Fr. Donald J. Ophals
Diocese of Albany
Ordained: 1961
Placed on Leave: 2011
Reinstated: 2011
Assigned as follows:
- 1962-1965: St. Brigid’s (Watervliet, NY)
- 1966-1968: St. Mary’s (Troy, NY)
- 1969-1972: St. Mary’s (Little Falls, NY)
- 1973-2008: St. Patrick’s (Catskill, NY)
- 2005-2007: St. Francis de Sales (Troy, NY)
- 2009-2010: Immaculate Heart of Mary (Watervliet, NY)
- 2011: Reinstated; back to St. Francis
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father Donald Ophals:
In 2003, Fr. Donald Ophals was named in a lawsuit that claimed that he and three other priests, sexually abused a minor from 1975 through 1979. The lawsuit was thrown out in 2004, due to lack of evidence.
While the investigation was being conducted, Ophals was placed on administrative leave from the church and chose to live in the rectory of St. John the Evangelist Church in Schenectady, New York.
In 2010, Ophals retired but was working part-time as a priest in Delaware.
Another lawsuit was also filed against him, with claims of abuse that stemmed all the way back to the 1960s. The allegations were internally investigated twice; once by the Diocese and once more by the Diocesan Review Board. Both investigations reached the same conclusion, no evidence of sexual abuse had occurred. The Albany Diocese did provide financial assistance and counseling to the victim who spoke out.
Ophals was reinstated into the church in 2011 and returned to St Francis de Sales in Troy, NY.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in New York, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Contact us at 888-283-9922 or at [email protected].