11 Priests and Deacons Accused of Abusing Children Worked in Paterson Churches

By Jonathan Greene
Paterson Times
February 15, 2019

http://patersontimes.com/2019/02/15/11-priests-and-deacons-accused-of-abusing-children-worked-in-paterson-churches/

New Jersey’s five Catholic dioceses released the names of 188 priests and deacons “credibly accused” of sexually abusing children on Wednesday. Among them were 11 clergy members who worked in churches in Paterson.

“Today, in our effort to be transparent, we are publicly releasing the names of those clergy members who we believe have been credibly accused of such misconduct,” bishop Arthur Joseph Serratelli of the Diocese of Paterson said on Wednesday. “None of these individuals is serving as a priest or deacon within the Catholic Church. To the extent that they had priestly faculties, those faculties were removed.”

Diocese of Paterson which covers Morris, Passaic, and Sussex counties released 28 names. 11 of the clergy members served in churches located in Paterson:

Jose Alonso – St. Agnes, Paterson; Our Lady of Victories, Paterson; St. John Cathedral

Charles Bradley – St. John Cathedral, Paterson; Faculty, Paterson Catholic High School, Paterson

William Cramer – Chaplain, St. Joseph Hospital, Paterson

Francis Dennehy – Our Lady of Victories, Paterson; Chaplain, St. Joseph Hospital, Paterson; St. Therese, Paterson.

John Derricks – St. Joseph, Paterson

Stanislaus Durka – St. Stephen, Paterson

Patrick Erwin – St. Gerard Majella, Paterson; St. Joseph, Paterson; Social Action Department (in residence – Our Lady of Victories, Paterson); St. Mary, Paterson.

Carlos Guzman – St. John Cathedral, Paterson

John Heekin – St. Mary, Paterson; St. Therese, Paterson.

James A.D. Smith – Our Lady of Victories, Paterson; St. George, Paterson.

John Sutton – St. Agnes, Paterson; Chaplain, St. Joseph’s Hospital.

100 of the 188 priests and deacons are deceased.

“If you have been a victim of sexual abuse, my prayers and heart go out to you for this horrible action which has been committed against you,” Serratelli said. “I pray for your healing and, on behalf of myself, our diocese and the Catholic Church, I deeply and sincerely apologize for the pain that you have endured.”

The release of names came after the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office established a task force to investigate allegations of sexual abuse by clergy.

“While this is a positive first step towards transparency and accountability, I hope this spirit of openness continues during the course of our ongoing investigation and in response to our requests for records and information,” Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said on Wednesday. “Despite the recent actions by the dioceses, our investigation remains ongoing because no institution or individual is immune from accountability.”

Grewal urged survivors and others with information to call 855-363-6548 which is staffed by trained professionals on a 24/7 basis.