Father Arthur J. Long, s.j.
Archdiocese of Washington
Ordained: 1955
Removed: 1995
Died: 2004
Assigned as follows:
- 1963 – 1964 Bishop’s Latin School (Pittsburgh, PA)
- 1965 – 1968 Gesu School (Philadelphia, PA)
- 1974 Harrisburg Polyclinic Hospital (Harrisburg, PA)
- 1975 – 1987 Geisinger Medical Center (Danville, PA) and
- 1975 – 1987 Villa Sacred Heart (Danville, PA)
- 1989 – 1990 Scranton Jesuit Community (Scranton, PA)
- 1990 – 1991 St. James Church (Jessup, PA)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father Arthur J. Long:
According to media reports, in 1987, an allegation that Father Arthur J. Long solicited a 17-year-old girl for sex was reported to the Archdiocese of Washington. The incident is alleged to have occurred in 1983. He was also accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with a 13-year-old girl. At the time, Long was chaplain of a Danville convent attached to a girls’ high school. Father Long admitted to having had sex with ‘four or five’ girls since being assigned to the convent when confronted.
In 1988, Father Long was moved to St. Ignatius parish in Mount Vernon, while he worked as a hospital chaplain at Mercy Medical Center, according to a spokesman for the Jesuits’ Maryland Province. After that, he returned to Pennsylvania, and lived in Jesuit communities at the University of Scranton and St. Joseph’s University. He continued to have faculties to minister as a Jesuit priest in good standing.
In 1992, Father Long returned to Maryland and spent six weeks living in a Jesuit community associated with Loyola Blakefield High School. He was later was removed from ministry when more reports of his inappropriate behavior were made, including his attempt to marry a teenage girl. The PA grand jury report indicates, however, that Father Long wasn’t forced out of ministry by his province until 1995.
Father Long left the community for “vacation” but never returned.
Long died in 2004.
In August 2018, Father Long’s name appeared on the Diocese of Harrisburg’s list of clergy credibly accused of sex abuse of minors and in the Pennsylvania Grand Jury report.
In September 2018, Father Long’s name appeared on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s list of clergy credibly accused of sex abuse of minors. His name does not appear on the Archdiocese of Washington’s list of accused priests.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Washington. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Washington, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Washington now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an email to [email protected] to discuss your options today.