Father John Rebovich
Diocese of Scranton
Ordained: 1967
Administrative leave: 1990
Died: Unknown
Assigned as follows:
- 1968-1972: Oblates of St. Joseph Seminary, Pittston, PA
- 1972-1973: St. John the Evangelist, Pittston, PA
- 1973-1974: St. Joseph’s, York, PA
- 1973-1974: Trinity High School, Shiremanstown, PA
- 1974-1978: St. Nicholas, Dunellen, NJ
- 1978-1979: Byzantine Catholic Seminary, Pittsburgh, PA
- 1979-1985: St. Eugene, Bedford, OH
- 1985-1990: St. Michael’s, Akron, OH
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father John Rebovich:
Father John Rebovich was ordained an Oblates of St. Joseph priest in 1967. who served in multiple parishes in the Diocese of Scranton and Harrisburg Pennsylvania before becoming a Byzantine Catholic priest. During his tenure, Rebovich has reportedly had multiple allegations of sexual abuse against a minor. According to media reports, in 1990, Rebovich was accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old altar boy at St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church in Dunellen, New Jersey in 1975. Rebovich’s accuser is said to have told church officials, who promised to investigate, in 1978. Rebovich was transferred from the parish to seminary the year that the 1978 complaint was filed.
The First Lawsuit is Filed
Rebovich was removed from St. Michael’s in April 1990 when he was accused in a lawsuit of having raped and molesting an altar boy in 1980 at St. Eugene. The victim said the first incident occurred on Good Friday 1980 after Rebovich took him to dinner and persuaded him to spend the night at the rectory. He said he awoke in the night to find Rebovich performing oral sex on him.
The second incident took place in August 1980, after Rebovich supplied him with mixed drinks and took him back to the rectory in a drunken state. That time, the victim alleged, he awoke to find himself naked in the pastor’s bed.
The lawsuit also stated that the victim met with diocesan officials in 1984 and agreed not to press charges if the church removed Rebovich as pastor of St. Eugene, forced him into treatment and banned him from contact with boys. The diocese removed Rebovich from St. Eugene, but less than a month later reinstated him and that same year assigned him to St. Michael.
The Second Lawsuit is Filed
John Rebovich was accused again in a 2002 lawsuit of having sexually abused three boys at St. Eugene’s, from 1978 to 1981, when the boys were 15 to 17 years old.
In interviews, the men said Rebovich lured teens to the rectory by inviting them over to drink alcohol. They said the offer was difficult to resist, and that the priest was a “cool” guy for allowing them to hang out and play cards.
That man said Rebovich asked him to clean up after bingo for $50. The priest also let it be known the cleanup crew could help themselves to beer.
Another man said Rebovich would have lots of teens hanging around his house. One by one, the boys would leave. On two occasions when he had been drinking and ended up alone with Rebovich, the priest raped him, he said.
According to Diocese records, Rebovich passed away, but the year and his last known location are unknown.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Scranton. 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 Scranton may 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 Pennsylvania and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.