Fr. John Butler – Diocese of Metuchen

| Feb 26, 2019 | Abuser Profiles, Catholic Church

Father John Butler

Diocese of Metuchen

Ordained: 1957

Removed from Ministry: 2002

Assigned as Follows:

  •        1957-1958    Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (Richmond, VA)
  •        1958-1960    St Mary Star-of-the-Sea (For Monroe, VA)
  •        1960-1961    St Peter’s Catholic Church (Richmond, VA)
  •        1961-1965    St Joseph’s (Kings Park, NY)
  •        1966         Not indexed in the 1966 Directory
  •       1966-1968    On duty outside the diocese of Richmond at an unspecified location
  •       1968-1969    missions at Our Lady of the Valley (Petersberg, WV) and Our Lady of Grace         (Grace,WV)
  •       1969-1970        St Paul’s Catholic Church (Richmond, VA)
  •       1970-1974        SS. Philip and James (Phillipsburg, NJ)
  •       1974-1975 St Barnabas Catholic Church (Bayville, NJ)
  •       1975-1978 St Thomas the Apostle School (Old Bridge, NJ)
  •       1978-1979   St Robert Bellarmine (Freehold, NJ)
  •       1980 Not indexed in the 1980 Directory
  •       1979-1984    St John Vianney (Colonia, NJ) and East Jersey State Prison Chaplain
  •       1985-1986 Not indexed in the 1985 or 1986 Directory
  •       1986-2002 St John Vianney (Colonia, NJ)
  •       2003 Not indexed in the 2003 Directory

Summary of Abuse Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father John Butler:

Father John Butler was ordained a priest to the Diocese of Richmond in 1957. He served in multiple parishes throughout his career including in the Diocese of Metuchen. According to media reports, in April 2002, the Diocese of Metuchen confirmed that Fr. John Butler, associate pastor of St. John Vianney parish, had to take a leave of absence due to allegations of inappropriate conduct with a minor in the late 1950’s. The Diocese of Metuchen said that someone called them with allegations of abuse and had already contacted an attorney’s office in New York. The caller said that he had been calling church officials and making allegations for years, but nobody did anything about it.

According to a grand jury investigation of the Diocese of Rockville Centre (New York), during the time of Father John R. Butler’s assignments in New York, he sexually molested over a dozen boys.

Despite complaints about Butler that apparently spanned over 35 years, he was simply transferred and continued to work as a priest until 2002, when he retired.

The Diocese of Metuchen has settled one legal claim involving Butler.  His name does not appear on the Diocese of Metuchen’s list of credibly accused priests.

Butler died in September 2016.

Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Metuchen in New Jersey.  If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in New Jersey, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Metuchen now have legal options, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us.  Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in New Jersey and nationwide. We can help.

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