Father John Brueckner
Diocese of Pittsburgh
Ordained: 1940
Death: 1960
Assignments as Follows:
- 2/20/1940 - 9/6/1944 - Immaculate Conception (Pittsburgh, PA)
- 9/7/1944 - 9/11/1947 - St. Joseph (New Kensington, PA)
- 9/11/1947 - 4/6/1949 - St. Mary and New Castle Hospital (New Castle, PA)
- 4/7/1949 - 11/7/1951 - St. Mary (Beaver Falls, PA)
- 11/ 8/1951 - 6/13/1956 - St. Lawrence (Pittsburgh, PA)
- 6/14/1956 - 5/27/1959 - Annunciation (North Side, PA)
- 5/23/1959 - 10/2/1960 - St. Luke (Carnegie, PA)
Summary of Allegations Against Father John Brueckner:
Father John Brueckner was ordained a priest in 1940, who served in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. According to media reports, a woman contacted the Diocese of Greensburg to report that her husband had been sexually abused by a Catholic priest as a child. Prior to 1951, the parishes in this area were under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
The woman said that in 2002, her husband told her he had been mistreated by a priest at St. Joseph between 1947 and 1951. He said they saw a baseball game together, after which he was sexually abused in the priest's car. Though the woman did not remember the name of her husband's abuser, Diocese records showed that Father Brueckner and Father Stewart were assigned to St. Joseph during the years the victim said his abuse took place.
In May 2016, a memorandum concerning these allegations was sent to the Westmoreland
County District Attorney's Office. The memorandum said that between 1947 and 1951, a priest at St. Joseph had abused a pre-pubescent boy. It included a list of St. Joseph's priests that contained both Father John Brueckner's and Father Stewart's names. The Diocese of Pittsburgh did not act on these allegations.
Father Brueckner was first named publicly as accused in a priest profile in the 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report.
Brueckner died in 1960.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. 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 Pittsburgh may have legal options, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today.