to Clergy Abuse List, St. Cloud Times, January 31, 2014
• Rev. Henry Michael Lutgen, findagrave.com
• Rev. Henry Michael Lutgen, ancestry.com
• User Home Pages, familytreemaker.com

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 Lutgen'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 26, 2015.