Fr. Mark Haight
Archdiocese of Baltimore
Ordained: 1976
Removed: 1996
Assignment History:
- 1977: St. Francis de Sales (West Albany, NY)
- 1978: St. Patrick (Troy, NY)
- 1979: Our Lady of Grace (Ballston Lake, NY)
- 1980-1986: Absent On Leave
- 1987-1988: St. Jude the Apostle (Wynantskill, NY)
- 1989: Awaiting Assignment
- 1990: St. Joseph (Scotia, NY)
- 1991-1997: Glens Falls Hospital (Glens Falls, NY)
- 1992-1997: St. Mary (Glens Falls, NY)
Summary of Abuse Allegations Against Father Mark Haight
Fr. Mark Haight was a Catholic priest and worked at various parishes in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and in the Diocese of Albany. In 2002, Fr. Mark Haight 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 Haight.
According to the Attorney General’s report, in 2002, a man reported that he was allegedly sexually abused by Father Mark Haight in the mid-1970s when Haight was a seminarian for the Diocese of Albany at St. Mary’s Seminary and a student at the University in Baltimore. The victim was 14 years old and worked as a nighttime receptionist at the Seminary. Haight took him on a camping trip on Assateague Island and sexually abused him in the tent. The victim was interviewed by the Office of the Attorney General in 2018 and stated there was another seminarian in the tent during his abuse, who said nothing during or after. The archdiocese made the mandated report and notified the Diocese of Albany.
When the Archdiocese of Baltimore informed the Diocese of Albany of the allegation, they learned that Haight was removed from ministry in 1996 and that the Diocese of Albany had settled two cases involving allegations of child sexual abuse against Haight. The Diocese of Albany knew of allegations of child sexual abuse against Haight from early in his priesthood, which lead to his leave of absence from 1980-1985, yet never reported it.
In 2004, a civil suit was filed in Boston describing sexual abuse by Haight and another priest in Coloni, NY, and during trips to Massachusetts. In 2018, another victim filed suit in Vermont. Another lawsuit was filed in New York by a victim who was abused for over a decade in 1988 and settled in 2022 for $750,000. Although Haight was listed as credibly accused by the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2002, the Diocese of Albany did not list Haight as credibly accused until 2018.
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.