Msgr. Thomas Benestad
Diocese of Allentown
Ordained: 1970
Leaves of Absence: 1978, 2001, 2006, 2007
Retired/named Pastor Emeritus: 2009
Assigned as follows:
- 1970-1973: St. Bernard (Easton, PA)
- 1970-1973: Lafayette College Newman Ctr.
- 1970-1973: Notre Dame High School (Easton, PA)
- 1973-1978: St. Thomas More (Allentown, PA)
- 1978: Leave of Absence
- 1978-1980: Holy Rosary (Reading, PA)
- 1980-1988: St. Bernard (Easton, PA)
- 1988-2001: Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Bethlehem, PA)
- 2001-2002: Sabbatical
- 2002-2005: St. Francis of Assisi (Allentown, PA)
- 2005-2006: Notre Dame of Bethlehem (Bethlehem, PA)
- 2006-2007: Leave of Absence
- 2007-2009: Ascension (Boca Raton, Florida)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Msgr. Thomas Benestad:
Benestad retired from ministry in 2009 and continues to reside in the Palm Beach area of Florida, where he remains active in ministry.
Msgr. Thomas Benestad was ordained a priest in 1970, who served in multiple parishes in the Diocese of Allentown. According to media reports, in 2018, he was first named publicly as accused in the PA Grand Jury report. it noted that in 2011, the Diocese of Allentown received a report from a man who claimed that Benestad sexually abused him from 1981 until 1983 (ages 9-11). Police investigated the allegation and deemed it to be credible. He reported that Benestad engaged him in forced mutual oral sex under threat of punishment during his CCD classes. However, because the statute of limitations had expired, Benestad has never been charged in the case.
The grand jury report also mentions that other allegations have been made against Benestad, without providing any additional details as to the context of the reports (time frame, types of contact, ages of the victims, etc.). Benestad has denied all of the allegations.
Based upon our firm’s experience with inner workings of the Catholic hierarchy, there are some definite red flags in Benestad’s assignment history that suggest he may have been the subject of multiple sexual misconduct allegations during his ministry in the Diocese of Allentown. For example, multiple leaves of absences and sabbatical are highly unusual for a priest who has never been accused of sexual misconduct.
The timing of them, followed by his transfer to South Florida to end his career, suggest that he may have been required to undergo some type of evaluation and, later, treatment. Additional clues could be contained in his personnel file, which has never been made public, so we cannot say conclusively whether that is the case. Benestad’s personnel files would be the subject of discovery in civil litigation against the Diocese of Allentown.
The Diocese reports that it has twice requested that Benestad be laicized (formally removed from the priesthood) but its requests have been denied.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Allentown. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Pennsylvania, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Allentown may have legal options against the Diocese of Allentown.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.