Assignment History– Rev. Joseph A. Schuster

Summary of Case: Joseph A. Schuster was ordained for the Diocese of Buffalo in 1966. His first year in ministry he was the sole priest at St. Isadore's in East Otto, via the diocese's Missionary Apostolate. He then assisted in Buffalo and Niagara Falls parishes, and taught mathematics at the Diocesan Preparatory Seminary. He was also a boy scout camp chaplain. Schuster was well-known for his social justice activism and involvement with the poor and disenfranchised. In 1972 he lead the establishment of a Catholic Worker House in Niagara Falls, where he spent the remainder of his priesthood. In early 1991 Schuster announced that he was taking a leave of absence; he did not return to active ministry as a priest. He went on to marry a man and adopt three sons. He died in 2007 at age 68.

On March 30, 2018 - at 3pm on Good Friday - a man held a press conference on the steps of St. Peter's Cathedral to announce that in 1968, at age 13, he was the victim of sexual assault by Schuster. The man said that after an event at Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in Niagara Falls it had gotten too dark out to ride his bike home, so Schuster invited him to stay overnight at the rectory. The man said Schuster instructed him to sleep in his bed, then proceeded to molest him.

Schuster's accuser had come forward to the diocese on March 12, 2018. The diocese released a list of credibly accused priests and lay employees and volunteers on March 20, but it included only those who were deceased if they had more than one known accusation against them. Schuster's name was not included on the list.

Born: February 12, 1939
Ordained: 1966
Died: July 23, 2007

1966

Diocese of Buffalo

Bishop was James Aloysius McNulty (1963-1972).

1/1

Schuster was assigned to St. Isidore's via the Buffalo Missionary Apostolate, which provided small, rural parishes with newly ordained priests.

1970

McNulty was succeeded as Buffalo bishop by Edward Dennis Head (1973-1995).

Niagara Falls

• On March 30, 2018 - Good Friday - a man claimed publicly that when he was 13 years old in 1968, Schuster sexually assaulted him in the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel rectory, where Schuster was staying. The man said that after an event at the parish it was too dark for him to ride his bike home, so Schuster invited him to sleep over. He said the priest instructed him to share his bed, then molested him.

2/2, 2/3

1970-1973: Revs. Bernard J. Magee; Joseph A. Schuster.

1973-1974: Revs. Bernard J. Magee; Joseph A. Schuster; Michael P. Zuffoletto.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel had a school with 286-239 students.

Schuster's accuser chose 3pm on Good Friday, on the steps of St. Joseph's Cathedral, to make his public announcement. The diocese had released a list of credibly accused priests and lay people on March 20; Schuster's name was not included; the diocese included the deceased only if they were the subject of more than one accusation. The man said he came forward to the diocese on March 12.

Schuster is not indexed beyond the 1990 Directory. He reportedly took a leave of absence in 1991, later saying he had resigned from the priesthood.

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, 1967-1990).

• Joseph A. Schuster, retired priest who was devoted to helping the poor, the hungry and the homeless, Buffalo News, July 27, 2007 
• List of Accused, Diocese of Buffalo, March 20, 2018
• Breaking a 50-year Silence on Priest Abuse, by Philip Gambini, Niagara Gazette, March 30, 2018
• Local Man Marks Good Friday with Claim of Sex Abuse by Catholic Priest, WBFO, March 30, 2018
• Another Former Priest Accused of Sexual Abuse, by Jenn Schanz, WIVB, March 30, 2018
• 50 Years Later, Man Accuses Prominent Niagara Falls Priest of Molesting Him as a Child, by Dan Herbeck, Buffalo News, April 4, 2018 


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 Schuster'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 April 19, 2018.