Former Wayne Priests Accused Of Sex Abuse

WAYNE, NJ — Eight priests who once served in the village were revealed to have been "credibly accused" of child sex abuse, a list released by the Catholic Church Wednesday shows.

The Paterson Diocese made its list public on Wednesday morning. (See related article: Here's The List Of 63 NJ Priests Accused Of Child Sexual Abuse)

According to the Paterson Diocese, priests with Wayne connections are:

• Charles Bradley, born 1942, ordained 1968. He was removed from the ministry in 1955. He had one alleged victim and served at Neumann House, Our Lady of Consolation, and was a faculty member of DePaul Catholic High School.
• Absalom Coutinho, born 1944, ordained 1972. He was removed from the ministry in 2002. He had multiple alleged victims and served at Immaculate Heart of Mary and Church of the Annunciation.
• Francis Dennehy, born 1925, ordained 1950. He died Aug. 10, 1995. He had multiple alleged victims. He was a chaplain at Wayne General Hospital and Chilton Hospital.
• James Hanley, born 1936, ordained 1962. He was removed from the ministry in 1986. He had multiple alleged victims. He served at Immaculate Heart of Mary.
• John Heekin, born 1937, ordained 1963. He had multiple alleged victims and was removed from the ministry in 2011. He died in July 2018. He served at Holy Cross.
• William Mockus, born 1945, ordained 1974. He had one alleged victim and was removed from the ministry in 1995 and died in 2014. He served at Our Lady of the Valley.
• John Pisarcik, born 1944, ordained 1970. He had multiple alleged victims and was removed from the ministry in 1991. He was principal of Neumann Prep.
• James Scott, born 1948, ordained, 1974. He had one alleged victim and was removed from the ministry in 1995. He was a faculty member at DePaul Catholic High School.

Cardinal Joseph Tobin, the archbishop of Newark, said the list includes all those from New Jersey who were credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors dating back to 1940. Read his full statement here.

The dioceses are undertaking this action in coordination with the Attorney General of New Jersey's ongoing task force examining the issue of clergy sexual abuse.

In the same statement, 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."

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Image via Shutterstock