To date, 84 current or former Buffalo priests -- and one Catholic nun -- have been publicly accused of sexual misconduct.
The Diocese of Buffalo in March 2018 released a list of 42 "diocesan priests who were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse with a minor." It included deceased priests "with more than one allegation made against them."
That list did not include the names of dozens of additional priests who were members of religious orders, were publicly accused of sexual misconduct with adult women or men, left the diocese and moved to other parts of the country, or were identified in reporting by 7 Eyewitness News and other media outlets since March. The full list of all accused clergy is below. It includes bishops who covered up the abuse, as detailed in the 7 Eyewitness News "Catholic Cover-Up" investigation.
John R. Aurelio (d. 2009) - The 1990s child sex abuse case against Fr. Bernard Mach and Fr. John Aurelio was one of Buffalo's first high-profile abuse scandals involving Catholic priests. Aurelio was suspended in 2003 after admitting to sexually abusing multiple children with Fr. Bernard M. Mach. During his tenure as a priest, Aurelio worked at Cardinal Mindszenty High School (1968), St. Leo in Amherst (1969), West Seneca State School (1970-75), St. Catherine of Siena in West Seneca (1976-81), the West Seneca Development Center (1982-86), St. John the Evangelist in Buffalo (1987-90), and Christ the King Seminary (1991-93). Aurelio is believed to have ceased functioning as a priest and moved to Venice, Florida after being suspended from ministry. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Aurelio on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."
Benedict P. Barszcz - In 1999, Fr. Benedict Barszcz, a priest from the Pallotine religious order, was removed from ministry after police charged him with exposure after they said the priest masturbated in front two teenage girls on the East Side of Buffalo, according to reporting by WKBW and The Buffalo News. He was a priest at St. Peter Catholic Church in Lewiston.
Donald W. Becker - Becker, a priest at St. Bonaventure in West Seneca (1971-74), SS. Peter & Paul in Hamburg (1975-79), Nativity in Orchard Park (1980-82), St. Agatha’s in South Buffalo (1985-90) and St. Mary’s in Batavia (1992-2002), was forced out of service and put on “medical leave” in 2002 after allegations of child sexual abuse came to light, a 7 Eyewitness News investigation revealed in March. Becker denied the allegations but has since been accused by other men who say he abused them at a cabin in Java. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Becker on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."
In addition to the above parishes, he also served at St. Joseph in Fredonia (1991), St. Stephen in Grand Island (1982-84), St. Mark in Rushford (1968) and St. Mary's in Lancaster (1969-70). He retired on Sept. 1, 2003 -- the same day as three other priests who would go on to be accused of sexual misconduct. He lives in Florida.
David M. Bialkowski - Bialkowski was placed on leave in 2011 after a former alter boy said the priest had inappropriately touched him on this upper thigh and made suggestive statements to him a decade earlier. Bialkowski was serving as a priest at St. John Gualbert at the time, a post he held from 1996 to 2003. After the initial allegation surfaced, two other individuals came forward and said that Bialkowski acted inappropriately toward them as children.
Bialkowski also worked at St. Bernard in Buffalo (1989-93), and SS. Peter and Paul Church in Hamburg (1994-95). He was listed as "absent on leave" in 2012-13 and on administrative leave from 2014-16. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Bialkowski on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." Bialkowski is now an organist at a Lutheran church in Buffalo, according to WGRZ-TV.
Robert J. Biesinger - In 2003, 36-year-old Colleen Ptak filed a lawsuit saying that Biesigner sexually abused her while she was a part of the color guard and drill team at Baker-Victory High School in Lackawanna. Biesinger was the coach of the drill team and Ptak was 15 years old during the alleged abuse.
Beisinger served at Immaculate Conception in East Bethany (1957), SS. Peter & Paul in Williamsville (1958-67), St. Mary in Lockport (1968), Baker-Victory High School in Lackawanna (1969-1975), Holy Family in Machias (1976-86), Immaculate Heart of Mary in Buffalo (1987) and St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Cheektowaga (1988-1994). He was listed as "absent on leave" from 1995-2001 and retired in 2002. He died in 2012. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Biesinger on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."
Secondo Casarotto - In 2012, the diocese reached a legal settlement with a woman who said the former pastor of St. Anthony of Padua made sexual advances on her in 2009.
Charles Cassetta - in 2004, the Miami Herald reported an unidentified Florida woman was awarded a $220,000 settlement by the Diocese of Miami. She accused Casetta of sexually assaulting her 10 times in the early 1970s when she was a student at Cardinal Newman High School in Palm Beach County. Cassetta worked as a priest with the Diocese of Buffalo before moving to Florida.
Robert P. Conlin (d. 1997) - A Genesee County man, Wayne Bortle, in 2018 accused Conlin of sexually abusing him at St. Mary's in Pavilion, 7 Eyewitness News and The Buffalo News both reported. Conlin was pastor of St. Mary from 1978-1997, The News reported, adding that he also served at Our Lady of Loretto and Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, both in Buffalo, and St. Joseph Church in Albion. Bortle said Conlin molested him in the rectory of St. Mary Church three decades ago, when the boy was 16. Conlin died in 1997.
Larry Connors - In May 2018, Jamestown man Daniel Bauer said he was in college decades ago when he said Father Larry Connors of St. James Church in Jamestown tried to sexually attack him before he was able to fight him off. (Connors went on to teach at Cardinal Mindszenty High School in Dunkirk and St. Mary’s in Lancaster after he left the area and died in 1992). The diocese declined to comment on the allegations.
James H. Cotter (d. 1991) - In 2007, The Buffalo News reported that Cotter was named in a 2003 lawsuit against the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo. The lawsuit alleged that the diocese knew Cotter was an abuser and knowingly transferred him to San Diego where he was accused of molesting a 7-year-old boy in the late 1980s. Before moving to California, Cotter worked as a priest as St. Mary's in Little Valley, N.Y. (1951), St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Cheektowaga (1952-55), Most Precious Blood in Angola (1956-58), St. Cecilia in Oakland, N.Y. (1959-65), and Our Lady of Lourdes in Bemus Point (1966-78). Read Cotter's personnel file and more documents relating to Father Cotter's case. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Cotter on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."
Robert J. Cunningham - From 1974 until his departure in 2004, Cunningham held high-ranking posts in the Buffalo Diocese, including Vicar General, Assistant Chancellor and Chancellor. He was a popular and well-liked church official, but lawyers say he pulled many of the strings during the era of Bishop Henry J. Mansell. Multiple victims who have researched their cases point the finger at Cunningham as one of the key players who shuffled around abusive priests.
After leaving Buffalo, Cunningham became Bishop of Ogdensburg and Bishop of Syracuse, where he has refused to name names even as other bishops across New York have in recent years released lists of credibly accused priests. In Syracuse, he caused controversy by testifying in a 2011 deposition that child abuse victims could be to blame for their own abuse. He later clarified those comments and said victims are “never to blame.”
Denman Dewey - Dewey was a member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate religious order from 1950 to 1963, when he became a diocesan priest, officials for the Oblates said. He was assigned to churches in Buffalo, Batavia and East Aurora. In April 2018, a victim named Charlie Pero told WGRZ-TV that Dewey sexually assaulted him in his childhood bedroom in Batavia. Dewey was not named in the report, but 7 Eyewitness News has confirmed with Pero's lawyer that Dewey was the priest. According to diocesan directories, Dewey was assigned to Holy Angels in Buffalo (1963), St. Joseph's in Batavia (1964-65) and Immaculate Conception in East Aurora (1966). Newspaper articles also list him as assistant priest at SS. Peter & Paul in Jamestown, citing that Dewey was "active in youth work" and religious education for young adults. Dewey is deceased.
Kevin Downey - In March, The Buffalo News identified Downey as a Franciscan Friar who had been permanently removed from public ministry in April 2017. Downey was accused of sexually abusing a boy in 1990, while he was vice president of development at Quincy University in Illinois. At the time of his removal in 2017, Downey was serving at a church in Triangle, Va. The Buffalo News reported Downey had previously served as pastor at St. Bonaventure Church in Allegany from 2000-02.
