Rev. George V. Rieffer

Assignment Record– Msgr. George V. Rieffer

Summary of Case: George V. Rieffer was ordained for the Santa Fe archdiocese in 1939. He quickly rose to prominence in the archdiocese, holding many leadership positions throughout his career which included Assistant to the Archbishop early on, roles with the Marriage and Archdiocesan Tribunals, Archdiocesan Consultors, Dean, and ultimately, Vicar General. Rieffer was Rector of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary 1945-50, and was elevated to Monsignor in 1948. He also pastored several parishes, including Immaculate Conception in Las Vegas NM 1950-67. Rieffer retired in 1980 and died in 1991.

In a lawsuit filed in May 2016 Rieffer was accused of sexually abusing and raping a girl beginning in 1952, when she was 6-yrs-old. The abuse allegedly occurred many times in the rectory of Immaculate Conception parish. The girl was said to have been a parishioner and student of the parish school.

Born: September 13, 1912
Ordained: 1939
Retired: 1980
Died: September 7, 1991

Start	Stop	Assignments	Town/Accusations	State	Position	Notes
1939 Archdiocese of Santa Fe Archbishop was Rudolph Aloysius Gerken (1933-1943).	1941	Chancery Office	Santa Fe	NM	Secretary to the Archbishop; Assistant
1939	1941	Saint Michael's College	Santa Fe	NM	Chaplain	This was a Brothers of the Christian Schools' boarding and day school, with 366-352 students.
1941 Gerken was succeeded by Edwin Vincent Byrne (1943-1963), followed by James Peter Davis (1964-1974).	1966	Confraternity of Christian Doctrine	Santa Fe	NM	Director
1942	1944	Marriage Tribunal	Santa Fe	NM	Judge
1944	1973	Archdiocesan Tribunal	Santa Fe	NM	Notary 1944-53; Promoter of Justice 1953-73
1944	1950	Priests of Eucharistic League	Santa Fe	NM	Director
1945	1950	Seminary of the Immaculate Heart of Mary	Santa Fe	NM	Rector	Named "Very Rev. Monsignor" in 1948.
1948	1954	Archdiocesan Sacred Heart Enthronement	Santa Fe		Director
1950	1967	Immaculate Conception	Las Vegas	NM	1/1, 1/2, 1/3	Immaculate Conception had a grade school until 1965 with 350-161 students, and a high school until 1964 with 98-255 students.
1950	1967	San Antonio	Los Vigiles	NM		This was a mission of Immaculate Conception in Las Vegas.
1950	1967	Las Vegas Deanery	Las Vegas	NM	Dean
1950	1966	Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women	Santa Fe	NM	Director
1951	1958	Pro-Synodal Examiners and Parish Priest Consultors	Santa Fe	NM
1949 1954	1950 1968	Archdiocesan Consultors	Santa Fe	NM
1959	1968	Archdiocesan Committee for Sacred Liturgy	Santa Fe	NM
1959	1973	Vicar General	Santa Fe	NM
1967	1968	Christo Rey, Christ the King	Santa Fe	NM	1/2	Christo Rey had a school with 300 students.
1967	1968		Cañada de Los Alamos	NM		This was a mission of Christo Rey in Santa Fe.
1968 Robert Fortune Sanchez followed Davis as Santa Fe archbishop (1974-1993).	1975	Annunciation	Albuquerque	NM	1/3, 1/2	Annunciation had a school with 453-561 students.
1975	1980	San Ysidro	Corrales	NM	1/2
1980	1991	Retired		NM		Rieffer died September 7, 1991.

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.

Source: Official Catholic Directory (Kenedy & Sons, 1940-1992).

• 3 File Sexual Abuse Lawsuits against Archdiocese of Santa Fe, By Olivier Uyttebrouck, Albuquerque Journal, May 12, 2016

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 Rieffer's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with the allegations against him, as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegations 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 June 21, 2016.