NEW YORK (NY)
New York Daily News
August 31, 2019
By Larry McShane
St. Francis Prep alums detail decades of alleged sexual abuse at prestigious Queens school after Child Victims Act opens doors for lawsuits
For the first time in 42 years, a retired city firefighter long devastated by his prestigious Catholic prep school principal’s alleged sexual abuse feels something other than despair.
It’s hope.
The former FDNY first responder, one of six St. Francis Preparatory School alumni to file August court papers under the Child Victims Act, is suddenly optimistic that a life of endless shame and horrific flashbacks can somehow get better.
“Maybe this is God’s way of saying, ‘You know, the universe is going to give you a little something back,’” said the 60-year-old man, identified only as John Doe in legal filings, to the Daily News. “I cannot believe this law has passed. I cannot believe we are having this conversation.
“Thank God almighty this happened.”
Though their stories differ in the details, the tales told by the St. Francis plaintiffs share the same sad ending: Decades of emotional, physical and psychological damage, legal documents allege.
Court papers recount their victimization by predatory staffers targeting teen students of both
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