Assignment Record– Rev. Harold Francis Quigg

Summary of Case: Harold Francis Quigg was ordained a priest of the Seattle archdiocese in 1960. Over much of four decades he ministered in parishes - as an assistant, then pastor - until his 2000 retirement. The Official Catholic Directory shows him during 1987-1988 to have been on 'Special Assignment' and 'Medical Leave'. In a June 2003 report the archdiocesan Review Board stated that there was sufficient evidence to support an allegation that Quigg sexually abused a 17-year-old male, but that the church's age of consent at the time of the abuse was 16. It also found that Quigg passed the boy around to other priests and friends. The Board determined that Quigg's actions were so "egregious" that he was "unsuitable for the priesthood." He was removed from active ministry; parishioners were not informed. In 2014 there was an outcry when it was discovered that Quigg continued to perform baptisms, weddings and funerals, despite his removal. The archdiocese stated it did not publicize Quigg's removal to respect Quigg's request for privacy and because "the sexual contact did not involve a minor." Quigg's laicization was announced in July 2015. He died in November 2015.

Ordained: 1960
Retired: 2000
Died: November 11, 2015

   

Start Stop Parish/Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1960

Seattle archbishop was Thomas Arthur Connolly (1950-1975).

1966 St. Mary Magdalene Everett WA 2/2 St. Mary Magdalene had a school with 58-175 boys and 72-195 girls. The 1966 Directory shows a Junior High with 14 boys and 21 girls.
1960 1966 St. John Evangelist Mukilteo WA   This was a mission of St. Mary Magdalene in Everett.
1960 1966 Paine Field AFB   WA   This was a station of St. Mary Magdalene in Everett.
1966 1968 Holy Family Kirkland WA 2/2 Holy Family had a school with 170-173 boys and 187-186 girls.
1968 1972 St. James Cathedral Seattle WA 2/6, 2/5 St. James' had a school with 80-31 boys and 116-49 girls.
1968 1972 Mt. Carmel Center   WA   This was a station of St. James Cathedral in Seattle.

1972

Connolly was succeeded by Raymond Gerhardt Hunthausen (1975-1991).

1981 St. Vincent de Paul

Federal Way

• The archdiocesan Review Board found in 2004 that Quigg had "sexual contact" with a 17-year-old male beginning in 1980 and continuing for 15 years, and that Quigg passed the boy around to other priests and friends.

 WA 1/1, 1/3, 1/2 St. Vincent de Paul had a school with 265-210 students.
1981 1987 Sacred Heart Bellevue WA 1/3, 1/1, 1/2 Sacred Heart had a school with 480-368 students.
1987 1988 Special Assignment/Medical Leave       Address given is that of the Chancery (910 Marion St., Seattle).
1988 1989 St. Anthony's Renton WA 2/2 St. Anthony's had a school with 382 students.

1989

Thomas Joseph Murphy replaced Hunthausen (1991-1997), followed by Alexander Joseph Brunett (1997-2010).

2000 St. Bridget's Seattle WA 1/1 The 1999-2000 Directories show a religious education program with 175 students.
2000 2002 Retired Seattle WA   Address given is that of the Chancery (910 Marion St., Seattle).
2002 2003        

Quigg is not indexed in the 2003 Directory.

The archdiocesan Review Board in 2003 stated that there was sufficient evidence to support an allegation that Quigg sexually abused a 17-year-old, but that the church's age of consent at the time of the abuse was 16. The Board determined that Quigg's actions were so "egregious" that he was unsuitable for the priesthood."

2003 2005 Retired      

Chancery address.

Quigg was removed from active ministry in 2004.

2005 2006         Quigg is not indexed in the 2006 Directory, nor is he listed under Retired in the Seattle pages.
2006 2009 Retired

 Seattle WA  

Seattle condo address.

Quigg is not indexed beyond the 2009 Directory.

2009

Brunett was succeeded by James Peter Sartain (2010-).

 2014         Quigg's 2004 removal was not made known publicly, and Quigg continued to activley minister, performing baptisms, weddings and funerals. Per the archdiocese in 2014, "Quigg's request to respect his privacy was observed" and because "the sexual contact did not involve a minor." The statement was in response to an outcry from St. Brigid parishioners upon learning in 2014 of the 2004 allegations and removal. Former leaders of the Review Board who had recommended Quigg's removal called the archdiocese's rationale for not disclosing the situation to the public "astonishing."

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1961-2012)

• Seattle Archdiocesan Case Review Board Report, pp. 4-5, June 1, 2004
• Review Board Letter to Archbishop Brunett , December 20, 2004
• WA- Victims challenge archbishop on three priests, By David Clohessy, Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, March 24, 2014
• Victims Group Discloses Predator Priests, SNAP, March 24, 2014
• Carroll and McKay Letter to Archbishop Sartain May 6, 2014
• Seattle Catholic church members outraged to learn of violations by longtime priest, By Josh Kerns, My Northwest,
May 6, 2014
• Seattle Priest Who Slept with Teen Kept Ministering, By Joel Connelly, Seattle PI, May 6, 2014
• Archdiocese Made ‘astonishing’ Claim in Concealing Seattle Priest’s Sexual Offenses, Review Board Says, By Joel Connelly, Seattle PI, May 12, 2014
• Despite Ban, Abuser Priest Remained in Ministry for 10 Years, By Dan Morris-Young, National Catholic Reporter,
May 15, 2014
• St Bridget Bulletin, July 5, 2015
• Death Notice, Reverend Father Harry Quigg, FuneralTimes.com, accessed April 22, 2016
• Archdiocese of Seattle List, January 15, 2016
• Seattle archdiocese publishes list of clergy accused of sexual abuse of minors, By Dan Morris-Young, National Catholic Reporter, January 27, 2016
• Prominent Catholics want Seattle Archdiocese to open all sex-abuse files, By Lewis Kamb, Seattle Times, January 30, 2016

 


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 Quigg'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 22, 2016.