Rev. Francis J. Zilkoski - Assignment Record

Assignment Record – Rev. Francis J. Zilkoski

Summary of Case: Francis J. Zilkoski was a priest of the St. Cloud MN diocese, ordained in 1924. He pastored parishes in Foreston, Flensburg, Little Falls and Opole. He was also Chancellor and a member of the Diocesan Board of Directors. He died in 1978. Zilkoski's name was included on the diocese's list released in January 2014 of clergy with likely claims against them of sexual abuse of minors.

Born: August 5, 1897
Ordained: May 18, 1924
Died: May 19, 1978

Start	Stop	Assignment	Town	State	Position	Notes
1924 St. Cloud bishop was Joseph Francis Busch (1915-1953).	1927					Zilkoski is not indexed in the 1925-1927 Directories.
1927	1933	St. Louis Bertrand	Foreston	MN	1/1
1927	1928	Chancellor and Official	St. Cloud	MN
1927	1930	Diocesan Board of Directors	St. Cloud	MN
1933	1941	Sacred Heart	Flensburg	MN	1/1
1941 Busch was succeeded by Peter William Bartholome (1953-1968).	1968	Our Lady of Lourdes	Little Falls	MN	1/1, 1/2	Our Lady of Lourdes had a school with 124-282 students.
1968 George Henry Speltz replaced Bartholome (1968-1987).	1978	Our Lady of Mt. Carmel	Opole	MN	1/1	Zilkoski died May 19, 1978.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1928-1979)

• 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
• 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
• Priests Accused of Abuse Had Ties with Foreston, By Jeff Hage, The Mille Lacs County Times, January 9, 2014
• 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 Zilkoski's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with ... as it is 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 December 21, 2015.