Priest Gets 16 Years for Sex Abuse

By Philip P. Pan
Washington Post
October 20, 1995

The Rev. Thomas S. Schaefer, who served as a Roman Catholic priest for 42 years, was sentenced yesterday to 16 years in state prison for sexually molesting altar boys in Prince George's and St. Mary's counties over three decades.

A Prince George's County Circuit Court judge handed down the sentence after Schaefer, 69, who had served in the Washington Archdiocese, stood in court and, in a soft voice, apologized to his victims and asked for forgiveness.

"I would like to express to these gentlemen my hurt, my deep regret and sorrow for any and all harm I've done to them," Schaefer said in his first public statement since he was stripped of religious authority and arrested in February. He pleaded guilty in August to charges that he had abused five boys between 1966 and 1982.

"I had sexual activity with these gentlemen. I abused my position as a priest," Schaefer said. "I genuinely liked each one of them and tried to help them in many ways. . . . But with them, my feelings weakened my self-control at times, resulting in sexual activity with them. I didn't realize my conduct would hurt them. I never wanted to hurt or harm them.

"To these gentlemen again, I am so deeply sorry not to have always given you the best I had to give," he said. "I ask your forgiveness."

As he read the statement, Schaefer bowed his head and stuffed his right hand in his pants pocket. He did not turn to look at his victims, now grown men, seated in the courtroom behind him.

Earlier in the hearing, three of them had stepped forward and described the damage done to their lives. All three asked the judge to impose a lengthy jail term.

"It began at the impressionable age of 11, when I was a happy, normal school boy. . . . I suspected it was wrong, but he was a priest, and I trusted him," said one of the men, now 30. He said the abuse had "destroyed my ability to function" and left him unable to pursue a career or social relationships.

Bertell Nelson Jr., 30, a victim who agreed to be identified, told the court: "[Schaefer's] crimes were calculated. I believe he found a home in which he could have power over children and use them to his own ends."

Schaefer served in eight parishes in the District and Maryland. Many former parishioners remembered him as a dynamic leader and dear friend. But his record was tarnished by allegations of sexual contact with boys, twice in the 1960s, once in the 1970s and again in 1982.

Church officials said they thought then that pedophilia was curable and sent him for counseling before returning him to parish duty. In 1986, he was assigned to serve the Carroll Manor Nursing Home in Hyattsville so he wouldn't have contact with children. He was working there until January, when the church removed him and made public the most recent allegations against him.

After Schaefer finished addressing the court yesterday, Judge William B. Spellbring asked him to remain standing and immediately issued his sentence. "You are not an evil man, but you have done some evil things. And for that you must pay the penalty," the judge said.

Spellbring handed down four consecutive four-year prison terms for four counts of child abuse. Schaefer also received a four-year term for one count of sodomy, which is to be served concurrently with the other sentences. The sentence exceeded state guidelines -- up to three years on each count -- but was less than the 20 years sought by prosecutors.

As the sentence was read, one of the victims seated in the courtroom began clapping.

Prosecutor Beverly Woodard said of the sentence, "The message is that there is no one who is above the law." She added, "And if you've been abused, it doesn't matter when it occurred. We will pursue it vigorously."

Martin Hertz, Schaefer's attorney, said both he and his client were expecting a prison term. "The judge was sending a message out that this kind of conduct is not going to be tolerated," he said.

The investigation began eight months ago when a 34-year-old Baltimore area businessman went to police and told them he had been abused as a child by Schaefer and three other local priests.

After the sentencing yesterday, he said the result didn't make him feel happier. "There are no winners," he said.

Another victim who was in the courtroom during the hearing said that Schaefer's apology only made him angry but that the sentence was a relief. "I think Schaefer got what was coming to him. I don't feel bad for him, not one single bit. When I saw him in those handcuffs, it was thrilling," said the man, now a 28-year-old construction worker.

Schaefer was one of four local priests who were arrested on charges of sexual abuse in February. The Archdiocese of Washington said all four admitted the abuse when confronted by church officials and were dismissed.

One of the other priests, the Rev. Alphonsus Smith, 70, has pleaded guilty and will be sentenced Dec. 19. The two others -- the Revs. Edward Pritchard, 50, and Edward T. Hartel, 58 -- have trial dates set for late November and early December.

Staff writer Debbi Wilgoren contributed to this report.