Donald S. Fafinski - Fafinski worked with children for several years teaching at Cardinal Mindszenty High School in Dunkirk and was a principal there until the school closed in 1979. He also taught at Archbishop Walsh High School in Olean and was Director of the Youth Council in 1980 to 1981. In March, The Buffalo News reported that one of Fafinski's alleged victims said Fafinski abused him in the 1970s when he was a student at Archbishop Walsh. The man, Steve Lilly-Weber, told The News that he reported the abuse in 1994 and received a $24,000 settlement from the diocese in 1996.
Fafinski also served at St. Casimir in Buffalo (1968), St. John Vianney in Orchard Park (1982-89), St. Joseph in Fredonia (1990-91) and St. John in Jamestown (1992-2002) before he was placed on leave in 2003. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Fafinski on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."
He retired on Sept. 1, 2003 -- the same day as three other priests who would go on to be accused of sexual misconduct. Fafinski is believed to be living in Dunkirk, according to the Anderson & Associates law firm.
Douglas F. Faraci - The diocese assigned Faraci to St. Elizabeth's in Cherry Creek (1970), St. Anthony in Batavia (1971-72), St. Joseph in Lockport (1973), St. Joseph in Niagara Falls (1974-75), Buffalo General Hospital (1981-2002), and Roswell Park Cancer Institute (1990-2003). On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Faraci on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." Faraci retired in 2004, and as of 2016, he was believed to be residing in Tonawanda.
Fred G. Fingerle (d. 2002) - After his 1963 ordination, the diocese assigned Fingerle to St. John of the Cross in Whitesville (1964), St. Timothy in Tonawanda (1965-67), Most Precious Blood in Angola (1968-69), All Saints in Buffalo (1970-71), Most Precious Blood in Angola (1972-77), St. John the Evangelist in South Buffalo (1978), St. Mary of the Lake in Hamburg (1979-83), St. John of the Cross in Whitesville (1984-2002) and Blessed Sacrament in Andover (1990-2002). Fingerle died in 2002. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Fingerle on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."
Michael R. Freeman (d. 2010) - After his 1972 ordination, the diocese assigned Freeman to St. Margaret (1973-75) and St. Lawrence (1976) in Buffalo, Sacred Heart in Niagara Falls (1977-80), St. Christopher in Tonawanda (1983-84), Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1985-87) and St. Mary of the Assumption (1988-89) in Lancaster. In 1982, he was listed as a military chaplain in Ft. Benning, Ga. It is unclear where he resided from 1990 until his death in 2010. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Freeman on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."
In August 2018, Freeman was cited in a Pennsylvania grand jury report describing widespread sexual abuse by priests in that state. The jurors found that Freeman "was moved from Buffalo churches to parishes in Pennsylvania even after the Buffalo Diocese learned in 1981 that he had been involved in 'criminal behavior' and 'admitted inappropriate sexual behavior' with young men and children during five assignments in the Buffalo area," The Buffalo News reported. The Pennsylvania attorney general found no evidence that church leaders in Buffalo or Pennsylvania ever alerted law enforcement about Freeman's actions, The News reported.
Joseph P. Friel (d. 1995) - A 1994 civil lawsuit alleged that Friel abused a teenage boy in the late 1960s. 7 Eyewitness News interviewed one of his victims in 1993, who said the abuse occurred at Fourteen Holy Helpers in West Seneca (where he was assigned from 1967-1970).
The diocese also assigned Friel to St. Mary in Little Valley (1958), St. Joseph in North Tonawanda (1959), St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Cheektowaga (1960-64), Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna (1965-66) and St. John the Evangelist in South Buffalo (1971). He was listed as “absent on sick leave” in 1972 before the diocese assigned him to Blessed Sacrament in Kenmore (1973-74), St. Bernard (1975) and St. Bartholomew (1976-77) in Buffalo, St. Patrick in Randolph (1978-82) and St. Vincent in North Evans. In 1987, he was listed as “awaiting assignment” before the diocese sent him to St. Charles in Niagara Falls (1988-90) and St. Leo in Amherst (1991). He was again “absent on sick leave” from 1992-1994 and died in 1995. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Friel on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."
Mark M. Friel - On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Friel on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." The diocese did not disclose when or where the abuse was alleged to have taken place, or how many victims have come forward. The diocese assigned Friel to St. Mary’s in East Arcade (1964), Assumption in Lackawanna (1965-72), St. John Vianney in Orchard Park (1973), Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1974) and Our Lady Church (1975-77) in Lancaster, Infant of Prague in Cheektowaga (1978-81) and SS. Peter & Paul in Jamestown (1982-86).
Friel was “awaiting assignment” in 1987 before the diocese assigned him to St. Mary of the Cataract (in residence) in Niagara Falls (1988-2003), where from 1990 to 2003 he was also the chaplain of Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center. Since 2004, he has resided at the Sheehan retired priests residence on Linwood Avenue in Buffalo.
Dennis Fronczak - In June 2017, sexual abuse allegations against Fronczak surfaced in two Buffalo News articles that sought to answer the question of why Fronczak was suddenly removed from Our Lady of Pompeii parish in Lancaster in 2015. Bishop Richard Malone acknowledged an investigation that had been forwarded to Rome "about past actions on his part."
Kristen Lovullo told The News that Fronczak repeatedly fondled her when she was between ages 9 and 12 at St. Stephen School on Grand Island in the 1990s. Fronczak "also was the subject of a complaint lodged in 2003 with the Diocese of Buffalo, when he was pastor of St. Joseph Church in Holland," The News reported. Friends of Fronczak said he denied ever doing anything inappropriate with a child. On June 28, the diocese said the allegations against Fronczak and two other priests "have been substantiated and they will remain on administrative leave while the results of the Diocesan investigation are reviewed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome, who will make the final determination."
Thomas G. Gresock - On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Gresock on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." The diocese did not disclose when or where the abuse was alleged to have taken place, or how many victims have come forward. The diocese assigned Gresock to St. James in Depew (1986-88) and St. John Gualbert in Cheektowaga (1989-93) before he was listed as “absent on leave” from 1994-2006. It’s unclear where he resided in 2007-08. He retired in 2009 and is believed to be living in North Tonawanda.
Edward M. Grosz - Buffalo's auxiliary bishop since 1990, Grosz is a popular figure in the Polish-American community. In early 2018, Bishop Richard J. Malone said Grosz was helping lead the effort to deal with sexual abuse in the Diocese of Buffalo. Victims advocates have said Grosz is often the person abuse victims meet with at the chancery to discuss their abuse.
But in May 2018, the 7 Eyewitness News uncovered a secret letter suggesting that Grosz and Bishop Edward D. Head may have been warned of alleged sexual abuse by Father Dennis Riter more than 25 years prior -- and failed to act. The secret letter was written and signed by a student at Christ the King Seminary in 1992. The seminarian says he walked in on Father Riter abusing a six-year-old boy at the rectory of Queen of All Saints Church in Lackawanna. But when he alerted diocesan authorities about what he saw, he said he was given the message to keep quiet. Father Riter denied the abuse and a diocesan spokesman said, "Bishop Grosz did not receive this letter, and the diocese has no record of receiving it."
John P. Hajduk - On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Hajduk on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." The diocese did not disclose when or where the abuse was alleged to have taken place, or how many victims have come forward. The diocese assigned him to Blessed Trinity in Buffalo (1977), Most Precious Blood in Angola (1978-82) and Holy Family in Buffalo (1983-90). He was listed as “awaiting assignment” in 1991 before the diocese sent him to St. Mary in Cattaraugus, St. Isidore in Otto and St. Mary in Valley (1992-94). He was listed as “absent on leave” in 1995-96 and it is unclear where he has resided since 1997.
