Former New Jersey Priest Appears on New Mexico List of Alleged Abusers
A former New Jersey priest appeared on the recently released New Mexico list of credibly accused abusers. The Diocese of Gallup in New Mexico added the priest who was removed from the priesthood back in 2002 for sexual abuse allegations while he served in the Camden, New Jersey diocese to the list. He served at St. Anthony of Padua in Hammonton, New Jersey from 1979 to 1981, and a woman filed a suit against him in 2012 for several alleged assaults in 1980 and 1981 when she was in the fifth grade at the parish’s school. From October 1981 to January 1982, the priest served at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Page, Arizona, and church officials claim they had no knowledge of alleged sexual abuse while he was in Arizona. In addition to the New Mexico list, he appeared on the New Jersey list of credibly accused priests that surfaced in January.
Releasing the lists of credibly accused priests confirms the abuse that many clergy abuse survivors endured and may have kept secret due to shame and fear. Victims and survivors are entitled to hold their abusers accountable for crimes committed against them often during their childhoods, which leave long-lasting scars. The scars may remain, but the hope that laws will change to retrieve justice for both survivors and victims may be forthcoming in the future.
If you or a loved one dealt with the trauma of clergy abuse, our New Jersey clergy abuse lawyers at the Law Offices of Harold J. Gerr will protect your rights and ensure that justice is served. Please call us at 732-537-8570 or toll-free at 877-249-4600 or contact us online to schedule a free and confidential consultation. We represent clients throughout New Jersey including the municipalities of New Brunswick, Somerset, Piscataway, Edison, South River, Sayreville, Metuchen, East Brunswick, South Plainfield, Fords, Middlesex, Old Bridge, Iselin, Bound Brook, Perth Amboy, and Colonia from our offices in Highland Park.
