FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM FEBRUARY 10, 2022 • THE QUEENS COURIER 25
Bellerose pastor removed over child sex abuse allegations
BY ISABEL SONG BEER
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
An internal investigation led the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn to remove a
Queens church pastor from the ministry
over accusations of sexual misconduct
with minors.
Bishop Robert Brennan announced
Monday the actions taken against Father
John O’Connor, Pastor of St. Gregory
the Great in Bellerose, Queens, based
on the recommendation of its Diocesan
Review Board (DRB) over claims that the
54-year-old priest engaged in indecent
behavior with children online.
Th e allegations had been made made in
a Child Victims Act (CVA) lawsuit fi led
against him Aug. 13, 2020. While investigating
these particular allegations, the
DRB unturned further allegations of sexual
misconduct in March of 2000 while
O’Connor was assigned to St. Athanasius
Church in Brooklyn.
Following this initial accusation in
2000, O’Connor was placed on leave by
the Diocese of Brooklyn so he could
receive treatment from May 2000 to
August 2001. Following this initial period
of treatment, O’Connor returned
to the diocese while still continuing
treatment until 2005.
“Th e independent Diocesan Review
Board, which is a group of experts in
law enforcement, psychology as well as
the medical and legal fi elds, relies on the
assistance of a private investigation company
comprised of former law enforcement
offi cers with experience in sexual
abuse investigations,” said Adriana
Rodriguez, press secretary of the
Diocese of Brooklyn. “Th e
nature of the investigation
is confi dential.”
According to the
statement issued by
the Diocese, typically
removal from
ministry means
that the individual
can no longer celebrate
Mass publicly,
cannot exercise
any public
ministerial duties
and cannot reside
in ecclesiastical residence. In addition
to these punitive requirements, Father
O’Connor’s name will also be added to
the list of Credibly Accused Priests on the
Diocese of Brooklyn’s website.
“Once the independent Diocesan
Review Board (DRB) has
deemed an allegation credible
(‘credible means the
Diocesan offi cials believe
that the allegations
may be true’) the independent
DRB recommends
the immediate
removal of the
cleric,” Rodriguez
said. “As is our policy
we have forwarded
the information
to the district attorney’s
offi ce and they
will determine if
criminal charges will
be warranted.”
Th e statement also mentioned that
the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
passed a Charter for the Protection of
Children and Young People in 2002.
Th is charter includes and highlights the
church’s zero-tolerance policy, which
states that any clergy member who is
categorized as being credibly accused
of sexual misconduct with a minor
must be permanently removed from the
clergy.
Additionally, the Diocese said they
conduct initial and ongoing background
checks on all employees as well as providing
age-appropriate sexual abuse awareness
training and resources to children
and adults. In their Jan. 31 press release,
the Diocese of Brooklyn reiterated their
commitment to protecting children and
young people from sexualized violence.
“Th e Diocese of Brooklyn places great
emphasis on providing pastoral care to
victims. Th e Offi ce of Victim Assistance
Ministry provides supportive initial
counseling, therapy referrals and pastoral
resources for the victims of sexual abuse,”
the statement read. “Th e Diocese hosts a
yearly Mass of Hope and Healing where
the faithful come together and pray for
victims of clergy sexual abuse.”
Th e Diocese of Brooklyn urges anyone
who has been a victim of clergy sexual
abuse to report to law enforcement or to
the toll-free reporting line established by
the Diocese at 888-634-4499. All calls are
forwarded to law enforcement.
Urban Upbound brings new jobs program to Queensbridge Houses
BY JULIA MORO
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
City and state offi cials joined together
with Urban Upbound to announce
the launch of the Jobs-Plus program in
Queensbridge Houses last month.
Urban Upbound is a nonprofi t founded
by Bishop Mitchell Taylor, a lifelong
resident of the Queensbridge Houses,
to bring high-quality services to residents
in New York City. Th e new Jobs-
Plus program will provide residents with
fi nancial counseling and education services.
Financial counselors will help residents
obtain access to resources like food
stamps and health benefi ts.
“Urban Unbound is proud to fi nally
cut the ribbon on the fi rst offi cial cityfunded
Jobs-Plus site in Queensbridge
Houses,” Taylor said. “Th is is a historic
event and we look forward to creating
community support for work. Neighbors
are working with neighbors to create a
vibrant workforce and career track for
residents in public housing.”
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney
attended the announcement ceremony
commending Taylor and Urban
Upbound for their work, especially as
the ongoing pandemic has resulted in
many people losing their jobs.
“New York City bore the brunt of
the COVID-19 crisis. Millions of New
Yorkers are still struggling to fi nd jobs,”
Maloney said. “I commend the Bishop
Urban Upbound founder Bishop Mitchell Taylor and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards talk about a new jobs program for Queensbridge
Houses residents on Jan. 21.
for starting the Jobs-Plus program,
which will increase the earnings and
employment of working-age residents
in designated public housing developments.
I am very excited about this program
and look forward to working with
Bishop on it.”
According to Urban Upbound, a recent
program evaluation showed participants
aft er one year in the Jobs-Plus program
are 72% more likely to be employed and
earned 32% more than others not in the
program.
Queens Borough President Donovan
Richards also joined the ceremony, commenting
on the historically underserved
families that will benefi t from the services
Urban Upbound is bringing to
Queensbridge Houses.
“With the growing Jobs-Plus program
Photo courtesy of Urban Upbound
expanding into the Queensbridge
Houses, we’re creating a new pathway
toward prosperity for thousands of
our neighbors,” Richards said. “From
employment opportunities to fi nancial
counseling and beyond, Jobs-Plus will
make a world of diff erence in the lives of
so many Queensbridge families and we
look forward to partnering with Urban
Upbound every step of the way.”
Courtesy Diocese of Brooklyn
Father John O’Connor
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
link
link
link