Michael J. Harrington (d. 1989) - On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Harrington on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." The diocese did not disclose when or where the abuse was alleged to have taken place, or how many victims have come forward. After his ordination in 1942, Harrington was assigned to churches in Florida in 1943 before the diocese assigned him to Our Lady of the Rosary in Niagara Falls (1944-49). Then the diocese assigned Harrington to the following churches in Buffalo: Nativity of the Blessed Virgin (1950), Our Lady of Perpetual Help (1951), St. Francis Xavier (1952-54), St. Thomas Aquinas (1955-59), St. Margaret (1960) and Immaculate Conception (1961-88). He retired and died in 1989.
Brian M. Hatrick - After his 1979 ordination, the diocese assigned Hatrick to Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament in Depew (1980-83) and Fourteen Holy Helpers in West Seneca (1984-86) before he was listed as "awaiting assignment" in 1987. He was then assigned to St. Vincent in North Evans (1988-2007) before retiring in 2008. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Hatrick on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."
James P. Hayes (d. 1988) - In 1948, the diocese assigned Hayes to St. Thomas More in Ripley and he was in charge of the Buffalo Missionary Apostolate. He was assigned to Ascension in North Tonawanda (1949-53) before his listing as "absent on sick leave" in 1954 (St. Francis Hospital, Miami Beach) and 1955 (Kenmore Mercy Hospital). The diocese re-assigned him to Ascension in North Tonawanda (1956-66), Our Lady of Victory in Frewsburg (1967-70) and All Saints in Buffalo (1971-88). He died in 1988. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Hayes on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."
Edward D. Head - The Diocese of Buffalo's second-longest-serving bishop (1972-1995), Head was popular with many clergy and parishioners. But much of the sexual abuse by priests happened during his tenure, despite assurances by Head that it was not widespread. Head died in 2005, but internal chancery documents uncovered in May 2018 by 7 Eyewitness News show that in the case of Fr. James Spielman, high-ranking officials at the diocese, including Head, knowingly transferred the priest to other parishes despite multiple victims coming forward about the abuse.
Louis J. Hendricks (d. 1990) - In 1964, the diocese assigned him to St. Brendan in Almond. The diocese then assigned him to St. Joseph's Cathedral in Buffalo (1965-74), St. Aloysius in Cheektowaga (1975-76) and St. Martin in Buffalo (1977-83). The Buffalo News reported that a former altar boy named Timothy Clark alleged Hendricks repeatedly abused him when he was a teenager growing up in South Buffalo back in the 1980s. Later, he was assigned to St. Patrick in Randolph (1984-90), remaining there until he died in 1990. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Hendricks on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."
Linus Hennessy - A Franciscan priest who taught at Bishop Timon High School, Hennessy was accused of sexual abuse in 2015 by Tino Flores of Buffalo, who held a news conference to speak about the diocese's investigation into the matter. Hennessy was identified as the priest facing the allegations in a WBFO Radio story posted on BishopAccountability.org. He died in 1983.
Roy Herberger - On June 28, 2018 the Diocese of Buffalo placed Herberger on administrative leave "until the completion of a preliminary investigation regarding a complaint of abuse." The diocese said the leave was "for the purpose of investigation and does not imply that any determination has been made as to the truth or falsity of the complaint." Herberger denied the allegations, The Buffalo News reported, and in a letter to friends said, "I want everyone to know that I deny these claims completely – 100 percent. I'm not saying that the victim is lying about being assaulted by some priest, a priest but I do emphatically deny that it was me."
Herberger served at St. Jude in Sardinia (1969), St. Leo in Amherst (1970-71), Our Lady of Victory in Lackawanna (1972-77), Our Lady of Lourdes in Buffalo (1978-87), St. John the Baptist in Alden (1988-90), St. Mary of Sorrows in Buffalo (1991-93) and Our Lady of Good Counsel in Darien (1994-97). He is listed in diocesan directories as being in sabbatical leave in 1998 before serving at SS. Columba & Brigid in Buffalo from 1999 until his 2017 retirement. He is believed to be living in Amherst.
J. Grant Higgins (d. 2016) - Higgins was ordained a Josephite Order priest in 1956 and was assigned to churches in New Orleans, La., and Baltimore, Md., before he was incardinated into the Diocese of Buffalo in 1975. The diocese assigned him as chaplain of Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo (1976), St. Albert the Great in North Tonawanda (1977) and the State Hospital/Psychiatric Center in Gowanda (1978-82). His assignment in 1983 is unknown, but the diocese assigned him to Most Precious Blood in Angola (1984-97). His assignment in 1988 is also unknown. He retired in 1999 and died in 2016. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Higgins on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."
Francis T. Hogan (d. 2010) - On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included him on its list of priests who “were removed from ministry, were retired or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor.” He served at Immaculate Conception in Cassadaga (1947), St. John's in Jamestown (1948-49), Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Buffalo (1950), Immaculate Conception in Wellsville (1951-54), SS. Peter & Paul in Hamburg (1955-56), Blessed Trinity (1957-63) and St. Ambrose (1964-65) in Buffalo, St. Mary in Little Valley (1966-70) and St. Patrick in Salamanca (1971-81). He was listed as "absent on leave" in 1982, on "sick leave" in 1983-84 and retired to Melbourne, Fla., in 1985. He died in 2010.
Sylvester Holbel (d. 1983) - In March 2018, Buffalo man Tom Travers identified Msgr. Holbel as his alleged abuser, according to WBFO radio. Holbel was assigned to St. Mary of the Angels in Olean, All Saints in Buffalo, then named pastor of Nativity of Our Lord in Orchard Park in 1960, according to BishopsAccountability. He was also the Superintendent of Diocese of Buffalo schools from 1941-1961. He retired in 1978 and died in 1983.
Stanley Idziak - in 1992, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported Idziak turned in his collar after Bill and Rick Larango accused him of molesting them when they were children. According to the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, the Lorangos had befriended Idziak while he was serving as a Pallotine priest in North Tonawanda. Idziak followed the family after they moved to the Atlanta area, even leaving his religious order and applying to join the Archdiocese of Atlanta, The Buffalo News reported in March.
Fred D. Ingalls - Ingalls was placed on leave and sent to an out-of-state treatment facility in February 2004 after he was criminally charged with receiving child pornography and storing it on a computer in a rectory. He was working as a Diocesan Judge at St. Cecilia in Strykersville and St. Joseph in Varysburg at the time of his arrest. In June 2004, he was sentenced to three years in federal prison. Throughout his career, he served at St. Joseph in Batavia (1975-82 and 1991-96), St. Joseph in Niagara Falls (1983-88), St. Margaret in Buffalo (1989-90) and St. John the Baptist in Alden (1997-2003). He was listed as retired (mail forwarded to diocesan headquarters) from 2005 to 2013, and his whereabouts from 2014 to the present are unknown. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Ingalls on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."
Pascal D. Ipolito - On June 28, 2018 the Diocese of Buffalo placed Ipolito on administrative leave "until the completion of a preliminary investigation regarding a complaint of abuse." The diocese said the leave was "for the purpose of investigation and does not imply that any determination has been made as to the truth or falsity of the complaint." Ipolito, retired since 2017, served at Sacred Heart in Wellsville (1970). His location in 1971 is unknown, but after that he served at Annunciation in Elma (1972-79), St. Bonaventure in West Seneca (1980-82), St. Vincent de Paul in Evans (1983-88), St. James in Buffalo (1989-95), St. Catherine of Siena in West Seneca (1996-2008) and St. George in West Falls (2009-17). He is believed to be living in West Seneca.
Florian A. Jasinski (d. 1983) - On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Jasinski on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." Jasinski served at St. Helen in Hinsdale (1958), St. Patrick in Lockport (1959-62), St. Josaphat in Cheektowaga (1963-71), Transfiguration in Buffalo (1972-74), St. Stanislaus Kostka in Perry (1975-81) and St. Stanislaus Kostka in Niagara Falls (1982-83). He died in 1983.
