Father Patrick Mendola
Diocese of Buffalo
Ordained: 1976
Died: 1995
Assigned as follows:
- St. Francis High School (Athol Springs, NY)
- The Franciscan Center (Buffalo, NY)
- Mercy High School (Buffalo, NY)
- Baker Homes (Lackawanna, NY)
- St. Philip Benizi Parish (Jonesboro, GA)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father Patrick Mendola:
Father Patrick Mendola was ordained as a Franciscan order priest. He was director of counseling and guidance services at St. Francis High School in Athol Springs, as well as executive director at a ministry for troubled youth in Buffalo. According to media reports, in August 2019, in a case filed against the Diocese of Buffalo, under the Child Victims Act he was accused of sexually abusing an 7-year-old boy in 1977, along with Father Aurelian Brzezniak and Father James Smyka.
The lawsuit alleges that the three priests began molesting the boy when his family dropped off a relative who was a teacher at St. Francis High School and the family spent the night there. While the boy was sleeping in a separate room from his parents, the three priests took him to a shower and repeatedly molested him in front of a group of between 15 to 20 other priests who watched and laughed. The suit states that afterward, they would comfort him while he cried, and then sexually abused him again, at least 15 more times in a single night. The suit states the abuse continued until he was age 8.
In 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo said that Father Smyka had been credibly accused of sexually abusing a child, but this is the first time that Father Brzezniak and Father Mendola have been publicly accused. Father Mendola died in May 1995.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Buffalo and throughout New York. The Diocese of Buffalo filed for federal bankruptcy protection in February 2020. Anyone sexually abused by a priest or employee of the Diocese of Buffalo may be entitled to file a claim against the Diocese in these bankruptcy proceedings, but very strict filing deadlines apply. Most victims of abuse in the Diocese of Buffalo will never be able to take action against the Diocese of Buffalo if they miss this bankruptcy filing deadline, so it is important that you contact us immediately to discuss your potential case.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your legal options today.