Father William A. Braun
Archdiocese of Baltimore/Sulpician
Ordained: 1942
Died: 1964
Assignment History:
- 1942-1949: St. Dominic’s Church (Baltimore, MD)
- 1949-1959: St. Charles College (Catonsville, MD) & St. Mary’s Seminary (Baltimore, MD)
- 1959-1960: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church (Middle River. MD)
- 1959-1963: St. Joseph’s College (Mountainview, CA)
- 1963: St. Thomas Seminary (Louisville, KY)
Summary of Abuse Allegations Against Father William A. Braun
Father William A. Braun was ordained a Sulpician priest in 1942 and worked in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. In 2019, Fr. Braun was listed on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse of Minors list. 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 Braun.
According to the AG’s report, in 2002, a man reported being sexually abused by Fr. William Braun when he was a teen at St. Dominic’s School. Braun coordinated the junior high athletics at the parish school. In that capacity, Braun began cultivating a relationship with the victim, paying him special attention and urging him to consider joining the priesthood. Braun took the victim to ballgames, gave him rides in his car, and invited him to join Braun on two to three-week vacations in Cape May, New Jersey, during the summers after his 7th and 8th grade school years in 1946 and 1947. Braun also became controlling, telling the victim what he could and couldn’t do if he wanted to become a priest.
The sexual abuse began during the first summer vacation after 7th grade. Braun made the victim sleep in a bed pushed up next to his. When the boy woke up in the morning, Braun’s hand was between his legs. Braun also made the victim shower with him and touched the victim’s genitals, sometimes under the guise of teaching good health habits. Once in the car, Braun told the boy to confess to him and admit any impure thoughts. While the boy was speaking, Braun touched his genitals and said, “Let me see if you’re aroused.” The victim asked him to stop, and he did.
When Braun left to teach at St. Charles College, the sexual abuse stopped, but the controlling behavior continued. Braun wrote the victim weekly and visited him regularly. Braun took the victim on a three-week vacation after 10th grade. The victim went on to become a priest and continued to encounter Braun. The Archdiocese entered into a settlement with the victim of $35,000. The Archdiocese made the mandatory report to authorities.
Fr. Braun died in 1964.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Maryland, contact our office today. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse nationwide. We can help. Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.