Gerald C. Jasinski - In 1986, Jasinski was arrested on felony charges of sodomy, sexual abuse, and unlawful dealings with a child in Wyoming County. He was accused of having sexual contact with two boys, aged 15 and 18, according to The Buffalo News. Jasinski pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to five years probation, The News reported. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Jasinski on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." Jasinski served at St. John the Evangelist in Sinclairville (1969), The Visitation (1970), St. Casimir (1971), Queen of Peace (1972-75) and St. Stanislaus (1976-77) in Buffalo, St. James in Depew (1978-82) and Assumption in Lancaster (1983-86). He was listed as "absent on leave" in 1987 and his whereabouts since then are unknown.
Richard P. Judd (d. 1988) - Judd was ordained as a member of the Servants of the Holy Paraclete and worked for the order for several years in New Mexico and Arizona. The Anderson & Associates law firm has stated that Fr. Judd also worked at St. Pius X, St. Cyril of Alexandria and Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Ariz., in the 1970s.
In 1974, Judd moved to the Diocese of Buffalo and began working at St. Teresa (1976) and Nativity (1977-83) in Buffalo and St. Mary Manor in Niagara Falls (1984-88). He died in 1988. In 2003, the Associated Press reported the Diocese of Tucson, Ariz. had added Judd to a public list of clerics who had "credible accusations" of child molestation against them. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Judd on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."
Timothy J. Kelley - In 2003, an unidentified man filed a lawsuit accusing Kelley of abusing him when he was a 13-year-old student at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School in Dunkirk. According to the St. Petersburg Times, Kelley brought the boy on vacation to Florida in August 1983, and that's where the alleged abuse occurred. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2004, but Kelly resigned after a second man came forward saying he was also abused during Kelley's tenure in Western New York. According to the St. Petersburg Times, Kelley transferred to the Diocese of St. Petersburg in 1983 before resigning to take a job outside of the diocese in 1986. Kelley rejoined the Catholic ministry in 2002 after passing a criminal background check. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Kelley on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."
His assignments are listed as St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Dunkirk (1979-83), On duty outside the diocese (Tampa, Fla.) from 1984-85 and 1988, "Absent on leave" in 1986-87 and 1989-90, Unknown from 1991-2002 and St. Timothy Church and Early Childhood Learning Center in Tampa, Fla., in 2003. His current whereabouts are unknown.
Thomas L. Kemp - On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Kemp on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." He served at St. Mary's in Wilmington, N.C. (1953), St. Agnes in Buffalo (1954-55), Holy Name of Jesus in Buffalo (1956-59), Bishop Turner High School in Buffalo (1960), St. Francis in Tonawanda (1961-65), Most Holy Redeemer in Cheektowaga (1966), St. Bonaventure in West Seneca (1967-68), St. Agatha (1969) and St. Joseph (1970) in Buffalo, Our Lady of Victory in Frewsburg (1971-76), St. Mary in Holley (1977-80), St. Mary in Silver Springs, Wyoming County (1981-91) and Immaculate Conception in East Bethany (1992-2004). He retired in 2005 and is believed to be living in Genesee County, according to the Anderson & Associates law firm.
Richard J. Keppeler (d. 2011) - On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Keppeler on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." In April 2018, a victim named Charlie Pero told WGRZ-TV that Keppeler sexually abused him while he was Dean of Boys at Notre Dame High School in Batavia. During his career, he served at SS. Peter & Paul in South Boston, Mass. (1955), St. Brendan in Almond (1956), All Saints in Buffalo (1957), Annunciation in Buffalo (1958-61), Notre Dame High School in Batavia (1962-73), St. Brigid in Bergen (1974-2003) and St. Michael in South Byron (2000-03). He retired in 2004 and died in 2011.
Gary L. Ketcham - A Franciscan Friar who was named in the 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report, Ketcham was convicted in 1990 of molesting two boys in Alabama while on vacation the previous year, WBFO reported. Ketcham spent most of his career in the Diocese of Erie, Pa., but prior to that was assigned to St. Bonaventure University (1977-84) and St. Patrick Friary in Buffalo (1983-84), according to the grand jury report. He was laicized in 2002, the report stated, and no longer functioning as a priest.
Michael Kolodziej - Kolodziej was originally ordained as a Buffalo diocesan priest and taught at Bishop Turner High School before joining the order of Conventual Franciscans in 1974. He then taught at St. Francis High School in Hamburg and he was a principal at Cardinal O'Hara in the 1970s and 1980s, The Buffalo News reported. He also taught at schools in Massachusetts and Maryland. In 2013, the Archdiocese of Baltimore and his religious order removed him from ministry after a former student in Baltimore said the priest molested him in the 1970s.
John D. Lewandowski (d. 1982) - On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Lewandowski on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." After his 1954 ordination, Lewandowski's assignments from 1955-60 are unknown. He was then assigned to St. Joseph in Bliss (1961), SS. Peter & Paul in Bliss (1962-63), Assumption in Buffalo (1964-65), Notre Dame Du Lac Retreat House in Bemus Point (1966), Our Mother of Good Counsel in Blasdell (1967), "absent on leave" from 1968-70, "absent on sick leave" from 1971-72 and unknown from 1973-82. He died in 1982.
Michael Lewandowski - The priest, a member of the Conventual Franciscan order, was suspended from public ministry in 2014 after accusations of sexual abuse of a minor, The Buffalo News reported in April 2018. He taught at St. Francis High School in Hamburg and at Cardinal O'Hara High School in the Town of Tonawanda from 1976 to 1991. The abuse is alleged to have occurred in the 1980s, The News reported, though the St. Francis president said the alleged abuse did not happen at St. Francis.
Bernard M. Mach (d. 2004) - The 1990s child sex abuse case against Fr. Bernard Mach and Fr. John Aurelio was one of Buffalo's first high-profile abuse scandals involving Catholic priests. Mach was placed on leave in December 1993 in the wake of an allegation of child sexual abuse. Fr. Mach and Fr. John Aurelio allegedly sexually abused multiple children together. After being placed on leave, Fr. Mach reportedly retired and lived in Florida without privileges. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Mach on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." During his career as a priest, his assignments included St. Mary's in East Arcade (1965), Holy Cross in Buffalo (1966), St. Vincent in North Evans (1967-68), St. Gerard in Buffalo (1969-77), St. John Vianney in Orchard Park (1978-79), St. Vincent in Buffalo (1980), Sacred Heart in Niagara Falls (1981), Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Buffalo (1982-90), St. Catherine of Siena in West Seneca (1990), St. Mary in Lockport (1991-93), "Absent on leave" in 1994, Unknown from 1995-98 and retired in 1999. He died in 2004.
Richard J. Malone - Bishop Malone in 2018 was the subject of a three-part 7 Eyewitness News investigation examining his handling of clergy sexual abuse in the Diocese of Buffalo.
Part 1 revealed that Malone returned Fr. Art Smith to ministry despite allegations of inappropriate contact with a child.
Part 2 revealed that Malone allowed Fr. Robert Yetter to remain pastor of St. Mary's in Swormville despite multiple sexual harassment allegations by young men.
Part 3 cited church records that showed more than 100 priests in the diocese were accused of sexual abuse or misconduct. Malone in in March released a list of only 42 priests "who were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."
The investigative series sparked Buffalo civic leaders to call for Malone's resignation and Catholics have mounted weekly protests in front of the Diocese of Buffalo Chancery. In September 2018, the State Attorney General launched a statewide investigation into sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
Malone in August held a news conference and vowed to stay as Buffalo bishop.
Henry J. Mansell - After the Catholic Church's clerical abuse scandal exploded in the Boston Archdiocese in 2002 and 2003, Mansell said he removed "various priests" but refused to say when and where the abuse took place. He also refused to provide the public with names of pedophile priests.
The Buffalo News in 2003 identified two priests -- Robert Wood and Thomas McCarthy -- who were removed for abuse. Recent reporting and internal church records obtained by 7 Eyewitness News suggest that during Mansell's tenure, as many as 10 more priests who were at some point accused of abuse were either left in parishes, hidden in unknown locations or in the most egregious cases, quietly forced to retire.
- Fathers Norbert Orsolits, Donald Becker and Martin Pavlock -- all who are now on the diocese's official abuse list -- all "retired" in 2003, two of them of the same date of Sept. 1, 2003. The diocese at the time announced Becker's retirement as a "medical leave," but Bishop Richard Malone has since told 7 Eyewitness News that Becker was really removed for suspected abuse.
