Father William Authenrieth
Diocese of Orlando
Ordained: 1962
Removed: 1985
Laicized: 1986
Died: 2015
Assignment History:
- 1963-1973: St. Vincent Ferrer (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1974: Holy Spirit (Mims, FL)
- 1975: St. John's (Orlando, FL)
- 1976-1978: On Duty Outside of the Diocese
- 1979-1983: St. Mary's (Rockledge, FL)
- 1984: All Souls' (Sanford, FL)
- 1985: Our Lady of Lourdes (Melbourne, FL)
- 1986-2014: Unknown
Summary of Abuse Allegations Against Father William Authenrieth:
Father William Authenrieth was an associate priest at St. Vincent Ferrer until 1973, when he moved to the Diocese of Orlando, Florida. According to media reports, there were at least four civil suits filed in 1985 against Authenrieth and the Orlando Diocese claiming abuse of boys. in 1978, a parishioner at All Souls in Sanford reported to the Diocese of Orlando that Father Authenrieth had touched his son's genitals. The priest was quietly transferred to St. Mary's in Rockledge, Florida.
In a 1985 lawsuit, a man alleged that his three young altar-boy sons had been fondled and sodomized by Father Authenrieth at St. Mary's. The priest allegedly threatened the boys with the "wrath of God" to keep quiet. No action was taken. Their father said when he told St. Mary's pastor about the abuse, his response was that he should "pray," and "It's not for you to judge. That's for God to do." A fourth man alleging abuse by Father Authenrieth at St. Mary's during the same time-period also filed a civil suit.
Fr. Authenrieth admitted to fondling the four boys, and the cases were settled. At least $2 million was paid out to three of the victims. The fourth settled for $490,000. In a deposition, he said he had brought more than one hundred men to St. Mary's for sex. He also testified that his reason for leaving Brooklyn was that a young male parishioner, "about 18", threatened to reveal that they had engaged in sex. He was never prosecuted because of evidence problems. In October 1985, he was removed from ministry and sent to the House of Affirmation in Massachusetts for treatment. Authenrieth was laicized in 1986.
A 2002 lawsuit claimed that Father Authenrieth had sexually abused a boy in the rectory while he served at St. Vincent Ferrer's in Brooklyn. More allegations surfaced. In July 2012, a man filed a civil lawsuit alleging he and several other children were sexually abused by Father Authenrieth in 1978 when the man was a 14-year-old altar boy at St. Mary's. He said the abuse happened in the sacristy, during sleepovers at the rectory and when the priest invited the boy to his quarters to practice playing the organ.
In October 2013, another lawsuit alleged that Father Authenrieth sexually abused a 14-year-old altar boy in 1983 and 1984 at All Souls in Sanford, Florida. His accuser said he threatened to tell everyone the boy was gay if he told anyone.
In August 2014, he was once again named in a lawsuit alleging that he abused him as a sixth-grade altar boy from 1976 to 1978 at All Souls Church in Sanford, Florida. He said the abuse occurred in the sacristy and in the priest's living quarters.
In February 2019, Father Authenrieth's name appeared on the Diocese of Brooklyn's list of clergy credibly accused of sex abuse of minors. He was last known to have been living in a Massachusetts retirement community in 2014. Authenrieth died in June 2015.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Orlando in Florida. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Florida, contact our office today. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Florida and nationwide. We can help.
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