Father John L. Abrams
Ordained: 1951
Removed: 2007
Died: 2008
Assigned as follows:
- 1951-1952: Most Holy Trinity (German) (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1962-1971: St. Sylvester's (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1971-1979: St. Gregory's (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1979-1982: Sacred Heart (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1982-1988: St. Patrick's (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1989-1997: Absent on Sick Leave (Brooklyn, NY)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father John L Abrams:
Fr. John L Abrams was ordained for the Diocese of Brooklyn in 1951. He served at Sacred Heart from 1979 until 1982. According to the Official Catholic Directory, he was 'Absent on Sick Leave' from 1989 to 1997, after which he was 'Retired'.
According to media reports, sometime after the US Bishops' Conference in 2002, several men came forward to the Diocese of Brooklyn with allegations that Abrams had sexually abused them when they were boys from 1979 to 1982, while he was pastor of Sacred Heart in Queens, NY. In November 2007, the diocesan review board determined that the allegations were credible and Abrams was barred from public ministry. The matter was then reportedly referred to the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. No criminal charges were filed.
In June 2019, two men accused Abrams of raping them when they were 10 to 13-year-old altar boys and students at St. Patrick's in Bay Ridge, NY in the 1980s. They said he drove them around to places including the beach and movies.
"During these rides, Abrams supplied us with beer, cigarettes, and pornographic magazines," one of the men said in the affidavit. "It was also during this time that Abrams lured me into his residence inside St. Patrick's rectory and sexually assaulted me and raped me on numerous occasions. To this day, and every day that I am alive, I have been haunted by what Abrams did to me."
In February 2019, Abrams's name appeared publicly on the Diocese of Brooklyn's list of clergy credibly accused of sex abuse of minors.
Abrams died in July 2008.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Brooklyn. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Brooklyn, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Brooklyn 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 adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today.