Monsignor George Zatarga
Ordained: 1968
Died: 2011
Assigned as follows:
- Queen of All Saints (Brooklyn, NY)
- Holy Family (Brooklyn, NY)
- Notre Dame High School (West Haven, CT)
- Corpus Christi (Queens, NY)
- 1969: St. Frances de Chantal (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1970-1971: St. Gertrude's (Edgemere/ Far Rockaway, NY)
- 1972-1978: Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1979: Absent On Leave
- 1980: St. Clement Pope (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1980-1981: Special Assignment (Archbishop Molloy High School (Queens, NY)
- 1981-1989: St. Gregory the Great (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1985-1989: Released From Diocesan Assignment; Archbishop Molloy High School (Queens, NY)
- 1990-1999:Christ the King (Queens, NY)
- 2001-2006: Episcopal Vicar Delegate for Senior Priests; Bishop Mugavero Residence (Douglaston, NY)
- 2007: American Martyrs (Bayside, NY)
- 2008-2010: Unknown
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Monsignor George Zatarga:
According to media reports, after nearly forty years in the priesthood, Msgr. George Zatarga was removed from ministry in November 2007 after he admitted to inappropriate behavior with at least 5 teenagers in the 1970s, including three brothers. He was a friend of their parents for more than 40 years. He was sent to St. Luke Institute in Silver Springs, Maryland, an institution known for treating priests accused of child sexual abuse.
The abuse occurred while Zatarga was serving as chaplain at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn and at Archbishop Molloy High School in Briarwood. He reportedly kept a "travel log" of his 1976 trips with teenage boys and often mentioned their "unique physiques." The log showed he brought at least 25 teenage boys to a cabin in 1971, 1974, and 1976. Two of the victims told investigators he had molested them as recently as the last two years at the priest's country home in Greenfield, N.Y.
Additional allegations involved an 18-year-old male alleging Zatarga molested him in his home "outside upstate Saratoga Springs" after inviting the alleged victim there for a retreat in 2007. Other victims have come forward since the story of the priest's admission was released.
Zatarga died in August 2011. In February 2019, his name appeared on the Diocese of Brooklyn'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 Diocese of Brooklyn. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Brooklyn, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Brooklyn 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.