Deacon Joseph Damiani
Ordained for the diaconate in 2009. In public announcements in 11/2012, Damiani’s two younger brothers alleged that he sexually abused them between 1967-1970 when he was a teenager and they were young children. Over the years, they had demanded Damiani resign from his deacon duties but he refused. After the public disclosures and complaints to the Archdiocese, Joseph Damiani filed suit in 1/2013 against both brothers and SNAP for defamation. Both younger brothers countersued him. The suit later settled. The Archdiocese reopened its investigation in 6/2014 to clarify certain facts and determined that Damiani would be temporarily removed from ministry. On 10/26/2014 Archbishop Nienstedt announced that he was accepting his Clergy Review Board’s determination that Damiani was fit for ministry. Archbishop Nienstedt ended Damiani’s leave of absence and restored his faculties, declaring him a ‘Deacon in good standing.’ Damiani was again removed from ministry in 6/2019 for misuse of parish funds.
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