10 Priests with NJ Ties Named As Abusers

By Patrick Villanova
Jersey Journal
January 16, 2019

https://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index.ssf/2019/01/10_priests_with_nj_ties_named.html

Ten priests who spent part of their careers in New Jersey are on a new list of 50 Jesuits who have been "credibly" accused of child sexual abuse.

The USA Northeast Province Jesuits, an organization representing the Roman Catholic order of priests in north Jersey and several other states, released its list yesterday. The order is the last of the regional Jesuit organizations to publicly name all priests credibly accused of abuse.

Nine of the 10 Jesuits on the list with New Jersey ties served at either St. Peter's Prep, Saint Peter's University or in St. Peter's Parish in Jersey City -- one of the centers of Jesuit life and training in New Jersey. Most were at St. Peter's briefly early in their careers.

"Many Jesuits on this list have not been found guilty of a crime or liable for any civil claim," the organization said in a statement accompanying the list. "Many accusations were made decades after the abuse allegedly took place, and often after the accused Jesuit had died.

Jesuits with allegations currently under investigation are not included on this list."

Seven of the priests who appear on the list spent time at Prep, Jesuit high school in Downtown Jersey City.

"In none of the cases did the alleged or verified abuse take place at St. Peter's Prep. In every case it took place after the individual priest had left St. Peter's," said Jim Horan, a spokesman for St. Peter's Prep.

"We do applaud the Provinces' transparency and its commitment to having a zero tolerance policy on this. We as a school obviously have a zero tolerance policy on this," Horan added.

Angeline Boyer, a spokeswoman for Saint Peter's University, said no allegations were made against the two priests who appear on the list during their time at the school.

"We did share with the community today a message that we remain committed to the safety of our community and support the healing of the victims," Boyer said. "We obviously condemn the behavior that's outlined in their release."

The list includes the names of priests accused since 1950. In some cases, the priests were convicted of crimes. In many cases, the priests are dead or have left the Jesuit order. The list does not include details about what the priests were accused of doing or who made the accusations.

The Northeast Province includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and northern New Jersey.

"Releasing these names publicly is crucial not only for the healing of survivors, but also to encourage victims who may be suffering in silence to come forward and to deter future clergy sex crimes and cover-ups," said Zach Hiner, executive director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, in an email.

"Still," he said, "the fact remains that this is a long-overdue move prompted only by pressure from prosecutors, parishioners and the public."

The release of the Jesuits' list comes as the Catholic dioceses in New Jersey are preparing their own list of all priests and deacons who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse.

Church officials said the list is expected to be released by the Archdiocese of Newark and the four other dioceses -- Metuchen, Paterson, Camden and Trenton -- early this year. It is unclear how many names will be on it.

New Jersey's attorney general set up a task force last year to investigate priest sexual abuse and whether the Catholic Church covered up the crimes. The investigation is modeled on a similar two-year probe in Pennsylvania that used subpoenas to gather decades of church files that revealed more than 1,000 children were sexually abused by at least 300 priests in that state.

The New Jersey attorney general's task force set up a hotline -- 855-363-6548 -- for people to report allegations of sexual abuse by members of the clergy.

Among the Jesuits with New Jersey ties on the list:

Cornelius Carr: He served at St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City from 1954 to 1959 before moving on to parishes and schools in New York, Florida and other states. In a complaint made in 2005, he was accused of abusing minors from 1989 to 1990. He was "impeded," or removed from ministry, in 2006. He died in 2013.

Thomas Denny: He served at St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City from 1986 to 1992 and again from 1995 to 1997. He was accused in 2002 and 2012 of sexual abuse of minors in the 1960s and 1970s. The allegations were found to be credible. He was "impeded," or removed from ministry, in 2002.

Andrew Dittrich: He served at Rutgers University from 1970 to 1977 and at Rider University from 1977 to 1989. He was accused of abuse in 2002 and 2018 of sexual abuse of minors in between 1966 and 1976. The allegations were found to be credible. He died in 1990.

Joseph Fitzpatrick: He served at St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City from 1967 to 1969 before moving to parishes in New York and Pennsylvania.

He was accused in 1999 of sexual abuse of a minor in the 1980s. The allegations were found to be credible. He was "impeded," or removed from ministry, in 2002.

Raymond Fullam: He served in the parish at St. Peter's Church in Jersey City from 1964 to 1965 before moving on to parishes and retreats in New York. He was accused in 2009 of sexual abuse of minors in both 1954 and 1965. He died in 1987.

James Gould: He served at St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City from 1969 to 1971 before moving on to a parish in New York and an assignment in the Marshall Islands. He was accused in 2011 of sexually abusing a minor from 1977 to 1978. He admitted to the abuse, according to the list. He was "impeded," or removed from ministry, in 2012.

James Kuntz: He served at St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City from 1984 to 1988 and at Saint Peter's University from 2004 to 2007. He pleaded guilty to child pornography charges and was sentenced to prison in 2008. He left the Jesuits in 2012.

Eugene O'Brien: He served at St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City from 1959 to 1960, then moved on to schools in Connecticut and New York. He was later the president of the Gregorian Foundation in New York. He was accused in 1993 of abuse of minors in the 1960s. He admitted to the abuse, the list said. He was "impeded," or removed from ministry in 2002.

Anthony Paone: He served at St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City from 1939 to 1942, then went on to teach in Catholic schools in New York. He was accused in 2002 of abusing a minor in 1953. The allegation was found to be credible. He died in 1990.

William Scanlon: He served at Saint Peter's University in Jersey City from 1974 to 1976 before moving on to Canisius College in New York and a parish in Nigeria. He was accused in 1994 of abuse of minors from 1985 to 1994. He admitted to the abuse, the list said. He was restricted from ministry in 1994 and "impeded," or removed from ministry, in 2011.

Journal staff writers Patrick Villanova and Corey McDonald, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.