- Diocesan directories also show that three other priests -- Fathers Mark Friel, Brian Hatrick and Richard Keppeler -- who are now on the list of accused, were still working in parishes as of 2003.
- Three more accused abusers on the diocese list -- Fathers Loville Martlock, Douglas Faraci and Thomas Gresock -- had no parish assignment and were classified under "c/o 795 main St." A source said that is a common classification used by the diocese for hiding troubled priests.
Mansell left Buffalo in 2003 and was appointed archbishop of the Diocese of Hartford, Conn. He is now retired.
Thomas R. Marshall - Marshall, a member of the Paulist religious order, was accused of child sexual abuse and charged criminally in California, where allegations against him became public in the 2003 civil proceedings against the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. 7 Eyewitness News spoke with a Buffalo man who said Marshall attempted to ejaculate on him at St. Teresa's Church in South Buffalo in the 1960s or 1970s. The man said Fr. Basil Ormsby, who would later be accused of child sexual abuse himself, threw Marshall out of the church when he was informed of the allegation. The man provided 7 Eyewitness News with documentation from the Paulist organization in Toronto, Ont., acknowledging the alleged abuse. Marshall is believed to be living in Toronto.
Loville N. Martlock (d. 2014) - Martlock was placed on medical leave and sent to an out-of state treatment facility in 1994 after an allegation of child sexual abuse, according to the Anderson & Associates law firm. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Martlock on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." He served at St. John in Sinclairville (1964), Infant of Prague in Cheektowaga (1965-66), Holy Family in Buffalo (1967), St. Christopher in Tonawanda (1968-72), Fourteen Holy Helpers in West Seneca (1973-77), Cardinal Mindszenty High School in Dunkirk (1978-79), St. John de La Salle in Niagara Falls (1980-81), St. Elizabeth in Cherry Creek (1982-83), St. Mary's High School in Lancaster (1984-86), Sacred Heart in Bowmansville (1987-88), On duty outside the diocese (Brazil) in 1989-90, Maryknoll Foreign Missions (1991), St. Benedict the Moor in Buffalo (1992), Notre Dame High School in Batavia and Sacred Heart of Jesus in Bennington Center (1993).
His location was unknown in 1994 and he was listed as "absent on leave" in 1995. He retired to the Our Lady of Good Counsel Rectory from 1996-98, to Jemez Springs, N.M. from 1999-2013 and to the Bishop Head Residence in Lackawanna in 2014, according to the Anderson & Associates law firm. He died in 2014.
Fabian Maryanski - Maryanski was assigned to work in parishes for more than a decade after a teenage girl said the priest had sex with her in a church rectory, The Buffalo News reported in May 2018. The newspaper cited a 1995 letter sent by her lawyer to the diocese describing sexual advances when she was a 15-year-old parishioner at St. Patrick Church in Barker. Maryanski said the girl was over the age of 18 when he had sexual contact with her. The priest was suspended from saying Mass at Nativity Church in Clarence after the article was published.
Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn Jr. in June revealed that he had been investigating Maryanski for "creepy" behavior with a young girl in January 2018, but said the behavior was not criminal. He urged the diocese to prevent Maryanski from being around children.
Thomas J. McCarthy - On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included McCarthy on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." He served at Christ the King in Snyder (1981-84), OLV Basilica in Lackawanna (1985-90), "Unknown" in 1991, St. John the Baptist in Kenmore (1992-98), All Saints in Buffalo (1999-2000) and St. John the Baptist in West Valley (2001-03). He retired in 2004 and is believed to be living in West Seneca, according to the Anderson & Associates law firm.
Michael Miller - A Franciscan priest, Miller taught at St. Francis High School in Hamburg in 1993 and from 2000-03. Diocese of Buffalo officials said they were not aware of any abuse by Miller at St. Francis, but in 2013 he was sentenced to five years in prison in Connecticut on child pornography and obscenity charges, The Buffalo News and The Hartford Courant reported. The Courant reported that Miller invited a boy to come over and watch a "dirty movie" with him and wrote about sex acts he would perform on the boy.
Robert Moss - A West Seneca woman in May 2018 told WIVB-TV that Moss kissed her and exposed himself to her in the 1990s, while he was a chaplain in the Army National Guard and a priest at Queen of Heaven in West Seneca. 7 Eyewitness News also spoke with the woman and another woman who said Moss sexually attacked her when she went to him for counseling. After Queen of Heaven, he was assigned to a Catholic Church in Sloan. Moss died in 2018.
Loren Nys - The priest, a member of the Salvatorian religious order, taught at St. Mary in Lancaster in the 1970s. Robert Swierat in 2018 told The Buffalo News the priest molested him in a shower near the school.
Nys was removed as pastor from a Wisconsin church in 2014 after parents accused him of "inappropriate conduct with youth" decades earlier, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported.
Basil A. Ormsby (d. 1997) - On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Ormsby on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." He was the longtime pastor of St. Teresa's Church in South Buffalo (1958-87). Previously, he served in Mayville (1943), St. Teresa in Niagara Falls (1944-46), St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Cheektowaga (1947-49), Our Lady of Help of Christians in Cheektowaga (1950), St. Vincent de Paul in Buffalo (1951), Our Lady of the Rosary in Niagara Falls (1952) and Blessed Trinity in Buffalo (1953-56), Ascension in North Tonawanda (1957). He retired in 1988 and was listed "in residence" at Nativity in Orchard Park until 1995. He died in 1997. Click here for an extensive history of Ormsby compiled by BishopAccountability.org.
Norbert F. Orsolits - On Feb. 27, 2018, South Buffalo man Michael Whalen held a press conference across from the Catholic Center to say Orsolits sexually abused him in the 1980s at St. John Vianney Church in Orchard Park. The allegation set off the 2018 sexual abuse crisis, led Orsolits to confess to a Buffalo News reported that he abused "dozens" of boys and pushed the diocese to release its list of 42 priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."
Orsolits was sent to Southdown Institute in Canada -- a church-run "treatment facility" for troubled priests -- for treatment following an allegation of child sexual abuse. Fr. Orsolits is believed to have taught at Archbishop Walsh High School in Olean from approximately 1984 to 1988, according to the law firm Anderson & Associates.
The diocese assigned Orsolits to St. Joseph in Bliss (1966), St. John the Baptist in Alden (1967), St. John the Evangelist (1968) and St. John Kanty (1969-70) in Buffalo, St. John Gualbert in Cheektowaga (1971-73), Our Lady of Czestochowa in Cheektowaga (1974), St. James in Depew (1975-77), St. James in Buffalo (1978), "Awaiting assignment" in 1979, St. John Vianney in Orchard Park in 1980-81, St. Mary of the Angels in Olean (1982-83), Sacred Heart in Portville (1984-88), "Absent on leave" in 1989 and St. Lawrence in Buffalo (1990). From 1991-2003, he was at various times chaplain of Buffalo General Hospital, chaplain at Deaconness Hospital and "in residence" at St. Lawrence Church. The diocese removed him from ministry in 2003. He is believed to be living in Springville.
Daniel Palys - On June 28, 2018 the Diocese of Buffalo placed Palys on administrative leave "until the completion of a preliminary investigation regarding a complaint of abuse." The diocese said the leave was "for the purpose of investigation and does not imply that any determination has been made as to the truth or falsity of the complaint." In a letter to parishioners, Palys denied the abuse claim, writing, "I am totally innocent. I have never never hurt a child."
Palys was assigned to St. Joseph in Bliss (1970), St. Mary in Lockport (1971), St. Andrew in Kenmore (1972-79), Christ the King in Snyder (1980-85) and Annunciation in Buffalo (1986-93). Palys was known for his popular children's Masses at St. Gabriel in Elma, where he served from 1994 until his retirement in 2018. He is believed to be living in Orchard Park.
