Father Robert Michael Kiffman
Priest Diocese of Hamilton, Ontario. Ordained 1969. Acquitted January 1991. (Kiffman was discharged from the Canadian Armed Forces in late 1989 or early 1990, one month before charges related to allegations of sex abuse of an 11-year-old ‘Little Brother’ were laid. The alleged victim did not come forward himself but became known to police during an RCMP investigation which began in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is not known why Kiffman left the military, nor is it known if his departure was fall-out from the RCMP investigation)
Unless otherwise indicated the following dates and locations are drawn from the Canadian Catholic Church Directories (CCCD) of that date to which I currently have access.
2012, 2011, 2010: address in Waterloo, Ontario
2002: address 249 Main St., Apt 393, Ottawa (Saint Paul University Seminary – rooms available for priests studying at the university.)
1999: address 249 Main St., Apt 393, Ottawa (Saint Paul University Seminary – rooms available for priests studying at the university.)
1998: address 249 Main St., Apt 393, Ottawa (Saint Paul University Seminary – rooms available for priests studying at the university.)
1997: address 249 Main St., Apt 393, Ottawa (Saint Paul University Seminary – rooms available for priests studying at the university.)
1996: 9332 Cherry Hill Rd., Apt 103., College Park, MD 20742, USA 301-982-7943 (University of Maryland is in College Park)
1995: 9332 Cherry Hill Rd., Apt 103., College Park, MD 20742, USA 301-982-7943
1994:232 Queenston Rd., Hamilton – St. Eugene Church (pastor Father Charles Schefter)
1993: 80 Wood St., East, Hamilton, Ontario (no indication of what church, if any, he was serving in at this time)
1992: 408 Forestlawn Rd, Waterloo, Ontario (no indication of what church, if any, he was serving in at this time)
January 1991: ACQUITTED
According to media reports (scroll down) it appears that Kiffman was discharged from the Canadian Armed Forces in late December 1989 or early 1990 beforehe was arrested on the sex abuse charge. (The 1991 CCCD lists him as Lt. Col Robert M Kiffman, Maritime Command Headquarters, FMO Halifax, Nova Scotia.)
February 1990: CHARGED with one count of indecent assault on a male and one of gross indecency (media – scroll down)
1985-1986: CF Training System, Astra, Ontario
(allegations of sex abuse relate to the years 1980 to 1985)
1980: Chaplain Canadian Armed Forces (Ontario Catholic Directory)
1973-1974: Our Lady of the Assumption, Burlington, Ontario
1971-1972: associate pastor St. Mary’s (Our Lady of the Assumption) Burlington, Ontario (http://stmarysbrantford.com/html/history.html)
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January 23, 1991 19.59 EST
Canadian Press
TORONTO (CP) — A 49-year-old Roman Catholic priest has been cleared by a jury of sexually molesting a teenager for whom he acted as a Big Brother between 1981 and 1985.
Father Robert Kiffman left the courtroom showing little emotion after the Ontario Court jury of five women and seven men delivered their verdict.
Defence counsel Douglas Hunt maintained that the complainant, now 23, had made false allegations against his client in the belief that the Catholic Church would compensate him with a large amount of money if Kiffman was convicted of sexually accosting him.
Kiffman, who was a chaplain with the armed forces at the time, pleaded not guilty to charges of indecent assault and gross indecency. He has since left the armed forces and is hoping to be placed in a Hamilton parish.
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January 16, 1991 03.18 EST
Canadian Press
TORONTO (CP) ‑‑ A Canadian Forces chaplain has denied committing gross indecency with a boy to whom he acted as a Big Brother between 1981 and 1985.
Rev. Robert Kiffman, 47, of Waterloo pleaded not guilty to gross indecency charges Wednesday before Justice Arthur Whealy and a jury of the general division of Ontario Court.
The complainant, now in his 20s, testified he was 11 years old when his mother took him to a Big Brother’s meeting. Kiffman, a Roman Catholic priest, became the boy’s Big Brother, the jury was told.
At first they attended movies together and then the boy went to Kiffman’s house on weekends, he said. The sexual abuse started off with acts of masturbation and then escalated to acts of fellatio, the jury was told.
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February 1, 1990 05.07 EST
Canadian Press
TORONTO (CP)
A Roman Catholic priest has been charged with sex offences involving a young boy he was assigned to take care of as a Big Brother in Toronto a decade ago.
Robert Michael Kiffman, 47, who moved to Waterloo, Ont., last month, appeared in court in Toronto on Wednesday on charges of indecent assault on a male and gross indecency.
He was arrested at a friend’s business in Brantford on Tuesday, one month after he was discharged from the Canadian Armed Forces in Halifax, said Det. Christopher Buck. He had been in the Forces 16 years, at least 10 of those as a priest.
The boy, now 22 and living in Toronto, became known to police during an RCMP investigation that started in Halifax in October, Buck said.
In 1968-1969 This priest was at the St Josephs Church next to the St Lawrence elementary School in Hamilton He was just becoming a priest at that time. He would have been about 21 years old at the time. He drove a Dodge Charger green and black in color. If this is the same priest and I think he is he also molested my brother and his best friend. My brother has passed away now and went with no justice. His life was in turmoil because of this, he died and took this to his grave. Kiffman would be in his late 70s now. He was a real piece of work. My brother was an alter boy serving with him. This priest took him and his best friend who was also an alter boy to nudist camps. My brother was 15 years old at the time. I wanted to be an alter boy to but my brother told me not to and convinced me that it wasn’t for me. It wasn’t until 2001 I learned the reason why he did not want me to be an alter boy. He was protecting me from this wolf in sheep’s clothing. If this priest is still alive I would so like to confront him and let him know of how he destroyed a persons life.