The prevalence of child sexual abuse within the dioceses throughout the world has recently come to light. The Archdiocese of New Orleans is no exception to receiving claims of child sex abuse against its clergy members. The Archdiocese of New Orleans is comprised of the parishes of Jefferson (except Grand Isle), Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, and Washington. It is the second oldest archdiocese in the United States.
In 2020, the archdiocese listed clergy who the church deemed had been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors. The list of named priests includes priests who were accused of misconduct within the archdiocese and some priests who were accused of sexual misconduct in other dioceses. Most of the listed clergy are deceased.
The archdiocese list includes the following clergy: George Brignac, Paul Calamari, Michael Farino, Michael Fraser, Llod Glapion, Thomas Gaspard Glasgow, Lawrence Galpion, Thomas Gaspard Glasgow, Lawrence Hecker, Henry Brian Highfill, Gerard Howell, Patrick Keane, James Kilgour, Gerard Kinane, James Lockwood, Gerald Prinz, Patrick Sanders, John Sax, Patrick Wattigny, John Basty, James Benedict, Pierre Celestin Cambiaire, Dino Cinel, Robert Cooper, Carl Davidson, Vincent Feehan, John Franklin, Howard Hotard, Michael Hurley, James Kircher, Wesley Michael Landry, Ralph Lawrence, Gorham Joseph Putnam, Bernard Schmaltz, John Seery, Malcolm Strassel, John Thomann, John Weber, Paul Avallone, Claude Boudreaux, Patrick Brady, Cornelius Carr, Stanislaus Ceglar, James Collery, Paul Csik, Lawrence Dark, Frank Davied, Jerome Ducote, Anthony Esposito, Ernest Fagione, Justin Faler, August Kita, Andrew Masters, William Miller, Joseph Pankowski, Donald Pearce, Alfred Pimple, Joseph Sokol, Roger Temme, Benjamin Wren, Charles Coyle, Bryan Fontenot, Bernard Knoth, Joseph Pellettieri, Richard Nowery, Ray Chappa, Barry (Finbar) Coyle, Joachim Lux, Richard J. McCormick, Archibald McDowell, Carter Partee, Juvenal Pfalzer, Robert Poandl, Christopher Springer, and Randolph Thompson.
In May 2020, the archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In September 2020, the bankruptcy court imposed a deadline of March 1, 2021, for anyone who was sexually abused before the archdiocese filed for bankruptcy to bring a claim for monetary compensation against the church. Before the deadline ran, about 400 people who claimed they were victims of clergy abuse went to bankruptcy court to seek compensation from the archdiocese.
In December 2020, allegations of child sexual abuse were made against Joseph M. deWater, who in the 1970s served as the archdiocese’s spiritual director for the Girl Scouts who were from Roman Catholic families. He was known as a beloved priest, and his name was even on the side of a New Orleans East parish gymnasium. He served in the parish for 15 years before he retired and moved to the Netherlands. The archdiocese did not disclose any details about the alleged abuse by deWater.
In a recent story involving child sexual abuse, in July 2021, a personal injury attorney who had formerly served as a priest in New Orleans was forced to surrender his law license because he lied about his past history of sexually abusing children while serving as a priest. Records from the Louisiana Supreme Court, which handles attorney disciplinary actions, show that Patrick Sanders failed to disclose on his bar application that he had been stripped of his position as a priest in New Orleans. He was stripped of this position after being accused of sexually molesting two teenage boys on a church trip in 1993. Sanders was serving as assistant pastor at Resurrection of Our Lord in New Orleans East when the abuse allegedly occurred.
Unfortunately, many instances of child sexual abuse go unreported. This means that the list that the Archdiocese of New Orleans is likely non-exhaustive, and many other clergy members may have abused children. If you or someone you love experienced sex abuse at the Diocese of New Orleans, you do not have to go through the difficult healing process alone. Whether the abuse happened recently or decades ago, you are entitled to seek justice. Contact the experienced lawyers at Herman Law today for a free consultation.
- Fr. Richard Raphael Archer
- Fr. John Asare-Dankwah
- Fr. Paul Avallone
- Fr. John Basty
- Fr. James Benedict
- Fr. Henry C. Bezou
- Br. Everard J. Booth
- Br. Joseph Botto
- Fr. Claude P. Boudreaux
- Fr. Daniel Patrick Brady
- Deacon George Brignac
- Brother Harold
- Br. Dave Brueschere
- Fr. Paul Calamari
- Fr. Pierre Celestin Cambiaire
- Fr. Stanislaus Ceglar
- Fr. Joseph L. Chotin
- Fr. Dino Cinel
- Fr. James C. Collery
- Fr. Robert K. Cooper
- Br. John L. Malachy Cosgrove
- Fr. Paul Csik
- Fr. Lawrence Dark
- Fr. Carl Davidson
- Fr. Frank Davied
- Fr. Edward D. DeRussy
- Fr. Joseph deWater
- Fr. Donald J. Dickerson
- Fr. Jerome Ducote
- Fr. Bernardine George Dyer
- Fr. Anthony Esposito
- Fr. Ernest Faggioni
- Fr. Justin Faler
- Fr. Michael Farino
- Fr. Vincent Feehan
- Fr. Luis J. Fernandez
- Fr. Charles A. Findon
- Fr. Bryan James Fontenot
- Fr. Jonathan W. Franklin
- Fr. Michael B. Fraser
- Br. Robert Gandara
- Deacon Lloyd Glapion
- Fr. Thomas Gaspard Glasgow
- Br. Justin Guarise
- Sr. Alvin Marie Hagan
- Fr. Kenneth Hamilton
- Fr. Raymond P. Hebert
- Fr. Lawrence Hecker
- Fr. Luis E. Henao
- Fr. Henry Brian Highfill
- Fr. Gerald Hindman
- Fr. Howard Hotard
- Fr. Gerard Joseph Howell
- Fr. Michael F. Hurley
- Fr. Salvatore “Sam” Isgro
- Fr. Patrick Keane
- Fr. James Kilgour
- Fr. August Kita
- Fr. Wesley Michael Landry
- Br. Richard J. Langenstein
- Fr. Ralph Lawrence
- Fr. Francis William LeBlanc
- Fr. Louis LeBourgeois
- Deacon James Lockwood
- Fr. James D. Loeffler
- Fr. Joachim Lux
- Br. Samuel F. Martinez
- Fr. Andrew Masters
- Fr. William Miller
- Br. Claude Ory
- Fr. Joseph Pankowski
- Fr. J. Donald Pearce
- Fr. Alfred Pimple
- Fr. Gorham Joseph Putnam
- Fr. Elmo J. Rogero
- Fr. Patrick Sanders
- Fr. John C. Sax
- Fr. John Seery
- Sister Gertrude Marie
- Sister Ladet
- Sister Laurdette
- Sister Marie Claudine
- Sister Martin Marie
- Sister Mary Omer
- Sister Stephen Rose
- Fr. Joseph Sokol
- Fr. Malcolm Strassel
- Fr. Anthony Tassin
- Fr. Roger Temme
- Fr. John Thomann
- Fr. Patrick Wattigny
- Fr. John Anthony Weber
- Deacon Virgil Maxey Wheeler
- Fr. Benjamin L. Wren