4 Ex-St. Christopher Priests Named On Church Sex Abuse List

PARSIPPANY, NJ — Four priests who have served at St. Christopher in Parsippany faced credible sexual abuse allegations, the Diocese of Paterson said.

Francis Dennehy, James Hanley, Peter McBride, and James A.D. Smith all served at St. Christopher and have all faced abuse allegations, the Diocese said. All four served at other North Jersey churches during their careers (you can find a full list of churches at the bottom of this article).

The priests were included on a list of 28 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.

Dennehy faced multiple allegations after his death in 1995. One of those allegations was settled for $50,000 in 2005.

Hanley admitted in a civil suit to abusing a dozen boys in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. He was never charged, and was laicized in 2003.

McBride, from Ireland, pleaded guilty to fondling two women in the 1990s. He was removed from the ministry in 1994.

Smith was removed from the ministry after a church panel found he sexually abused at least one underage boy. He died in 2015.

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.

Here is a list of where all the accused priests also served:

Francis Dennehy

• Our Lady of Victories, Paterson
• Chaplain U.S. Navy
• Assumption, Morristown
• Chaplain, St. Joseph Hospital, Paterson
• St. Nicholas, Passaic
• St. Vincent DePaul, Stirling
• St. Therese, Paterson
• St. Pius X, Montville
• St. Thomas, Ogdensburg
• St. Christopher, Parsippany
• Immaculate Conception, Franklin
• Our Lady Queen of Peace Cathedral, Honolulu, Hawaii
• Chaplain, Wayne General Hospital and Chilton Hospital, Wayne

James Hanley

• St. Andrew, Clifton
• Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pompton Plains
• St. Christopher, Parsippany
• St. Joseph, Mendham
• Immaculate Heart of Mary, Wayne
• In service, Diocese of Albany

Peter McBride

• St. Virgil, Morris Plains
• St. Clare, Clifton
• St. Peter, Parsippany
• St. Andrew, Clifton

James A.D. Smith

• St. Anthony, Hawthorne
• Holy Family, Florham Park
• Chaplain, St. Joseph Hospital
• St. Monica, Sussex (summer assistant)
• Our Lady of Victories, Paterson
• St. Monica, Sussex
• St. Christopher, Parsippany
• St. Rose of Lima, East Hanover
• St. Patrick, Chatham
• St. George, Paterson
• St. Therese, Succasunna

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