Father Michael Salerno
Diocese of Brooklyn/Baltimore/Pallottine
Joined Pallottines: 1968
Ordained: 1993
Removed: 2008
Assignment History
- Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii (Brooklyn, NY)
- St. Leo (Baltimore, MD)
- Queen of the Apostles (Sag Harbor, NY)
- Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii (Brooklyn, NY)
- Bishop Eustace Preparatory School (Pennsauken, NJ)
- My Brothers’ Place (Brooklyn, NY)
Summary of Abuse Allegations Against Father Michael Salerno:
Fr. Michael Salerno, better known as “Father Mike,” started his career as a Brother and was later ordained a priest of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate. In April 2023, Maryland’s Attorney General released a report alleging 156 Catholic clergy members sexually abused at least 600 children over six decades. The report lists the names of the abusers, including Father Salerno.
According to media reports, in November 2007, he was placed on leave by the Archdiocese of Baltimore after an allegation surfaced that he had abused a teenage boy at All Saints in Brooklyn, New York, in the 1970s. At the time of the alleged abuse, Salerno was not yet ordained a priest but was a Brother of the Pallottine Order.
In December 2008, the Order announced that Salerno admitted to sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy over a three-year period from 1975 to 1978 during an investigation conducted by the Diocese of Brooklyn. He was permanently removed from ministry. In September 2019, his name appeared on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s list of clergy credibly accused of sex abuse of minors.
Salerno’s current whereabouts are unknown.
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 [email protected] to discuss your options today.