Catholic Officials Neglect the Safety of the Public to Hide Accused Child Molesting Priests
(Brooklyn, NY) – Through lawsuits filed involving the Diocese of Brooklyn under the New York Child Victims Act (CVA), 12 new alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse have been identified publicly for the first time:
Fr. Jaime Pico, C.M.
Fr. Joseph A. Pfaff
Fr. John M. McDermott, S.J.
Donald Barnum (Choir Master)
Fr. John C. Brennan
Fr. Vincent Daly
Br. Joseph Garito, F.S.C.
Sister Rita Ann
Br. Brendan Dinan, C.S.C.
Fr. Ralph Maresca
Fr. Francis Fahy
Fr. Felix Miritello
Out of the 12 alleged perpetrators publicly identified for the first time, six may still be alive and have access to children:
Fr. Jamie Pico, C.M.: According to a newsletter circulated within the communities of the Diocese of Brooklyn in August of 2019, Fr. Jamie Pico attended services held at Saint Paul Roman Catholic Church. Pico has been accused of sexually abusing two minors in approximately 1972 and from 1985 – 1987. Pico’s whereabouts and if he has access to children is unknown.
Fr. John M. McDermott, S.J.: McDermott has been accused of sexually abusing a child before he became a priest in 1967 in the Diocese of Brooklyn. McDermott is still in ministry and is currently the Professor of Theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan.
Donald Barnum (Choir Master): According to a news bulletin, Barnum was the Music Director of the Canoni Chorale and was involved in a service on October 27, 2019, at the Church of Saint Andrew located in Manhattan, New York. Barnum is accused of sexually abusing a minor in 1990 in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Fr. Vincent Daly: Daly has been accused of extensive abuse of a minor from 1983 – 1986 while he was assigned to the Diocese of Brooklyn. Daly is believed to be currently in ministry and living at Holy Trinity Church in Whitestone, New York.
Br. Joseph Garito, F.S.C.: Garito has been accused of sexual abuse of a minor from 1980 – 1981 while he was assigned to the Diocese of Brooklyn. According to an article published in 2015, Garito was assigned to the Christian Brothers’ Martin de Porres School in Elmont, Long Island. Garito’s whereabouts and if he has access to children is unknown.
Fr. Ralph Maresca: Maresca has been accused of sexually abusing a minor from 1978 – 1981 in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Maresca is currently the pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Astoria, New York.
“We call on Bishop DiMarzio to come clean and inform the public about what he knows about these perpetrators,” said attorney Jeff Anderson. “DiMarzio is harboring some of these perpetrators right under the publics’ nose where they still have access to children, and he must remove them from ministry to protect children in the Diocese of Brooklyn.”
Survivors of sexual abuse have until this Friday, August 13, 2021, to file a lawsuit under the New York CVA. If you were sexually abused as a child in New York, no matter how old you were, no matter when the abuse occurred, you still have rights, and you can still take action, but time is running out.