Father Gregory Weider
Ordained: 1963
Retired: 2010
Removed: 2021
Assignment History:
- 1971-1977: St Thomas the Apostle (Delmar, NY)
- 1972-1980: Diocese Chaplain For Scouting
- 1977-1978: St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church (Coxsackie, NY)
- 1980-1986: National Catholic Boy Scout Committee
- Dates Unkown: Blessed Sacrament (Mohawk, NY)
- Dates Unkown: St. Anthony (Schenectady, NY)
- Dates Unkown: St. Agnes (Cohoes, NY)
- Dates Unkown: Holy Cross (Albany, NY)
- Dates Unkown: Sacred Heart (Watervliet, NY)
- Dates Unkown: Holy Trinity (Schaghticoke, NY)
- Dates Unkown: St. Monica (Valley Falls, NY)
- 2021: Sacred Heart (Margaretville, NY)
- 2021: St. Anne's (Andes, NY)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Gregory Weider
Since his ordination in 1963, Fr. Gregory Weider worked in several parishes within the Albany Diocese during his tenure. Along with his pastoral duties, Weider was heavily involved with the Boy Scouts. According to diocese records, Weider served as the Diocesan Chaplain for Scouting from 1972 to 1980 and then was elected in a national role with the National Catholic Committee on Scouting from 1980 to 1986. Although Weider retired in 2010, he had been serving as a Sacramental Minister at Sacred Heart in Margaretville and its mission, St. Anne's, when he was removed from public ministry in August 2021, due to unresolved Child Victims Act (CVA) allegations.
Weider was publicly named in a complaint filed in the state Supreme Court in Albany, which claimed Weider allegedly had sexually abused a 14-year-old boy twice a week for approximately one year, starting in late 1977 while pastor at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Coxsackie, NY. The teen was a foster child living with a family that attended the parish. His foster family introduced him to the congregation and he spent time with Fr. Weider through recreational, educational, and religious activities. The alleged abuse took place within the rectory at the parish. According to the claim, Weider told his victim that "no one would believe him if he told anyone."
According to media reports, the abuse specifically included, touching, fondling, and groping of the victim's bare genitals; forcing the victim to touch, grope, and fondle Weider's bare genitals; performing oral sex, and digitally penetrating the teen. Weider was previously accused in two other claims, in 2004 and 2010, but was kept in ministry, as the lawsuits weren't directly against the diocese or the district attorney.
Weider, 84, was finally added to the Diocese of Albany's List of 'Credibly Accused 'for sexual abuse against minors. According to the Diocese, after an extensive investigation, Weider was added for 'reasonable cause' related to allegations of sexual abuse.
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 adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com.