Father Augustine Sheehan
Diocese of Rockville Centre
Ordained: 1955
Suspended: 2002
Died: 2016
Assignment History:
- 1964-1966: St. Joseph (Ronkonkoma, NY)
- 1966-1970: St. John the Baptist (Wading River, NY)
- 1970-1976: St. Martha (Uniondale, NY)
- 1976-1981: Our Lady of Lourdes (West Islip, NY)
- 1981-1982: Good Shepherd (Holbrook, NY)
- 1982-1983: St. Gertrude (Bayville, NY)
- 1983-1986: St. Martin of Tours (Bethpage, NY)
- 1986-1991: St. Francis of Assisi (Greenlawn, NY)
- 1991- Unknown: St. Philip Neri (Northport, NY)
- 1993-Unknown: Veterans’ Administration Medical Center (Northport, NY)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Augustine Sheehan:
According to media reports in 2004, a former Catholic school teacher held a press conference stating she was raped by Fr. Augustine Sheehan in 1965 when she was 26-years old. She alleges that the Long Island priest drove her home after a party for Irish immigrants in Stony Brook. Sheehan pulled the car over, then sexually abused her and raped her.
The victim said she was too ashamed to tell anyone, but after having physical pain for about two weeks, she told the Mother Superior of the school, who then took her to Huntington Hospital, where she received a “D&C” that would have prevented pregnancy. The ex-nun said she wrote to the bishop about the incident, but church officials swept her claims “under the rug.”
The victim told officials at the Diocese of Rockville Centre about the rape in 2002 but says she was not given a chance to speak before the review board. Although Fr. Sheehan was retired at the time, he was suspended from ministry. He denied the allegations, claiming they did have sex, but it was consensual.
Fr. Sheehan is listed on the Diocese of Rockville Centre’s 2021 List of Clergy Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. He died in 2016.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in New York, contact our office today. In October 2020, the Rockville Centre Diocese filed for federal bankruptcy protection. The Court will resolve all claims of sexual abuse in this process but strict filing deadlines will apply and no late claims will be considered, so contact us today. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in New York and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.