Father Walter D. Salisbury
Ordained: 1959
Removed: 1993
Assigned as follows:
- 1959 - 1963 St. Nicholas Church (Houston, TX)
- 1963 - 1973 St. Martin de Porres (Prairie View, TX)
- 1963 - 1968 A & M College Catholic Newman Center (Prairie View, TX)
- 1968 - 1979 Texas Southern Catholic Newman Center (Houston, TX)
- 1979 - 1983 St. Joseph's Seminary (Washington, DC)
- 1983 - 1985 St. Joseph's (Tuskegee Institute, AL)
- 1985 - 1987 Holy Redeemer (Washington, DC)
- 1987 - 1993 St. Luke's (Washington, DC)
- 1993 - 2007 St. Joseph Society of the Sacred Heart House of Central Administration (Baltimore, MD)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father Walter D. Salisbury:
According to media reports, in 1978, Father Walter D. Salisbury was charged with indecency with a child in Houston while he was serving as chaplain at Texas Southern University Newman Center. The victim said Father Salisbury unzipped his pants and put the boy's hand around his penis.
In June 1979, Father Salisbury pleaded no contest and was given three-years probation. He was kept in ministry and transferred to Washington DC, where he was assigned as a counselor at St. Joseph's Seminary.
Father Salisbury was also accused of child molestation while serving at St. Joseph's in Alabama from 1983-1985.
In April 1993, Father Salisbury was charged with with having sexual relations with a young boy he had been tutoring in January of that year in St. Luke's rectory in Washington, DC. He surrendered to the police after the allegations were reported. He pleaded guilty and was given a one year prison sentence, suspended, and a year of probation.
After the 1993 incident, the Josephites sent him to treatment and removed him from ministry.
In the mid-1990s, Father Salisbury relocated to his native Bar Harbor, Maine where he found an apartment across the street from a K-8 public school. He served on the town's housing authority board for many years. He also joined the Order of the Founders of the Patriots of America, whose website states that membership is open to men of "good moral character and reputation."
In December 2010, he resigned under duress after his criminal convictions came to light. He had been listed as "Father" W. Dayton Salisbury on the housing authority's web page.
In October 2018, Father Salisbury's name appeared publicly on the Archdiocese of Washington's list of clergy credibly accused of sex abuse of minors.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Washington. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Washington, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Washington now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an email to adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today.