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Archdiocese of New York

Schools
School In Westchester To Close: 'Sad Day,' Superintendent Says School In Westchester To Close: 'Sad Day,' Superintendent Says
School In Westchester To Close: 'Sad Day,' Superintendent Says A school in Westchester County has announced it will cease operations at the end of the academic year.  In an announcement on Wednesday, May 1, the Office of the Superintendent of Schools of the Archdiocese of New York revealed the Transfiguration School in Tarrytown would close at the end of the 2023-24 academic year.  Officials attributed the decision to close the Catholic school to shifting demographics and lower enrollment, which have "significantly impacted" its ability to continue operating.  The St. Simon Stock School in the Bronx will also close for similar reas…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Archdiocese Ordered To Give Details Of Westchester Coach Accused Of Molesting Student Archdiocese Ordered To Give Details Of Westchester Coach Accused Of Molesting Student
Archdiocese Ordered To Give Details Of Westchester Coach Accused Of Molesting Student A judge has ordered the Archdiocese of New York and three Catholic schools to turn over a host of documents and information regarding a former educator and coach who allegedly molested students over the course of decades. Edwin Gaynor, of Ossining, is accused of fondling minors during gym classes in the 1960s when he worked at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Scarsdale, as well as other students in Westchester, according to a lawsuit filed in Westchester County civil court two years ago. It is alleged that the Archdiocese of New York knew of the abuse and rather than handle the situation,…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: New Details Released On Exposure Incident In Pleasantville COVID-19: New Details Released On Exposure Incident In Pleasantville
Covid-19: New Details Released On Exposure Incident In Pleasantville New details have been released after COVID-19 exposure was confirmed at a church in Westchester. A priest and a staff member at Holy Innocents Catholic Church, located at 431 Bedford Road in Pleasantville, tested positive for COVID-19 The two individuals have potentially exposed many people over four days of services, the Westchester County Department of Health said. Anyone who attended the following services must quarantine, as required by the New York State Department of Health, for 14 days (regardless of a negative COVID-19 test) from that last visit to the Church during these days: M…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: Positive Case Exposure To Students Confirmed In Mount Pleasant COVID-19: Positive Case Exposure To Students Confirmed In Mount Pleasant
Covid-19: Positive Case Exposure To Students Confirmed In Mount Pleasant An alert has been issued for COVID-19 exposure for students who attended a ceremony at a church in Westchester. On Friday, Aug. 28 a priest from Holy Innocents Church in Pleasantville tested COVID positive. "Unfortunately, that priest distributed communion to several of our students who were present for a First Holy Communion Ceremony," Mount Pleasant Superintendent of Schools Kurtis M. Kotes said in an email to the community. "I have been in contact with the Westchester County Department of Health, Carl Fulgenzi, Supervisor for the Town of Mount Pleasant, and the superintendent of sc…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: Six Catholic Schools To Close In Westchester COVID-19: Six Catholic Schools To Close In Westchester
Covid-19: Six Catholic Schools To Close In Westchester A total of 20 Catholic schools in New York, including nine in the Hudson Valley, will not reopen due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.  The permanent closures will impact approximately 2,500 students and 350 staff members. "The coronavirus public health crisis has had a devastating financial impact on Catholic school families and the greater Archdiocese," the Office of the Superintendent of Schools of the Archdiocese of New York said in a statement released Thursday, July 9. The Hudson Valley schools closing are: Westchester Holy Family School, New Rochelle Ou…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
COVID-19: Employee Tests Positive At Parish In Northern Westchester COVID-19: Employee Tests Positive At Parish In Northern Westchester
Covid-19: Employee Tests Positive At Parish In Northern Westchester A parish employee at a Northern Westchester church is among the latest to test positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19), prompting two priests to enter quarantine as they await results of their own tests. The Archdiocese of New York announced this week that an employee at the Church of the Assumption in Peekskill has tested positive and is currently undergoing treatment. In response, Rev. Esteban Sanchez and Rev. Carlos Limongi, who had close contact with the employee, have entered into a self-quarantine until it can be determined whether or not they have also contracted COVID-19. Anyone …