Gabriel Patil - A Barnabite priest, Patil's name surfaced in a 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report, which stated that in 2003 a victim reported that Patil abused him and four friends at Bethlehem (Pa.) Catholic High School during the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the boys were seven to nine years old. The boys were living near the high school at the time, the report stated.
Lawsuits were filed but dismissed because the statutes of limitation had expired, the report stated. Patil was a provincial superior for the religious order at St. James in Ontario, Canada, when the abuse was reported in 2003.
In 2006, Patil was assigned to Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Youngstown, which is run by the Barnabites. Diocesan records show he served there until 2010, when The Buffalo News reported that a national victims advocacy group held a public event to criticize Bishop Edward U. Kmiec and the Diocese of Buffalo for not notifying area Catholics about Patil's history. The Barnabites, in the News story, said the allegations were "erroneous."
Patil was reassigned to India and served there from 2011 to 2015, The News Minute reported, but authorities there banned him from the country, so he returned to Italy, the news article stated.
Martin L. Pavlock - On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Pavlock on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." He served at St. John in Sinclairville (1967), SS. Peter & Paul in Jamestown (1968-70 and 1974-76), Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament in Depew (1971-73), Assumption in Lancaster (1977), Mother of Divine Grace (1978), St. Barnabas in Depew (1979-83), St. Elizabeth in Cherry Creek (1984-85), "Awaiting assignment" in 1986, St. Gregory the Great and Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital in Amherst (1987-92), Our Lady Help of Christians in Cheektowaga (1993-2000), Holy Trinity in Dunkirk (2001-02) and "Absent on leave" in 2003.
He retired on Sept. 1, 2003 -- the same day as three other priests who would go on to be accused of sexual misconduct.
Ted Podson - Podson, a member of the Piarist religious order, served as a teacher at Calasanctius High School (now defunct) in Buffalo from 1977-85, Diocese of Buffalo priest directories show. The Piarist Fathers owned the Graycliff estate in Derby after its original owners, the Martin family, sold the property.
Another alleged abusive priest with #Buffalo connections: Fr. Ted Podson, who was accused of sexually assaulting a boy on a 1993 class trip while assigned to a Philadelphia prep school. @PhillyInquirer article from 2012: https://t.co/vUCJIZzZ5W pic.twitter.com/5iMzA3KhF5
— Charlie Specht (@Charlie_Reports) August 3, 2018
Records show Fr. Podson taught at Calasanctius Prep in #Buffalo, a now-defunct private school near Delaware Park, from 1977-1985. Reporter @jpmartinInky in 2012 tracked down a Buffalo woman who raised questions about his conduct in Buffalo: https://t.co/U6kv22n35k pic.twitter.com/BQzDMr0ThG
— Charlie Specht (@Charlie_Reports) August 3, 2018
Podson was removed from ministry in 2012 after a series of articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer traced his path from Buffalo, where one woman questioned his conduct at Calasanctius, to Philadelphia, where he was accused of sexually abusing a boy on a class trip, to the Philippines, where he was removed from ministry.
In August 2018, when questioned by 7 Eyewitness News, a spokesman for the Diocese of Buffalo said, “In 2003, the Diocese of Buffalo received a complaint against Fr. Podson alleging abuse many years earlier. In accordance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the Diocese forwarded the complaint to the Piarist Provincial and to the Archdiocese of Washington where Fr. Podson was listed as a resident at the time.”
His current whereabouts are unknown.
James F. Rapp - A Lockport native and a member of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales religious order, Rapp, 77, worked as a priest in 1979-80 at DeSales High School in Lockport, The Buffalo News reported. He was later accused of molesting students in Michigan and Oklahoma, where he pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 40 years in prison, The Oklahoman reported. He was later sentenced to 20-40 years in prison for abuses in Michigan, MLive.com reported.
Joseph Rappl - A former altar boy at St. Peter Roman Catholic Church in Lewiston came forward April 5, alleging he was sexually abused by Rappl in the 1980s after the priest heard his confession. Rappl, now married and living in North Carolina, is no longer a diocesan priest but until recently remained a camp counselor at Camp Turner, the diocesan youth camp in the Southern Tier. After the I-Team reported Rappl's involvement in Camp Turner, the diocese on April 6 removed him from the camp.
He served at St. Peter in Lewiston (1979-82), St. Catherine of Siena in West Seneca (1983-85), St. Mary's in Holley (1986-89) and as a military chaplain from 1990-1999.
Dennis Riter - Riter, the pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Dunkirk, was the first active priest the diocese suspended after the 2018 sex abuse scandal broke. On March 26 , the diocese placed Riter on administrative leave as the 7 Eyewitness News I-Team was about to publish a detailed account from a former altar boy in which the boy alleged he and another altar boy were abused by Riter multiple times in the 1990s at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Buffalo's Old First Ward.
The I-Team later found more victims and a letter from a former seminarian who said he tried to warn diocesan leaders about alleged abuse by Riter at Queen of All Saints in Lackawanna. He said he was told that his whistle-blowing was "not appreciated" by leaders of the diocese.
On June 28, the diocese exonerated Riter after it said allegations against him "have not been substantiated." The move to reinstate him at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Dunkirk drew criticism, but Riter's attorney, Rodney O. Personius, told 7 Eyewitness News that the priest felt "vindicated."
“He certainly has been adamant from the beginning that it wasn’t him,” Personius said. “He’s very, very excited that he’ll be back in the church.”
In August 2018, Matthew Golden, the former altar boy who first alleged the abuse, sued the diocese, claiming the diocese created a public “nuisance” by exonerating the priest and returning him to ministry.
Roy K. Ronald (d. 2013) - On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Ronald on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." Ronald's assignments included St. Frances Cabrini in Collins Center (1962), St. Mary of the Angels in Olean (1963-79), St. Mary in Belmont (1980-91), St. Mary in East Arcade and SS. Peter & Paul in Arcade (1992-95), "Absent on leave" in 1996-97 and retired in 1998. Ronald was involved in youth programs during his time at St. Mary, including the Boy Scouts of America and Rutherford B. Hayes Young Adult Club. He died in 2013.
John M. Ryan - On July 30, the Diocese of Buffalo placed Ryan on administrative leave pending an abuse complaint. The priest retired in 2001 from St. Benedict Church in Eggertsville and is the former superintendent of Diocese of Buffalo Catholic Schools.
Msgr. John M. Ryan, a @BuffaloDiocese priest who retired in 2001 from St. Benedict's parish in Amherst, has been accused of abuse, the diocese announced: https://t.co/cqxsyMgLW8 pic.twitter.com/QhTyMK4gXE
— Charlie Specht (@Charlie_Reports) July 30, 2018
Ryan's first assignment as a priest appears to be St. Joseph in Bliss (1956). It is unclear where he was assigned from 1957-61, as diocesan directories from that time period were unavailable. His later assignments included Nativity in Buffalo (1962) and Bishop Turner High School in Buffalo (1963-69), where he was assistant principal for two years. The diocese then assigned him to Archbishop Walsh High School in Olean (1970-74). From 1972-74, he was also the administrator of St. Helen's Church in Hinsdale.
In 1975, Ryan served as director of research, planning and public relations for Catholic Schools, and from 1976-80 he was Superintendent of Catholic Schools. (From 1976-77, he was also listed in residence and the weekend assistant at St. Stephen's in Buffalo. In 1978, he was listed in residence and the weekend assistant at Nativity in Williamsville and from 1979-80, he was the chaplain of the Mount Mercy Convent in South Buffalo.)
From 1981-2001, the diocese assigned Ryan to St. Benedict in Eggertsville. It is unclear from what year the abuse allegations originates, as the diocese did not release any information about the time period or nature of the complaint. Ryan lives in a residence for retired priests in Tonawanda. He did not respond to a request for comment.
John J. Sardina - In September 2018, the Diocese placed Sardina, a retired priest, on administrative leave after receiving an abuse complaint. Sardina was ordained in 1960, diocesan directories show, and served in the following assignments: Unknown (1961), Nativity in Buffalo (1962-64), Our Lady of Pompeii in Lancaster (1965-67), Holy Cross in Buffalo (1968), Coronation in Buffalo (1969-77), Holy Cross in Buffalo (1978-80) and St. Anthony in Fredonia (1981-86).
