Crime & Safety
Former St. Luke, St. Joseph Priests Accused Of Sex Abuse
Church leaders released a list of more than 100 priests "credibly accused" of child sex abuse. Some have ties to North Plainfield
NORTH PLAINFIELD, NJ — Two priests who once served at St. Luke Roman Catholic Church in North Plainfield and one priest who once served at St. Joseph's Church in North Plainfield have been named among those "credibly accused" of child sex abuse in the Diocese of Metuchen and Trenton.
The Leaders of the Catholic Church in New Jersey Wednesday revealed the names of 186 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.
The lists were provided by each New Jersey archdiocese – Metuchen, Newark, Trenton, Camden and Paterson – below. All five New Jersey dioceses released names; not all provided details on church affiliations.
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The Metuchen archdiocese listed John Casey who was born on Jan. 29 1958 and ordained in 1984. He served at a number of parishes including: St. Philip and St. James, Phillipsburg; St. Peter the Apostle, New Brunswick; Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen; and St. Joseph, North Plainfield.
Casey has been accused of abusing multiple victims and has since died. It is unclear at which church the alleged child sex abuse occurred.
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John Giordano was also listed. He was born on Dec. 17, 1941 and ordained in 1967. He served at St. Luke in North Plainfield.
Giordano has been accused of abusing multiple victims and has since been removed.
Dann Rossi (Deacon) was also listed. He was born on April 9, 1947 and ordained to the Diaconate in 1982. He served at St. Luke in North Plainfield.
Rossi has been accused of abusing multiple victims and has since died.
Several other priests who served at Somerset County churches also made the list of those "credibly accused" of child sex abuse including:
| Name | Churchs Served At | Victims | Status |
| John Banko | St. Pius X High School, Piscataway; St. Charles Borromeo, Montgomery Twp.; St. Edward, Milford; Mary, Mother of God, Hillsborough | Multiple | Deceased |
| John Casey | St. Philip and St. James, Phillipsburg; St. Peter the Apostle, New Brunswick; Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen; St. Joseph, North Plainfield | Multiple | Deceased |
| Mark Dolak | Our Lady of Peace, Fords; Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen; St. Thomas the Apostle, Old Bridge; St. John the Evangelist, Dunellen; St. Matthias, Somerset; St. Catherine of Siena, Pittstown | Multiple | Removed |
| John Giordano | St. Luke, North Plainfield | Multiple | Removed |
| Gregory Littleton | St. Philip and St. James, Phillipsburg; Our Lady of Victories, Sayreville; Our Lady of Mount Virgin, Middlesex; St. Elizabeth-St. Brigid, Far Hills-Peapack | Multiple | Removed |
| Michael Santillo | St. Joseph, Bound Brook; Our Lady of Lourdes, Whitehouse Station; St. John Vianney, Colonia; St. Jude, Blairstown; St. Mary, Perth Amboy; St. Joseph, Washington | Multiple | Deceased |
| Dann Rossi (Deacon) | St. Luke, North Plainfield | 1 | Deceased |
| Thomas Ganley | St. Ann, Raritan; St. Cecilia, Monmouth Junction; St. Matthew, Edison; Immaculate Conception, Spotswood; St. Cecelia, Iselin; Our Lady of Fatima, Piscataway; Sacred Heart, South Plainfield; St. Ann, Raritan; St. Philip and St. James, Phillipsburg | 1 | Removed, Currently under investigation |
| Liam A. Minogue | Mary, Mother of God Church in Hillsborough | Unknown | Deceased |
Click here for the full list of the 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.
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