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by Zak Failla
Schools
COVID-19: NY Archdiocese Catholic Elementary Schools Extend Closures To April 20 COVID-19: NY Archdiocese Catholic Elementary Schools Extend Closures To April 20
Covid-19: NY Archdiocese Catholic Elementary Schools Extend Closures To April 20 The coronavirus crisis has hit the Catholic Church amongst the hardest, with the planned closure of elementary schools in the Archdiocese extended into next month. Michael Deegan, the Superintendent of Catholic Schools announced that elementary schools within the archdiocese will be extending their closure until Monday, April 20to ensure the safety of students, staff, and parents. "Informed by the current CDC guidelines and in consultation with other health professionals, the Health and Safety Task Force of the Office of the Superintendent of Schools made this decision out of concern for th…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: NY Archdiocese Cancels Masses At All Its Churches, Cuomo Modifies Election Procedures COVID-19: NY Archdiocese Cancels Masses At All Its Churches, Cuomo Modifies Election Procedures
Covid-19: NY Archdiocese Cancels Masses At All Its Churches, Cuomo Modifies Election Procedures The political process and religion have become the latest aspects of everyday life to feel the effects of the growing spread of the novel strain of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The Archdiocese of New York announced Saturday, March 14 that, effective immediately, it is canceling, until further notice, all masses in its jurisdiction — including New York City, as well as Westchester, Putnam, Orange, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Dutchess counties. The decision, made during the church's most solemn season, affects 296 parishes.  Churches will, however, remain open for private prayer. …

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Nun Accused Of Sexually Abusing Student At Area School, Lawsuit Filed In Westchester Says Nun Accused Of Sexually Abusing Student At Area School, Lawsuit Filed In Westchester Says
Nun Accused Of Sexually Abusing Student At Area School, Lawsuit Filed In Westchester Says A former student at an area private school has accused a former nun who later took positions of power at schools in Westchester of sexually abusing her in the 1960s. Sister Ann Peterson has been accused of groping and molesting Pamela Hayes in Orange County at the Saint Joseph School in Middletown during the 1960s, according to court documents. At the time of the alleged abuse, Hayes was 10 years old. The new lawsuit, filed this week, accuses Peterson of asking Hayes to stay late after school, then she allegedly kissed, groping and molested her, according to the court documents that were fi…

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by Zak Failla
News
Former Coach From Northern Westchester Accused Of Molesting Student At School Former Coach From Northern Westchester Accused Of Molesting Student At School
Former Coach From Northern Westchester Accused Of Molesting Student At School A former children’s sports coach in Westchester has become the latest accused of sexually abusing a minor decades ago as part of a Child Victims Act case that was filed earlier this month. Edwin Gaynor, of Ossining, is accused of fondling a minor during a gym class in the 1960s when he worked at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Scarsdale, according to a lawsuit filed in Westchester County civil court. It is alleged that the Archdiocese of New York knew of the abuse and rather than handle the situation, they instead continued to move Gaynor to different schools, none of which have been nam…

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by Zak Failla
News
Former Pastor In Area Accused Of Child Sex Abuse Former Pastor In Area Accused Of Child Sex Abuse
Former Pastor In Area Accused Of Child Sex Abuse A longtime area Catholic priest has been placed on administrative leave following an allegation of child abuse from years ago. Monsignor Edward Weber, the director of Priest Personnel Office in the archdiocese, is one of four priests in the Archdiocese of New York to be placed on leave following new allegations, said an article in the Catholic New York, the archdiocese's newspaper. The three other priests include Msgr. Edward Barry of Holy Rosary parish in Hawthorne, Father William Luciano of Blessed Sacrament parish in New Rochelle, and Msgr. James White of St. Vito-Most Holy Tri…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Priest Becomes Third In Westchester This Week To Be Accused Of Sexual Abuse Priest Becomes Third In Westchester This Week To Be Accused Of Sexual Abuse
Priest Becomes Third In Westchester This Week To Be Accused Of Sexual Abuse A reverend at a church has become the third priest in Westchester to be accused this week of sexually sexual assault dating back decades. Rev. William Luciano of the Blessed Sacrament Church in New Rochelle was the third priest to be temporarily removed from his ministry, Cardinal Timothy Dolan wrote in a letter to parishioners dated Thursday, Oct. 3. The accusations against Luciano stem from alleged incidents in the 1980s. No other information was released by the diocese. Dolan said that the allegations have been reported to the District Attorney’s Office and will have outside independe…

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by Zak Failla
News
Hawthorne Priest Accused Of Sexually Assaulting A Child Hawthorne Priest Accused Of Sexually Assaulting A Child
Hawthorne Priest Accused Of Sexually Assaulting A Child For the second time this week, a priest in Westchester has been removed from his ministry and is facing accusations of sexual abuse decades ago. Church-goers in Hawthorne received a letter from Cardinal Timothy Dolan alerting them that allegations have been made against Monsignor Edward Barry of the Holy Rosary Church. Dolan said that the allegations have been reported to the District Attorney’s Office and will have outside independent investigators “look into and assess the allegation,” before it is put before a Review Board. “The archdiocese has been informed of an allegation that Monsig…

