Rev. Steven J. Wolpert, c.ss.r.

Summary of Case: Wolpert admitted to sexually abusing an 8 year old boy between 2006-2007, and was sentenced in 2008 to nine to eighteen years in prison. He also admitted to allowing kids to sleep naked with him. He had been an active Redemptorist priest from 1980-1987 and is said to have "retired".

Ordained: 1980

     

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1980

New York archbishop was Terence James Cooke (1968-1983)

1981 Mount St. Alphonsus Seminary Esopus NY    

1981

Brooklyn bishop was Francis John Mugavero (1968-1990)

1987 Our Lady of Perpetual Help Brooklyn NY   Wolpert "retired" from the priesthood, per news reports. He is not indexed in the Directories after 1987.
1987 2008  

 

• Wolpert pled guilty in March 2008 to "Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse" for having "deviate sexual intercourse" with an 8 year old boy between Jan. 1, 2006 and Dec. 1, 2007 in Hawley Borough, PA. (Wayne Independent
March 19, 2008) Wolpert testified that he allowed kids to sleep naked with him. He was sentenced to nine to eighteen years in prison, ordered to pay $3,000.00 restitution, and was to be put on the national sex offender registry for life. (Wayne Independent
August 14, 2008 )

     


Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1981-1987 )

Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Wolpert's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on Nov. 16, 2010