In 1987, he is not listed as serving in a parish and his address is listed as 795 Main St., which is headquarters for the diocese. From 1988 until his retirement in 2013, Sardina served as chaplain of Brothers of Mercy nursing home in Clarence. While he was at Brothers of Mercy, he was listed as "in residence" at Queen of Martyrs in Cheektowaga in 1988 and from 2003-13.
At the time of his suspension, Sardina was living at a retired priests' residence in Depew. A woman who answered the phone at the residence said Sardina declined to comment on the allegations, but he denied them to WIVB-TV in a phone interview.
Joseph E. Schieder (d. 1996) - On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Schieder on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." His assignments included Sacred Heart (1937) and Holy Cross (1938-41) in Buffalo, Immaculate Conception in Buffalo (1944), St. Mary's Infant Asylum and Maternity Hospital in Buffalo (1945-46), Mt. St. Mary in Kenmore (1947-48), National Youth Director and other national youth work in Washington, D.C., (1949-61), Mary Mount College in Arlington, Va., (1962-63), St. Andrew in Kenmore (1964-76), Awaiting assignment in 1977, Diocesan consultor and procurator of diocesan properties at the Chancery in Buffalo (1978), Unknown in 1979-82, "Special assignment" in 1983, retired in 1984. He died in 1996.
Joseph A. Schuster - Niagara County resident Mark V. Lynch came forward on Good Friday in 2018 to say he was abused by Schuster in 1968 when he was 13 at Mount Carmel Church in Niagara Falls. Schuster retired from the priesthood in the 1990s, died in 2007 and according to The Buffalo News, the priest received many awards for his work with the poor before the abuse allegations came to light.
Gerald P. Sheehan (d. 2006) - A deceased priest who served throughout Western New York over a career that spanned 40 years, Sheehan in August 2018 was accused of sexually abusing a young girl.
The allegation was reported to the diocese by a woman who said she was between 7 and 14 years old and a member of Nativity of Our Lord Church in Orchard Park when she suffered sexual abuse at the hands of the priest in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Sheehan died in 2006.
She said Sheehan abused her an estimated 200 times at her home, at the church rectory and at various cottages. The priest abused her for the first time while she made the sacrament of First Reconciliation, she said.
Sheehan served at St. Brendan in Almond (1965), St. Martin of Tours in South Buffalo (1966-73) and Prince of Peace in Niagara Falls (1974-75) before he was listed as “On leave” with a South Buffalo address in 1976.
From 1977-82, he was then assigned to Nativity, where the abuse of the girl is alleged to have occurred, before he was transferred to St. John Bosco in Sheridan, a rural town in Chautauqua County, where he remained until his death in 2006.
Ronald T. Silverio - In July 2018, Buffalo man P.A. Kane, in a first-person essay published in The Public newspaper, said Silverio molested him and his brothers in the 1970s while Silverio was a priest at Holy Family Church in South Buffalo. Kane also spoke to 7 Eyewitness News about the abuse allegations and church records show Kane was assigned to Holy Family from 1972-74. Silverio was ordained in 1970 but his location in 1971 is unknown, as he is not listed in church directories.
7 Eyewitness News has also spoken to a Niagara Falls man who said Silverio abused him in the 1970s at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in the Falls. Church records show the diocese assigned Silverio to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel from 1975-79. In 1980, he went on a "leave of absence," according to an Associated Press article, and took a position at Planned Parenthood in Niagara County before leaving the priesthood.
Silverio then went on to hold leadership positions at the AIDS community clinic in Buffalo, the Pride Center of Western New York and Evergreen Health, where he was CEO. He retired from Evergreen Health in 2017. Silverio did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment.
Art Smith - Smith in August 2018 was the subject of a 7 Eyewitness News investigation into Bishop Richard J. Malone's handling of sexual abuse allegations. The investigation detailed multiple allegations against Smith of inappropriate contact with youth and sexual harassment and abuse of young men and a seminarian. Smith denied the allegations.
Previously, the diocese placed Smith on administrative leave on April 23 after receiving an allegation (the nature of the allegation was not disclosed). Smith was retired but was listed in residence at Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church in Depew. Smith, known as the "television priest," spoke extensively about the clerical abuse crisis in an interview with 7 Eyewitness News in 2002. Previously, he was assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas in South Buffalo and St. Mary of the Lake churches in Hamburg. On June 28, the diocese said the allegations against Smith and two other priests "have been substantiated and they will remain on administrative leave while the results of the Diocesan investigation are reviewed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome, who will make the final determination."
Robert J. Smith - in 1994, The Buffalo News reported that two former alter boys filed lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Sante Fe claiming Smith molested them. The Buffalo News also reported Smith attended the former Christ the King Seminary at St. Bonaventure University until he was expelled in 1958. He then moved to New Mexico where he was ordained in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.
Gerard A. Smyczynski (d. 1999) - On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Smyczynski on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." He was assigned to Our Mother of Good Counsel in Blasdell (1981), Infant of Prague in Cheektowaga (1982), "Sick leave" in 1983 and Unknown from 1984-99. He died in 1999.
James A. Spielman - In 1993, Spielman was accused of sexually abusing a child. The Diocese of Buffalo reached a settlement with the alleged survivor. Spielman reportedly resigned from the priesthood and moved to Alaska in 1993 after the allegation surfaced. In 2014, Spielman was named in a sexual abuse civil lawsuit in Hawaii. The diocese settled that claim for $1.5 million. 7 Eyewitness News spoke with David Husted, the victim and survivor of that abuse.
On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Spielman on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." He was assigned to St. Aloysius in Springville (1972-77), St. Patrick in Salamanca (1978), Archbishop Walsh High School in Olean (1979-83), St. Mary in Canaseraga (1984-86), SS. Peter & Paul in Jamestown (1987-89), Unknown in 1990 (Believed to be Southdown Institute); St. Mary in Canaseraga, Assumption in Portageville and SS. Peter & Paul in Jamestown (1991-93). Believed to be living in the Southern Tier.
7 Eyewitness News also uncovered secret documents relating to the cover-up of Spielman's abuse by bishops and others in the Diocese of Buffalo:
Bernard Splawski - The Franciscan priest was accused in 1986 of inappropriate sexual contact with a student at Bishop Timon High School in South Buffalo, The Buffalo News reported in 2003. Splawski taught at Timon from 1969-86 and served as associate principal, The News reported. He was transferred to New Jersey and removed from a parish there in 2003 after the family of the Timon boy renewed their complaints during the nationwide clergy sex abuse scandal in 2002-03.
Chester S. Stachewicz - On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Stachewicz on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." He was assigned to St. Philip the Apostle in Cheektowaga (1972-78), "Awaiting assignment" in 1979, St. James in Jamestown (1980), "Absent on leave" in 1981, St. William in West Seneca (1982), Unknown from 1983-2009. He died in 2010.
Robert Stolinski - On June 28, 2018 the Diocese of Buffalo placed Stolinski on administrative leave "until the completion of a preliminary investigation regarding a complaint of abuse." The diocese said the leave was "for the purpose of investigation and does not imply that any determination has been made as to the truth or falsity of the complaint."
Stolinski served as associate chaplain at Buffalo General and Roswell Park hospitals (1972-78) and as chaplain at Erie County Medical Center (1979-2002). During that time, he was listed in residence at St. Bartholomew's in Buffalo (1979-88) and St. Stephen in Buffalo (1999-2002). In 2003, he was unassigned and listed in diocesan directories as "c/o 795 Main St. (diocesan headquarters) until November 2003, when directories show he was assigned to St. James in Jamestown, where he served until 2009. His assignment in 2010 is unclear, as he is not listed in the Official Catholic Directory for that year. He retired in 2011 to the Sheehan Residence for retired priests in Buffalo. He was "assisting clergy" at St. Vincent de Paul in Niagara Falls in 2018 when he was placed on leave.
