Assignment Record – Rev. William J. Ryan, s.j.

Summary of Case: Ryan was a Jesuit of the Oregon Province, ordained in 1933. His career was spent on Indian reservations in Montana, Idaho and Washington state. He died in 1967. Ryan's name was on the Spokane diocese's list in 2007 of "Admitted, Proven or Credibly Accused Perpetrators of Sexual Abuse."

Ordained: 1933
Died: Feb. 6, 1967


     

Start Stop Parish/Assignment Town/Accusations State/Country Position Notes
1933 1935         Ryan is not indexed in the 1934 or 1935 Directories.

1935

Great Falls bishop was Edwin Vincent O'Hara (1930-1939).

1936 St. Francis Xavier Mission St. Xavier (Crow Indian Reservation) MT 2/2 St. Francis had a school with 50 students.
1935 1936 St. Ann's Lodgegrass MT  

St. Ann's had a religious vacation school with 29 students.

This was a mission of St. Francis Xavier Mission in St. Xavier.

1935 1936 St. Anthony's Lodgegrass MT   This was a mission of St. Francis Xavier Mission in St. Xavier.
1935 1936 St. Charles Borromeo Pryor MT  

St. Charles' had a summer vacation school with 51 students.

This was a mission of St. Francis Xavier Mission in St. Xavier.

1935 1936 Our Lady of Perpetual Help Soap Creek MT   This was a mission of St. Francis Xavier Mission in St. Xavier.
1935 1936   Warman MT   This was a mission of St. Francis Xavier Mission in St. Xavier.

1936

Boise bishop was Edward Joseph Kelly (1927-1956).

1940 Sacred Heart Desmet (Coer d'Alene Indian Mission) ID 3/3 Sacred Heart had a school with 125-73 students.
1940 1942         Ryan is indexed in the 1941 and 1942 Directories as at Sacred Heart in Desmet, ID, but he is not listed as there in the Boise diocesan pages. He is also indexed in the 1942 Directory as at Mt. St. Michael's Scholasticate in Spokane, WA, but is not listed as there in the Spokane pages.

1942

Spokane bishop was Charles Daniel White (1926-1955).

1943 Mt. St. Michael's Scholasticate Spokane WA Indian Missionary  
1943 1944 St. Francis Regis Colville WA 1/3  
1943 1944 St. Michael's Indian Mission

Inchelium

• Ryan's name was on the Spokane diocese's list in 2007 of "Admitted, Proven or Credibly Accused Perpetrators of Sexual Abuse."

 WA 1/1 This was a mission of St. Francis Regis in Colville.
1943 1944 St. Ann's Pia WA   This was a mission of St. Francis Regis in Colville.
1943 1944 Sacred Heart Rogers Bar WA   This was a mission of St. Francis Regis in Colville.

1944

White was succeeded as Spokane bishop by Bernard Joseph Topel (1955-1978).

1967 St. Michael's Indian Mission Inchelium WA 1/1  
1944 1967 Sacred Heart Rogers Bar/Kewa WA   This was a mission of St. Michael's Indian Mission in Inchelium.
1952 1967 St. Ann's Boyds WA  

This was a mission of St. Michael's Indian Mission in Inchelium.

Ryan died Feb. 6, 1967.

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons,1936-1968).

• A Safe Environment for Children & Youth, Catholic Diocese of Spokane
November 3, 2009
• Statement by Diocese of Spokane, November 21, 2007
• Fr. William J. Ryan, findagrave.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 Ryan'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 July 5, 2014.