Ex-Priest From Our Lady of the Lake Named On Sex Abuse List

SPARTA, NJ — A priest who served at Our Lady of the Lake in the 1970s and 1980s has been named on a list of priests accused of sex abuse, the Diocese of Paterson said.

Rev. William N. Cramer served at the church between 1977 and 1985, according to BishopAccountability. He admitted to touching two underage boys and pleaded guilty to two counts of endangering the welfare of a child in 1988, the Daily Record reported.

That was not the end of Cramer's time in the Church. He went on to serve at Our Lady of the Valley in Wayne, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Boonton, and St. Joseph's Hospital in Paterson. He was removed from that assignment in June 2002 when a "zero tolerance" policy was put in place. Cramer has not been laicized, or stripped of his priesthood.

Cramer's name was included on a list of 28 priests from the Diocese of Paterson who face credible abuse allegations. All the priests are either deceased, removed from the ministry, or laicized.

"Such misconduct by those ordained as ministers of our faith can never be tolerated. The faithful of our diocese have a right to know that the diocese is doing everything it can to ensure the safety of our children and to report perpetrators to law enforcement authorities," Bishop Arthur Serratelli said in a letter.

A full list of where the 28 accused priests served is expected to be released in the coming days, a diocese spokesperson said.

The Archdiocese of Newark and the Dioceses of Camden, Trenton, Paterson and Metuchen said they are committed to the establishment of a "Victim Compensation and Counseling Program."

This program will provide the resources to compensate those victims of child sexual abuse by clergy and employees of the Dioceses in New Jersey whose financial claims are legally barred by New Jersey's statute of limitations, according to the authorities.

Authorities said the program also will assure that victims who have not received any financial compensation will be paid, regardless of whether their claims meet the time requirements of the statute of limitations.

"While this is a positive first step towards transparency and accountability, I hope this spirit of openness continues during the course of our ongoing investigation and in response to our requests for records and information," Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said.

The Attorney General's Office urges survivors and others with information to contact its toll-free tip line, 855-363-6548, which is staffed by trained professionals on a 24/7 basis.

Image via Google Maps