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A civil lawsuit has been filed against the Diocese of Trenton alleging the sexual abuse of a minor in 1989-90 by Rev. Joseph Farrell, currently pastor of St. Isidore the Farmer Parish in New Egypt. The abuse was alleged to have taken place during Father Farrell’s ministry in Our Lady of Perpetual Help-St. Agnes Parish in Atlantic Highlands.

Camille S. Biros and Kenneth R. Feinberg, administrators of the New Jersey state-wide Independent Victim Compensation Program (IVCP) announced Jan. 2 that the program’s deadline has been extended to Jan. 31, 2020 for the registration of new allegations and to Feb. 15, 2020 for the submission of all claims.

The Diocese of Trenton joins with the other Roman Catholic Dioceses of New Jersey in continuing our outreach to victims of clergy sexual abuse.  Our goal has been and remains to offer healing and justice to those who have been sexually abused as minors, while making every effort to protect our children and to prevent such abuse from ever happening again within the Catholic Church and its institutions. 

On Sept. 20, 2019, the Diocese of Trenton was informed by a representative of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office of the arrest of Father Brendan Williams on charges of criminal sexual contact with a child occurring in the late 1990s. Father Williams is the former pastor of St. Veronica Parish, Howell, and has been out of active ministry since 2012.

UPDATED: June 6, 2020 The allegation mentioned in the statement below has since been found to be not credible. Fr. Gabriel Zeis, TOR, can return to active ministry. Click to read original statement and for more.

Less than two weeks after Pope Francis convened a worldwide summit on eradicating the sexual abuse of minors by clergy, the Catholic bishops in New Jersey have issued a statement in which they detail their ongoing efforts, many dating back to 2002, to ensure safe environments for children and youth, deal with clergy charged with abuse and assist the victims in their process of healing. The statement was provided to 120 state legislators and media outlets March 4 by the New Jersey Catholic Conference.

(Washington, D.C.-- February 11, 2019) Kenneth R. Feinberg and Camille S. Biros, two noted victims’ compensation experts, have been named Administrators of a New Jersey state-wide Compensation Program – approved and supported by all five Roman Catholic Dioceses located in the state. Today they announced the creation of the Independent Victim Compensation Program (“IVCP”) to pay eligible victims who were sexually abused by clergy of the Roman Catholic Church while minors.

The Roman Catholic Bishops of New Jersey announced today their decision to retain Kenneth R. Feinberg and Camille Biros to design, implement and administer a statewide Victims Compensation Program for the submission, evaluation, and settlement of individual claims of sexual abuse of a minor. The Program would operate independently from any of the participating dioceses. The Administrators of the Program will have complete autonomy to determine eligibility of individual claims and the amount of compensation for victims who present a claim. This Program is intended to compensate eligible victims of child sexual abuse including those whose financial claims are legally barred by New Jersey's statute of limitations.

Bishop affirms plan by NJ dioceses to establish a victims’ program, release names of credibly accused clergy

Since the establishment of the Dallas Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in 2002 (revised in 2005, 2011 and 2018) and its accompanying Essential Norms, dioceses across the country — including the Diocese of Trenton — have committed themselves to the eradication of the sexual abuse of minors in the Church and its institutions and agencies.

On this past Thursday, the Attorney General of New Jersey, Gurbir Grewal, announced that he will establish a task force to investigate allegations of sexual abuse of minors by clergy in the five Dioceses of the State of New Jersey as well as any indications of cover-up by their bishops and leaders in the Catholic Church.

“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it” (1 Cor 12:26). These words of Saint Paul forcefully echo in my heart as I acknowledge once more the suffering endured by many minors due to sexual abuse, the abuse of power and the abuse of conscience perpetrated by a significant number of clerics and consecrated persons. Crimes that inflict deep wounds of pain and powerlessness, primarily among the victims, but also in their family members and in the larger community of believers and nonbelievers alike. Looking back to the past, no effort to beg pardon and to seek to repair the harm done will ever be sufficient. Looking ahead to the future, no effort must be spared to create a culture able to prevent such situations from happening, but also to prevent the possibility of their being covered up and perpetuated. The pain of the victims and their families is also our pain, and so it is urgent that we once more reaffirm our commitment to ensure the protection of minors and of vulnerable adults.

Bishop David M. O'Connell, C.M., published the following message Aug. 16 on diocesan media, and has asked that it be read during all Masses the weekend of Aug. 18 and 19.

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has issued the following statement after a series of meetings with members of the USCCB’s Executive Committee and other bishops. The following statement includes three goals and three principles, along with initial steps of a plan that will involve laity, experts, and the Vatican. A more developed plan will be presented to the full body of bishops at their general assembly meeting in Baltimore in November.

A statement from the Roman Catholic Bishops of Newark, Trenton, Paterson, Camden and Metuchen, New Jersey.

President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Issues Statement on Course of Action Responding to Moral Failures of Judgement on the Part of Church Leaders