Brother Francis Zimmerer
Diocese of Little Rock/Benedictine
Ordained: 1932
Died: 1983
Assignment History:
- 1932-1933: Subiaco Academy
- 1933-1940: Sacred Heart (Muenster, TX)
- 1940-1941: St. Mary (Windthorst, TX)
- 1941-1945: Army Chaplain in World War II
- 1945-1949: Subiaco Academy
- 1948: St. Benedict, Subiaco
- 1950-1951: St. Scholastica, Shoal Creek / New Blaine
- 1952-1953: St. Mary (Windthorst, TX)
- 1953: Subiaco Abbey
- 1954-1959: St. Teresa (Corpus Christi, TX)
- 1960-1962: Counselor for Arkansas rehabilitation programs
- 1963-1966: St. Peter (Mount Clemens, MI)
- 1966: Counselor in Little Rock prisons
- 1967: Counselor for Arkansas rehabilitation program (Fort Smith, AR)
- 1968-1970: VA Hospital (Tomah, WI)
- 1971: St. Stephen (Stevens Point, WI); St. Kilian (Blenker, WI)
- 1972-1973: St. Joseph Hospital (Chippewa Falls, WI)
- 1974-1975: St. John the Baptist (Elgar, WI)
- 1976-1981: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Decatur, TX)
- 1981-1983: Sts. Peter and Paul, Morrison Blu
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Brother Francis Zimmerer:
Br. Francis “Hugo” Zimmerer was ordained a Brother of the Benedictine Order in 1932. Zimmerer was assigned to parishes in Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, and the Diocese of Little Rock in Arkansas.
According to media reports, in 2008, the Diocese of Fort Worth announced a credible allegation that Zimmerer sexually abused an 11-year-old boy while assigned to Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Decatur, Texas, in 1978. As of 2015, two more men had come forward with credible allegations of abuse at the same church.
In 2018, Zimmerer was publicly named and included on the Diocese of Little Rock’s list of accused clergy for whom unsubstantiated though credible allegations of sexual abuse of a minor have been received. There are no known victims in Arkansas, but three known victims in Texas.
In 2019, Zimmerer was named on the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau list and on the Diocese of La Crosse list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor in 2020.
Brother Zimmerer died in 1983.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims of sexual abuse by Arkansas priests in the Diocese of Little Rock. Our lawyers are now offering free legal consultations to discuss a potential lawsuit and your other options as a survivor of sexual abuse by priests and other employees of the Little Rock Diocese. Your chance to pursue legal action will soon be over. Most victims of abuse will never be able to recover damages if they miss the temporary window to file a lawsuit, so please contact us to discuss your case today. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an e-mail to [email protected] to discuss your options today.