Pauline Terese - Grand Island woman Carroll Becker in July 2018 said Terese, a Franciscan nun, abused her in 1955 while she was a 5-year-old girl at Christ the King School in Snyder. Becker said the nun berated her for being what she called "stupid and retarded and slow and I was so terrified, I didn’t know what was going on, I wet my pants." Becker said the nun took her to her room at the convent at Christ the King and "made me take off my underpants and…she raped me with a crucifix, saying this will cure me from defiling God’s property.” The Franciscan Sisters of Allegany said in a statement they are investigating the matter and said Sister Terese “left the congregation in 1982 and has since died.”
Victim advocates said Becker was "re-victimized" in 2018 when she met with Sister Margaret Mary Kimmins, OSF, congregational minister of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, to report the abuse. Becker came away from the meeting feeling intimidated and said in a follow-up conversation, Kimmins hung up on her as soon as she answered the phone. She said the nun never apologized. Both the Franciscans and the Diocese of Buffalo denied her compensation. Kimmins, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment.
Edward Townsend - Buffalo man Gary Aldridge on March 21 told WBFO News that Townsend, a member of the Eudist religious order, abused him decades ago in the Black Rock neighborhood. Townsend taught at Cardinal Dougherty High School in Black Rock. Aldridge reported the abuse to the diocese in 2006.
Donald W. Trautman - A key decision-maker during the Bishop Head era, Trautman served in top Buffalo diocesan posts (vicar general, chancellor and auxiliary bishop) during the 1970s and 1980s, when much of the sexual abuse by priests occurred but was mostly hidden from the public. Father James Spielman, a priest who is alleged to have abused multiple boys in the Southern Tier, references Trautman in letters obtained by 7 Eyewitness News. According to those letters, Trautman played a role in re-assigning Spielman after the priest was removed from a Jamestown church for allegedly abusing an altar boy.
Trautman was named Bishop of Erie, Pa., in 1990 and is now retired. But he is now under intense scrutiny as prosecutors have accused the diocese of covering up the alleged sex crimes of a former priest who was arrested in May. Trautman has denied a cover-up.
Samuel Venne - The diocese placed Venne on administrative leave on April 23 after receiving an allegation (the nature of the allegation was not disclosed). Venne was retired but was listed in residence (he said Masses) at St. Stephen's Catholic Church on Grand Island. Previously, he was assigned to St. Martin of Tours in South Buffalo. On June 28, the diocese said the allegations against Venne and two other priests "have been substantiated and they will remain on administrative leave while the results of the Diocesan investigation are reviewed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome, who will make the final determination."
Joseph J. Vogel - A woman contacted 7 Eyewitness News, saying that she was abused in 1970 by Vogel, who founded Queen of Heaven Church in West Seneca. The woman said she was 12 when Vogel summoned her to the rectory and sexually abused her. The woman reported the abuse to the school principal -- a nun -- and her parents reported the abuse to the assistant pastor, but nothing was done, she said. Vogel died in 1988 and a diocesan spokesman said he would look into the matter, but he had no immediate comment.
A woman has told 7 Eyewitness News @WKBW she was allegedly abused by the Rev. Joseph J. Vogel while she was a 12-year-old student in 1970 at Queen of Heaven Parish in West Seneca. pic.twitter.com/cEPGvDAXJk
— Charlie Specht (@Charlie_Reports) July 12, 2018
Edward J. Walker (d. 2002) - On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Walker on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." His assignments included Annunciation (1937-39), Immaculate Conception (1940), St. Nicholas (1941-42) and St. Mark (1943-53), all in Buffalo, St. Joseph in Fredonia (1954-65), Holy Name of Jesus in Buffalo (1966-81). He retired in 1982 and died in 2002.
William G. Ward (d. 2008) - On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Ward on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." His assignments included St. Leo's in Winston-Salem, N.C. (1951), St. Joseph's in Albion (1952), St. Stephen in Buffalo (1953-55), OLV Basilica in Lackawanna (1956-62), Working Boys Home in Buffalo (1963-66), Our Lady of Loreto in Falconer (1967), Prince of Peace in Niagara Falls (1968-70), St. Charles in Niagara Falls (1971-78), Bishop Burke Manor, 844 Delaware Ave., Buffalo (1979), Our Lady of Fatima in Elba (1980-97), retired in 1998. He died in 2008.
Charles M. Werth - in 1994, Werth was charged with sexual abuse in connection to an incident that happened at Ellicott Creek Park. He later pleaded guilty to exposure. Ten years later, Werth was charged with public lewdness in connection to another incident at Ellicott Creek Park. The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo said neither incident involved minors.
William F. J. White (d. 2016) - White was placed on leave in 1993 and sent to an out-of-state treatment facility in the wake of allegations that he sexually abused two children. After the initial allegations surfaced, several others came forward and accused Fr. White of child sexual abuse. To date, 11 men have alleged that Fr. White sexually abused them as boys and teenagers. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included White on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."
Father White's assignments include Our Lady of Loretto in Buffalo (1977-78), Blessed Trinity in Buffalo (1979-81), Annunciation in Buffalo (1982-85), Queen of Heaven in West Seneca (1986-87), St. Louis in Buffalo (1988-93), "Absent on leave" in 1994, unknown since 1995. He died in 2016, according to the Anderson & Associates law firm.
Mark J. Wolski - Wolski was retired but saying Masses in May 2018 when the Diocese of Buffalo suspended him pending an investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse. The victim spoke with 7 Eyewitness News by phone weeks ago and said Fr. Wolski abused him from 1968 to 1970 while he was between 15 and 17 years old. From 2003 to 2004, he was a member of the Buffalo Diocese’s first diocesan review board, which listens to claims of child sexual abuse by priests and decides whether victims should receive settlements.
Wolski's assignments included St. Jude's in Sardinia (1968), St. Barnabas in Depew (1969-72), St. Florian's in Buffalo (1973-74), Sheehan Residence and St. Joseph's New Cathedral (1975), Children's Hospital Chaplain (1976-83), "c/o 35 Lincoln Pkwy," diocesan headquarters (1984), St. James Major in Westfield (1985-90), St. John the Evangelist in South Buffalo (1991-99), SS. Peter & Paul in Hamburg (2000-2011). He was also on the diocesan finance council and was at one time vice-chair of the council of priests for the diocese. He retired in 2012 and is believed to be living in Angola.
Robert W. Wood - In 2003, Fr. Robert W. Wood was removed from ministry. Fr. Wood stated that he was removed in connection with an alleged incident that occurred sixteen years ago, reportedly with a female. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Wood on its list of priests who "were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." His assignments included Holy Trinity in Dunkirk (1975-76), St. Thomas Aquinas in Buffalo (1977-82), St. Francis in Tonawanda (1983-88), Annunciation in Elma (1989-2001) and St. Joseph in Varysburg (2003). He retired in 2004.
Robert Yetter - In 2018, Yetter was a key figure in a three-part 7 Eyewitness News investigation examining Bishop Richard J. Malone's handling of clergy sexual abuse in the Diocese of Buffalo. Malone allowed Yetter to remain pastor of St. Mary's in Swormville despite multiple sexual harassment allegations by young men. After the story, the diocese received a new complaint of sexual abuse by Yetter, this one involving a minor. Yetter was placed on administrative leave and Malone accepted his resignation as pastor. The diocese is investigating the complaint.
This list was compiled from a number of sources, including: the Diocese of Buffalo official accused priest list; recent and archival news coverage from 7 Eyewitness News; original research from 7 Eyewitness News of the Diocese of Buffalo priest directories; a similar priest list from The Buffalo News which has links to detailed news stories from decades ago of many cases; a story from The Jamestown Post-Journal; a database from BishopAccountability.org, which includes additional details; and a report from the Jeff Anderson & Associates law firm detailing the assignment histories of many of the priests.
This list is a work in progress and will be updated as news breaks; any corrections, additions or changes are welcomed. Please send to ITeam@WKBW.com or Charlie.Specht@wkbw.com.
