Father Kenneth Martin
Archdiocese of Newark
Ordained: 1977
Removed: 2002
Assigned as follows:
- Pope John Paul II Pavilion (Orange, NJ)
- St. Michael Medical Center (Newark, NJ)
- Holy Name Of Jesus (East Orange, NJ)
- St. Andrew (Bayonne, NJ)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father Kenneth Martin:
Father Kenneth Martin was ordained a priest in 1977 and served in the Archdiocese of Newark. He served in multiple parishes throughout his career. According to media reports, he allegedly sexually abused at least two teenage boys who were brothers and St. Andrew’s parishioners. In 1983, one victim told auxiliary bishop Pichelli that Father Martin abused him over a four-year period, beginning when he was age 13 in the mid-1970s. He said Martin took him on trips throughout the U.S. and to Europe and gave him expensive gifts. He also said that he was terrified of Martin, who would sometimes beat him. “I feared for my life,” he said. No action was taken in response to the report to Pichelli. When he left home at age 17, the victim said that Father Martin targeted and sexually abused his younger brother. Martin remained in ministry.
In 1991, Martin was assigned as personal secretary for Cardinal Theodore McCarrick while residing at Sacred Heart Cathedral. In 1993, Martin returned to parish ministry.
In 1997, the 1983 victim went to Cardinal McCarrick with the allegations. Martin was removed from the ministry for a short time, but then returned to duty as a hospital chaplain a short time later. McCarrick told the victim that Martin would be kept from children, but that there was no need to remove him from ministry entirely. In 1999, Father Martin was shown in a diocesan newspaper photo with McCarrick at a St. James Hospital.
In 2002, Father Martin was finally removed from active ministry. Presumably this related to the adoption of the Dallas Charter by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops which required the removal of all priests “credibly accused” of child sexual abuse.
In 2013, according to media reports, Martin was working as a train conductor for NJ Transit.
In February 2019, Martin’s name was included on the Archdiocese of Newark’s list of credibly accused priests. According to the disclosure, Martin was permanently removed from ministry as a result of “multiple” allegations of abuse, but he has not be laicized (formally removed from the priesthood).
Martin is believed to be residing in the Brick, New Jersey, area. He is 70 years old.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Newark in New Jersey. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused in the Archdiocese of Newark, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Newark 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.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.