Crime & Safety
Former N. Providence, Berkeley Heights Priests Accused Of Abuse
A list of more than 100 priests "credibly accused" of child sex abuse was released. Some have ties to New Providence, Berkeley Heights.
NEW PROVIDENCE/BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ — A reverend who once served at Our Lady of Peace in New Providence and a reverend who once served at Little Flower in Berkeley Heights have been named among those "credibly accused" of child sex abuse.
The Leaders of the Catholic Church in New Jersey Wednesday revealed the names of 63 members on Wednesday to help victims heal as more revelations have been made in recent months.Many have ties to New Jersey. Nearly all of them were either sanctioned by the church, charged with a crime or both.
John C. Bouton, who has since died, was born in 1922 and ordained in 1949. He served at a number of parishes including: St. Aloysius in Caldwell, Our Lady of Peace in New Providence, Holy Rosary in Edgewater and Immaculate Conception in Secaucus.
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Bouton has been accused of abusing one victim during his time as reverend. It is unclear at which church the alleged child sex abuse occurred.
Joseph P. Fagan, who has since died, was born in 1911 and ordained in 1937. He served at a number of parishes including: Little Flower in Berkeley Heights, St. Charles Borromeo in Newark, Our Lady Of Grace/St. Joseph in Hoboken, and Christ the King in Jersey City.
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Fagan has been accused of abusing one victim during his time as reverend. It is unclear at which church the alleged child sex abuse occurred.
Several other priests who served at Union County churches also made the list of those "credibly accused" of child sex abuse including:
| Name | Union County Church Served At | Victims | Status |
| Robert Alcamo | Assumption, Roselle Park | 1 | Permanently removed from ministry/Laicized |
| Jorge Batista | Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary/St. Michael, Elizabeth | 1 | Deceased |
| James T. Benedetto | St. Michael, Cranford; Our Lady of Lourdes, Mountainside | 1 | Permanently removed from ministry |
| John X. Bergeur | Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary/St. Michael, Elizabeth | 1 | Deceased |
| John Capparelli | Oratory Prep, Summit; Holy Trinity, Westfield; St. Theresa, Kenilworth | Multiple | Permanently removed from ministry/Laicized |
| James A. Carey | Chaplain, St. Elizabeth Hospital, Elizabeth; Oratory Prep, Summit; Holy Trinity, Westfield | 1 | Deceased |
| Robert Chabak | St. Theresa, Kenilworth; Christ the King, Hillside; St. Mary of the Assumption, Elizabeth | Multiple | Permanently removed from ministry |
| Dennis Cocozza | Assumption, Roselle Park | 1 | Deceased |
| Arturo Crespo | St. Teresa of Avila, Summit | 1 | Permanently removed from ministry |
| Hadmels R. DeFrias | St. Mary, Elizabeth | Multiple | Permanently removed from ministry/Laicized |
| Joseph DiPeri | Oratory Prep, Summit | 1 | Deceased |
| John J. Donohue | Immaculate Heart of Mary/St. Patrick, Elizabeth | Multiple | Permanently removed from ministry |
| Edward Eilert | Our Lady of Lourdes, Mountainside St. John the Apostle, Linden | Multiple | Permanently removed from ministry |
| John Flanagan | St. Bernard, Plainfield; Holy Trinity, Westfield | 1 | Deceased |
| Lawrence Gadek | St. Catherine, Hillside | Multiple | Permanently removed from ministry/Laicized |
| Manuel GalloEspinoza | St. Mary, Plainfield | 1 | Permanently removed from ministry |
| Alan Guglielmo | St. Michael, Union; Roselle Catholic, Roselle; Mother Seton Regional High School, Clark; St. Helen, Westfield; Assumption, Roselle Park | 1 | Permanently removed from ministry |
| Kevin Gugliotta | Holy Spirit, Union | Multiple (Child Pornography) | Permanently removed from ministry |
| Charles Hartling | Holy Spirit, Union | Multiple | Deceased |
| Charles Hudson | Chaplain - Center for Hope Hospice, Union; Chaplain - St. Elizabeth Hospital, Elizabeth | 1 | Deceased |
| Kevin Kortina | Union Catholic Regional High School, Scotch Plains | 1 | Deceased |
| Dcn. John R. McAulay | St. Mary of the Assumption, Elizabeth | 1 | Permanently removed from ministry |
| William McCann | Holy Trinity, Westfield | Multiple | Deceased |
| Daniel (Horatio D.) Medina | Blessed Sacrament, Elizabeth | Multiple | Permanently removed from ministry/Laicized |
| Richard Mieliwocki | St. Joseph The Carpenter, Roselle; Holy Trinity, Westfield | Multiple | Permanently removed from ministry/Laicized |
| Joseph Rice | St. John the Apostle, Linden | Multiple | Deceased |
| Gerald Ruane | Holy Trinity, Westfield | Multiple | Deceased |
| Edward Stanley | St. Patrick, Elizabeth | 1 | Deceased |
Click here for the full list of the 63 NJ priests accused of child sexual abuse.
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, the archbishop of Newark, had announced that the Roman Catholic Dioceses in New Jersey was undertaking a complete review of their files so that the names of all priests and deacons who have been credibly accused of the sexual abuse of minors could be made public.
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.
(Image via Shutterstock)
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