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by Zak Failla
News
Westchester Priest Placed On Leave After Sex Abuse Allegation Westchester Priest Placed On Leave After Sex Abuse Allegation
Westchester Priest Placed On Leave After Sex Abuse Allegation A pastor at a Catholic church in Westchester has been temporarily removed from the ministry after being accused of sexually abusing a child decades ago. Monsignor James White has been placed on administrative leave at St. Vito-Most Holy Trinity Church in Mamaroneck, Cardinal Timothy Dolan announced. White will be “temporarily restricted,” from the ministry, Dolan wrote in a letter to members of the church. “Monsignor White has been placed on administrative leave and his ministry has been temporarily restricted,” he said. “This leave is not a punishment, and no judgment has been made about t…

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by Zak Failla
News
Sexual Abuse Charges Against Former Westchester Priest Dismissed Sexual Abuse Charges Against Former Westchester Priest Dismissed
Sexual Abuse Charges Against Former Westchester Priest Dismissed Charges of sexual abuse have reportedly been dropped against a former Westchester County priest who was charged with allegedly engaging in inappropriate behavior by a minor. Rev. Thomas Kreiser, who was accused of abusing a 10-year-old girl while serving at St. Joseph’s parish in Bronxville had the charges dismissed, according to reports. Prosecutors stated that the dismissal comes because they couldn’t prove any wrongdoing beyond a reasonable doubt. Kreiser was indicted in March, when a grand jury charged him with three counts of first-degree sexual abuse and three counts of endangering th…

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by Zak Failla
News
Former Westchester Priest Suspended For Sexual Misconduct, Cardinal Timothy Dolan Says Former Westchester Priest Suspended For Sexual Misconduct, Cardinal Timothy Dolan Says
Former Westchester Priest Suspended For Sexual Misconduct, Cardinal Timothy Dolan Says A New York priest who began his career in Westchester has been suspended from the ministry after sexual allegations with an adult were reported to the Manhattan's District Attorney's Office. Father John Duffell, the former leader of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Manhattan, was directed on July 1, by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, "not to publicly exercise his priestly ministry due to an allegation from the past that he abused his position of authority in a violation of his promise of celibacy," the Cardinal said in a letter to the parish. Immediately following the…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Names Of 120 Priests Linked To Sex Abuse Released By NY Archdiocese Names Of 120 Priests Linked To Sex Abuse Released By NY Archdiocese
Names Of 120 Priests Linked To Sex Abuse Released By NY Archdiocese Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, recently released the names of 120 Catholic clergy members accused of child sexual abuse. "I write to ask forgiveness again for the failings of those clergy and bishops who should have provided for the safety of our young people but instead betrayed the trust placed in them by God and by the faithful," Dolan wrote in a Pastoral letter released along with the list. Dolan when on to say the comprehensive list includes of "all archdiocesan clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors or who were the subject of a claim m…

