Rev. Morgan J. Kuhl – Assignment History

Summary of Case: Morgan J. Kuhl was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of New York in 1993. He assisted for five years at Holy Child parish on Staten Island, moving to St. Mary of the Assumption in November 1998 where he served as the sole priest and administrator.

In October 1999 Kuhl was arrested in New Jersey in a sting operation. He had traveled to Perth Amboy after arranging over the internet to have sex there with a 15-year-old boy. The 'boy' was actually an undercover FBI agent. Kuhl admitted to his intentions. He reportedly had attempted previously to meet up with another New Jersey boy. He was sentenced in October 2000 to four months in a halfway house and four months under house arrest; a U.S. district judge later reduced his sentence to five years' probation and ordered him to "adhere to the program" at Trinity Retreat in Larchmont, New York. Kuhl was arrested again in September 2002, this time on charges that he fondled a 16-year-old boy in 1999. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in May 2003 to 45 days in jail. The judge gave him a one-year conditional discharge.

Kuhl, has used the alias Morgan J. Kihl, is last known to have been living in Holmes, New York. Per the archdiocese in 2019, Kuhl had been laicized.

Ordained: 1993
Laicized: sometime prior to 2019

1993

Archdiocese of New York

Archbishop was John Joseph O'Connor (1984-2000).

Holy Child had a school with 1,150-1,200 students.

New York (Staten Island)

• Kuhl was arrested in October 1999 in a sting operation. He had traveled to Perth Amboy, New Jersey after arranging over the internet to have sex there with a 15-year-old boy. The 'boy' was actually an undercover FBI agent. Kuhl admitted to his intentions of having sex in Perth Amboy with a teen boy. Court documents reportedly showed that Kuhl had attempted previously to meet up with another New Jersey boy.

• Kuhl was arrested in September 2002, accused of fondling a 16-year-old boy in August 1999.

New York (Staten Island)

This was a mission of St. Mary of the Assumption.

Kuhl was charged with interstate travel to have sex with a minor.

October 1999

O'Connor was succeeded as New York archbishop by Edward Michael Egan (2000-2009).

Kuhl is not indexed in the 2001 Directory, nor is he listed in the New York pages as at his previous assignment.

Kuhl was sentenced in October 2000 to four months in a halfway house and four months under house arrest. A U.S. district judge later reduced his sentence to five years' probation and ordered him to "adhere to the program" at Trinity Retreat in Larchmont, New York.

Kuhl is not indexed beyond the 2002 Directory.

Kuhl pleaded guilty in April 2003 to charges related to fondling a 16-year-old boy in August 1999. He was sentenced in May 2003 to 45 days in jail. The judge gave him a one-year conditional discharge.

Per the archdiocese in 2019, Kuhl had been laicized. 

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.

Source: Official Catholic Directory (Kenedy & Sons, 1994-2000).

• S.I. Priest Charged in Web Site Sex Sting, New York Daily News, October 6, 1999
• S.I. Priest Busted in Kid-Sex Sting, New York Post, October 6, 1999
• Parishioners are Stunned by Arrest of a Priest, By Nadine Brozan, New York Times, October 11, 1999
• N.Y. Priest Admits Plan for Sex with Jersey 'Boy', Star Ledger, June 17, 2000
• Priest is Sentenced in Internet Sex Case, New York Times, October 12, 2000
• The Accused, USA Today, November 11, 2002
• Priest Plays down Abuse Crisis, Dallas Morning News, March 2, 2003
• Priest receives jail time for sex charges, By Frank, Donnelly, Staten Island Advance, May 24, 2003
• NYPD Daily Blotter, New York Post, May 25, 2003
• Father Groeschel Responds to His Critics, By Rev. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R. Catalyst, May 2003
• Trinity Retreat Will No Longer House Suspected Abusers, Larchmont Gazette, September 19, 2006 
• Archdiocese of New York List, April 26, 2019 


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 Kuhl's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with the allegations against him, as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegations 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 June 28, 2021.