Rev. George Joseph Schumacher    

Summary of Case :  In 1983 a 13-year-old boy reported to police that Schumacher sexually abused him after giving him alcohol during a campout. The boy was a resident of Campbell Lodge Boys Home, where Schumacher was Director. Schumacher was removed for an indeterminate period of time. By 1986 he was back at Campbell Lodge and later, in 1995, he was given a parish assignment. He was permanently removed from ministry in January 2003 based on the new Bishops' Charter, due to the 1983 allegations. Schumacher's name was included on the diocese's July 2020 list of those with substantiated allegations.

Ordained: 1965


     

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1957

Covington bishop was William Theodore Mulloy (1944-1959), followed by Richard Henry Ackerman, C.S.Sp. (1960-1978)

1965         Although later Directories note Schumacher to have been ordained in 1957, he is not indexed prior to the 1966 Directory.

1965

 

 1971 Christ the King Lexington KY 3/3 Parish had a school with 305-168 boys and 323-216 girls.
1965    Lexington Catholic High School  Lexington  KY  faculty  

1971

Ackerman was succeeded by William Anthony Hughes (1979-1995)

1980 St. Paul's Florence KY

4/4, 3/3

In residence.

Parish had a school with 280-399 students.
1971    Covington Catholic High School  Park Hills  KY  faculty   
1980 1981 St. Joseph's Cold Spring KY

3/3

In residence.

Parish had a school with 351 students.
1981 1995 Campbell Lodge Boys' Home

Cold Spring

• In 1983 a 13-year-old Campbell Lodge resident accused Schumacher of plying him with alcohol and molesting him during a campout. The accusation was was filed with the Boone County Police Department on May 28 of that year. (Cincinnati Enquirer
October 9, 2003)

KY Director

Campbell Lodge was a residential facility for pre-adolescent and adolescent boys. There were 40-25 boys residing at the facility during Shumacher's tenure.

Schumacher was removed, then reportedly "returned to the boys home by 1986". The Directories list him as there consistently during these years. (Cincinnati Enquirer, October 9, 2003)

1992    St. Catherine of Siena  Ft. Thomas  KY  mass supply   

1995

Replacing Hughes as bishop was Robert William Muench (1996-2001), followed by Roger Joseph Foys (2002- )

2003 St. Joseph's Warsaw KY 1/1  
1995 2003 St. Edward's Owenton KY  

This was a mission of St. Joseph's in Warsaw.

The 2001-2003 Directories show that the parish had a religious education program with 70 students.

Schumacher was permanently suspended from ministry in January 2003, based on the new Bishops' Charter, due to the 1983 allegations. His name was included on the diocese's July 2020 list of those with substantiated allegations.


Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1966-2003)

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 Schuhmacher'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 March 11, 2021.