Brother Joseph Romanus) Brocato
Joined: 1926
Retired: 1972
Died: 1992
Assignment History:
- 1928-1929: Working Boys Home (Newton Highlands, MA)
- 1930: St. Joseph School (Somerville, MA)
- 1931-1933: St. Mary's Industrial School (Baltimore, MD)
- 1934: Leonard Hall (Leonardtown, MD)
- 1935: Cathedral School (Richmond, VA)
- 1936-1938: Holy Cross School (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1940-1946: St. Teresa School (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1947-1950: St. Joseph Preparatory (Bardstown, KY)
- 1951-1955: St. Matthew School (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1957-1966: Holy Name School (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1967: Holy Cross School (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1968: Nazareth High School (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1969: Holy Name School (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1970-1971: Leonard Hall (Leonardtown, MD)
Summary of Abuse Allegations Against Father Joseph Brocato:
Br. Joseph (Romanus) Brocato, a native of Italy, was a member of the Brothers of St. Francis Xavier. 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 Brocato.
According to media reports, in 2002, a man alleged that he was sexually abused dozens of times as a child by Brocato. The abuse took place over a 4-year period in the 1960s, starting when the man was a 10-year-old boy until he was 13. The abuse allegedly occurred in a classroom closet at Holy Name of Jesus Elementary School in Brooklyn, New York, where Brocato worked, in bathhouse locker rooms and swimming pool changing rooms, and under the Coney Island boardwalk. The Xaverians settled with the man for $75,000.
In 2019, Brocato's name appeared publicly on the Xaverian Brothers' list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors, as well as the Archdiocese of Baltimore's list.
Brocato's whereabouts and whether he had access to children from when he retired in 1972 until his death in 1992 are unknown.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Brooklyn. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Brooklyn, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Brooklyn now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an email to adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today.