Father Ralph Federico
Diocese of Buffalo
Ordained: 1952
Retired: 1997
Died: 2007
Assignment History:
- 1950s: Our Lady of Pompeii (Lancaster, NY)
- 1960s: Brothers of Mercy Nursing Home (Clarence, NY)
- 1960s: St. John (Olean, NY)
- 1960s: St. James (Jamestown, NY)
- 1970-1976: St. John (Jamestown, NY)
- 1970s: Our Lady of Pompeii (Depew, NY)
- 1978-1997: Our Lady of Lourdes (Bemus Point, NY)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Ralph Federico:
According to media reports, in July 2020, Fr. Ralph Federico was named in two Child Victims Act lawsuits filed in NY state Supreme Court in Chautauqua County. According to the lawsuits, both victims were ten years old at the time of the abuse. The first lawsuit states that the abuse occurred in 1976 when Federico served St. John’s Roman Catholic Church in Jamestown. The plaintiff was a student and participated in youth activities at St. John’s, where he met Federico.
The second allegation claims Federico allegedly engaged in “unpermitted sexual contact” around 1974 while serving at Our Lady of Pompeii in Depew.
Fr. Federico was also named in a lawsuit filed in August 2019, when the Child Victims Act first went into effect, allowing past sexual abuse victims to file claims. A man told the 7 Eyewitness News (diocesan documents confirm) that he reported an allegation against Federico in 2018. The victim was 12 years old when the abuse occurred in the early 1970s. The victim claims he was an altar boy at Our Lady of Pompeii in Depew, where Federico was pastor, but the abuse occurred when Federico took him to a trailer he owned in Mayville.
Fr. Federico died in 2007, 12 years before the lawsuits came to light. He was 80 years old.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Buffalo in New York. The Diocese of Buffalo filed for bankruptcy protection in February 2020. Our lawyers are now offering free legal consultations to discuss a potential lawsuit and your other options as a survivor of sexual abuse by priests and other employees of the Buffalo Diocese.
Very strict filing deadlines will soon be set by the Bankruptcy Court. Most victims of abuse will never be able to recover damages if they miss this deadline, so please contact us to discuss your case today. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an e-mail to [email protected].