Damian L. Cooper
In 1994, Fr. Damian L. Cooper was accused of sexually abusing a child. Fr. Cooper worked as a chaplain for the Archdiocese of Vancouver at Camp Latona on Gambier Island when he allegedly sexually abused a teenage girl he met there from approximately 1985 to 1992. The Archdiocese removed Fr. Cooper from ministry in the wake of the allegation.
In 1995, the Diocese of Rockville Centre reinstated Fr. Cooper to ministry. Fr. Cooper worked in the Diocese from 1995 until his removal in 2001. He was suspended in 2001 after he was again accused of sexual abuse. In 2012, a survivor of Fr. Cooper brought a civil lawsuit against him.
Fr. Damian L. Cooper was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Vancouver in 1986. Fr. Cooper worked in the Archdiocese for eight years at various parishes, including Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver, St. Ann’s in Aldergrove, St. Joseph’s in Squamish, and St. Jude’s in Vancouver. He later worked as an associate pastor in the Diocese of Rockville Centre at St. Brigid’s in Long Island, St. Hugh of Lincoln in Huntington Station, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Lindenhurst.
Following his suspension in 2001, Fr. Cooper moved back to British Columbia and began work as a spiritual director at the Fraser Valley Pregnancy Centre in Aldergrove.
(Sources: The Official Catholic Directory; www.bishop-accountability.org; https://www.theinquiry.ca/wordpress/accused/charged/cooper-father-lawrence-cooper/)