Father Lawrence Gadek
Ordained: 1955
Assigned as Follows:
- 1956 - 1962 St. Catherine of Siena Church (Hillside, NJ)
- 1963- 1966 Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church and All Saints Church (Jersey City, NJ)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father Lawrence Gadek:
Father Lawrence Gadek was ordained a priest in 1955 and served in the Archdiocese of Newark. According to media reports, in February 2019, his name was included on its list of 63 priests "credibly accused" of child sex abuse.
Father Gadek was accused of sexually abusing a female minor child on approximately fifteen occasions from approximately 1960 to 1962 when the child was approximately eleven to thirteen years old. At the time of the sexual abuse, Father Gadek was assigned to St. Catherine’s Church in Hillside, New Jersey, and the female child was a parishioner of the church. The sexual abuse allegedly took place in locations including inside St. Catherine’s Church and in the nearby rectory affiliated with the church. Father Gadek reportedly fondled the girl’s vagina and penetrated her with his fingers.
Two lawsuits were filed against the Lacey Township Board of Education and the Archdiocese of Newark claiming that Gadek sexually abused two sisters while Gadek was employed at Forked River Elementary School and Lanoke Harbor Elementary Schools. The abuse is alleged to have occurred from approximately 1977 to 1981 while Gadek was a public school teacher. Gadek reportedly removed the girls from their classrooms under the guise of providing counseling and extra help.
In a separata
According to the Archdiocese of Newark, Gadek was permanently removed from ministry and later laicized (removed from the priesthood). He is believed to be residing in the Bayville, New Jersey, area. Gadek is reported to have multiple victims according to the Archdiocese, including one who settled for six figures in 2019. That cases involved alleged abuse while Gadek was working in Hillside, New Jersey. Gadek has never been charged with a crime.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Newark in New Jersey. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused in the Archdiocese of Newark, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Newark now have legal options, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in New Jersey and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today.