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by Kathy Reakes
Obituaries
Sister Maria Teresa Colabella, Maryknoll Sister For 40 Years Dies Sister Maria Teresa Colabella, Maryknoll Sister For 40 Years Dies
Sister Maria Teresa Colabella, Maryknoll Sister For 40 Years Dies Sister Maria Colabella died on March 19 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Maryknoll. She was 78 years old and had been a Maryknoll Sister for 40 years. Maria was born on May 9, 1940 in Brooklyn to Emelia (Luongo) Colabella and Pasquale Colabella. She had two sisters, Sister Jaqueline Marie, SSND and Geraldine De Luca. Her parents and sisters have all predeceased her. In 1957, Maria graduated from St. Brendan’s Diocesan High School in Brooklyn. After graduating, she attended Long Island College Hospital School of Nursing in New York where she earned an R.N. diploma in 1960. She then continu…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Priest Faces Drug Possession Charge In Northern Westchester Priest Faces Drug Possession Charge In Northern Westchester
Priest Faces Drug Possession Charge In Northern Westchester Westchester County Police arrested two men, one a priest, for alleged possession of methamphetamine. Officers were traveling on John Walsh Boulevard in Peekskill shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday, March 17, when they spotted a suspicious vehicle parked in the vicinity of Charles Point Park, said Westchester County Police spokesman Kieran O'Leary. Two men were found inside the vehicle and after further investigation officers recovered half an ounce of methamphetamine, two scales and other materials used for packaging narcotics, O'Leary said. Father Michael O’Leary, 50, o…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Former Westchester Priest Faces Sexual Abuse Charge Involving 10-Year-Old Former Westchester Priest Faces Sexual Abuse Charge Involving 10-Year-Old
Former Westchester Priest Faces Sexual Abuse Charge Involving 10-Year-Old A former Westchester County priest has been indicted on charges for allegedly engaging in inappropriate behavior with a minor. A Westchester County grand jury indicted Rev. Thomas Kreiser, who allegedly sexually abused a 10-year-old girl while serving at St. Joseph’s parish in Bronxville. The jury charged Kreiser with three counts of first-degree sexual abuse and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. Kreiser allegedly engaged in touching his victim on an intimate part of her body while in a school building in Bronxville in the middle of…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
NY Archdiocese To Close Seven Schools, Including One In Hudson Valley NY Archdiocese To Close Seven Schools, Including One In Hudson Valley
NY Archdiocese To Close Seven Schools, Including One In Hudson Valley Seven Catholic schools will be closing their doors, including one in the Hudson Valley, the Archdiocese of New York announced. Citing declining enrollment, the Archdiocese announced that after 125 years, St. Mary Elementary School in Wappingers Falls was one of the institutions that will be shutting down when the academic year ends in June. Other closures were announced in Manhattan, Staten Island, the Bronx and Sullivan County. According to officials, “despite the Archdiocese's best efforts to maintain the operational and financial viability of these schools, continuing to educate stu…

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by Zak Failla
News
Ex-Northern Westchester Priest Appears In Court For Alleged Inappropriate Behavior With A Minor Ex-Northern Westchester Priest Appears In Court For Alleged Inappropriate Behavior With A Minor
Ex-Northern Westchester Priest Appears In Court For Alleged Inappropriate Behavior With A Minor A former priest in the area was back in court this week to respond to charges that he allegedly engaged in inappropriate behavior with a minor. Thomas Kreiser, a former priest in Bronxville, Garnerville and Yorktown, was in church on Wednesday, Jan. 16 after surrendering himself to police custody late last year for allegedly sexually abusing a 10-year-old child. Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr., announced last year that on Sept. 20, Kreiser allegedly engaged in touching his victim on an intimate part of her body while in a school building in Bronxville in the middl…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Former Priest In Northern Westchester Charged With Inappropriate Behavior With 10-Year-Old Girl Former Priest In Northern Westchester Charged With Inappropriate Behavior With 10-Year-Old Girl
Former Priest In Northern Westchester Charged With Inappropriate Behavior With 10-Year-Old Girl A Westchester County priest has been charged with allegedly engaging in inappropriate behavior with a minor. Thomas Kreiser has surrendered himself to police and was arraigned in Bronxville Village Court this week for allegedly sexually abusing a 10-year-old child. Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr., announced that on Sept. 20, Kreiser allegedly engaged in touching his victim on an intimate part of her body while in a school building in Bronxville in the middle of the day. Scarpino noted that the 10-year-old was fully clothed at the time of the incident. At the time…

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by Zak Failla
News
Westchester Priest Under Investigation For Inappropriate Behavior With Minor Westchester Priest Under Investigation For Inappropriate Behavior With Minor
Westchester Priest Under Investigation For Inappropriate Behavior With Minor A Westchester County priest is currently under investigation for engaging in inappropriate behavior with a minor, church officials said. The Rev. Thomas Kreiser at the Church of St. Joseph, in Bronxville, has been removed from service and that the matter has been referred to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office, said Joseph Zwilling, director of Communications for the Archdiocese of New York.  “We take all allegations of abuse seriously, and, as is our policy, immediately turned this allegation over to the Westchester DA," said Zwilling. The archdiocese and the parish is f…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Former Archbishop Leaves Ministry Amid Sexual Conduct Allegations Former Archbishop Leaves Ministry Amid Sexual Conduct Allegations
Former Archbishop Leaves Ministry Amid Sexual Conduct Allegations Retired Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, formerly the Archbishop of Newark, is stepping out of the ministry after allegations of sexual abuse were found "credible and substantiated." The incident apparently involved sexual abuse of a teenager when McCarrick was a priest of the Archdiocese of New York nearly five decades ago, according to a statement from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, who was appointed by the Vatican to oversee the investigation. "Carefully following the process detailed by the Charter of the American bishops, this alleg…

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by Cecilia Levine