Rev. Adam F. Prochaski – Assignment History

Summary of Case: Adam F. Prochaski was a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn ordained in 1968. He spent his entire career at Holy Cross parish and school in Maspeth, Queens, which was established by and served the Polish community. He would also fill-in at St. Adalbert and St. Stanislaus parishes. Prochaski was an assistant at Holy Cross unitl 1989, when he was named pastor. He left the parish in 1994 and, through 2002, was indexed in the Official Catholic Directory as "Absent on Leave" or "Absent on Sick Leave."

In September 2017 a former Holy Cross teacher, Linda Porcaro, stated publicly that in 1990 seven of her female students told her that Prochaski was sexually abusing them. Porcaro said she reported this to the school principal, whose response was to laugh and say that "everyone knew about Father P." Porcaro said she later told a new principal, who reported the allegations to the diocese, but that "not much was done." The diocese claimed that it first received allegations against Prochaski in 1994 and that he left the priesthood soon thereafter. The diocese denied responsibility for Prochaski after 1994, despite his having been indexed in the Directories through 2002.

By October 2017, twenty-three women had come forward with allegations that Prochaski sexually abused them when they were students at Holy Cross. The abuse allegedly occurred between 1972 and 1994, and was of girls ages 5 to 16. Many of the girls were Polish immigrants, brought to the U.S. via a special program run by Prochaski. Porcaro said that she had heard from "hundreds" of former students who said that the priest had abused them.

Prochaski reportedly went on to marry and to work as an addictions counselor.

The New York Police Department initiated an investigation. The statute of limitations for child sexual abuse in New York state prevents criminal or civil litigation after the alleged victim reaches age 23, with the exception of rape.

Ordained: 1968

1968

Diocese of Brooklyn

Bishop was Francis J. Mugavero (1968-1990), followed by Thomas Vose Daily (1990-2003).

Brooklyn (Maspeth, Queens)

• In September 2017 a former Holy Cross teacher, Linda Porcaro, stated publicly that she reported to the school's principal in 1990 that seven of her female students told her that Prochaski was sexually abusing them. The former teacher said she told the principal, who laughed at her in response and said "everyone knew about Father P." Porcaro said she later told a new principal, but that not much was done. The diocese claimed that it received the first allegation against Prochaski in 1994, and that he "left the priesthood" shortly thereafter. By October 2017, 23 former students had come forward. Porcaro said she had heard from "hundreds" of former students that Prochaski had abused them. The abuse allegedly occurred between 1972 and 1994, and was of children ages 5-16. Many of the children were Polish immigrants, brought to the U.S. via a special program run by Prochaski. One former student said in 2017 that Prochaski threatened her into silence by saying that a woman who told "stories" about him died in a car accident as a punishment from God."

3/3, 2/2, 3/4, 2/3, 1/4

Prochaski became pastor in 1989.

Holy Cross had a school with 326-229 students.

Prochaski is not indexed beyond the 2002 Directory.

Per news reports, Prochaski worked in at least 2005-2007 as an addiction counselor at a state-run clinic in Queens, and was married.

The New York Police Department was investigating. The statute of limitations for child sexual abuse in New York state prevents criminal or civil litigation after the alleged victim reaches age 23, with the exception of rape.

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, 1969-2002).

• Woman Claimes Abuse Allegations against Queens Priest Fell on Deaf Ears, CBS New York, September 26, 2017
• Fifteen Women Accused Ex-priest of Sexually Abusing Them at Queens Catholic School over Two Decades, By Esha Ray and Graham Rayamn, New York Daily News, September 26, 2017
• Diocese of Brooklyn Accused of Covering up Ex-priest's Sexual Abuse, By Jake Offenhartz, The Gothamist, September 26, 2017
• NYPD Opens Investigation into Catholic Priest Sex Abuse Claims, By Easha Ray and Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, September 27, 2017
• Former Priest at Maspeth Church Accused of Sexually Abusing 15 Women Over 20 Years, By Anthony Giudice, Queens Courier September 27, 2017
• More Thank a Dozen Women Accuse Former Maspeth Priest of Abusing Them as Children, Spectrum News NY1, September 27, 2017
• Priest charged with abusing 15 girls 'thought he was God', New York Daily News, September 28, 2017
• Ex-Maspeth Priest Molested Girls: Lawyer, By Christopher Barca, Queens Chronicle, October 5, 2017
• Victims Seek Justice for Former Maspeth Priest's Sex Abuse, Queens Times Ledger, October 6, 2017
• Number of women Accusing Catholic Priest of Sexual Abuse Rises to 23, By Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, October 9, 2017
• Number of Abuse Allegations Against Queens Priest Are Growing, WCBS-880 (CBS Radio), October 10, 2017
• 23 Women Accused Former Queens Priest of Abusing them as Children, By Sharon Otterman, New York Times, October 11, 2017



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 Prochaski'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 February 8, 2018.