Father Stanley Idziak
Ordained: 1962
Removed: 1988
Laicized: 1993
Died: 2017
Assigned as follows:
- mid-1960's Pius XI High School (Wauwatosa, WI)
- late 1960's- 1970's Our Lady of Czetochowa (North Tonawanda, NY)
- 1978-1981 All Saints (Dunwoody, GA)
- 1981-1985 Corpus Christi (Stone Mountain, GA)
- 1985-1988 St. Michael (Gainesville, GA)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father Stanley Idziak:
Father Stanley Idziak was a Pallottine Order priest. He moved to Georgia in 1977, following a family with which he had developed a close friendship for years while he was serving as a priest in North Tonawanda. He lived with the couple and their two young sons initially, and in 1978 became a priest for the Archdiocese of Atlanta. He was incardinated in 1983.
According to media reports, in the late 1980's, he was accused of sexually abusing a minor boy at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. No charges were filed due to the expiration of statute of limitations. He was removed from ministry and sent for treatment in Washington, DC.
In 1988, the family with which he lived came forward alleging that Father Idziak abused the two sons between 1985 through 1988. The mother had figured it out while reading a an article about an unnamed priest facing allegations of sexual abuse from Corpus Christi Catholic Church, and was being sent to Washington, DC for treatment.
When the family confronted Father Idziak on the phone she said, "The first thing he said to me, and he repeated it three times, "Jan, there was no penetration. There was no penetration. There was no penetration."
The alleged abuse started while they were still living in New York and he was serving at Our Lady of Czestochowa in North Tonawanda, when the older son was 9, and the younger son was 5. He had been a friend of the family for about six years.
"The only freedom they had was with him," the mother said. "He was the only one we trusted them with." Neither of the brothers had known about the other's abuse.
"If I had known he was doing that to him, I would have killed him," said one of the brothers.
The family did not file suit and refused to accept settlement money that would have required them to exonerate the Archdiocese of Atlanta.
In 1992, another couple, from Stone Mountain, settled a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Atlanta and Father Idziak for the alleged molestation of their sons for $570,000.
Idziak is also reported to have abused a boy at a Wisconsin high school in 1964.
After his treatment in DC, Father Idziak was sent for treatment to the Paracletes in New Mexico. In 1993, Atlanta Archbishop James P. Lyke urged him to give up the priesthood, as he would "never, ever" be recommended for ministry again. He turned in his collar and was laicized that same year. He died in January 2017.
In the Spring of 2017, a lawsuit was filed under the Georgia Hidden Predator Act, alleging that Father Idziak sexually abused a boy 12 to 15 years old at Corpus Christi Church. The claim was settled in January 2018.
In November 2018, his name was included on the archdiocese of Atlanta's list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor.
In September 2019, a lawsuit was filed alleging that Father Idziak sexually assaulted a 5-year-old boy in various locations in North Tonawanda, where the priest was assigned at Our Lady of Czestochowa Church and the Catholic Apostolate Center. The abuse is alleged to have started in 1963 and continued through 1973.
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 adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your legal options today.