Father Romano Ferraro
Ordained: 1960
Convicted: 2004
Laicized: 2011
Assignment History:
- 1960-1962: St. Joseph Patron of the Universal, Brooklyn, NY)
- 1962-1963: St. Rosalia's (Brooklyn, NY); Regina Pacis Votive (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1963-1964: St. Lucy's (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1964-1968: Holy Family (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1968: Indoctrination Seminar Chaplain Corps Reserve U.S. Naval Air Station (Norfolk, VA); U.S. Naval Chaplains School (Newport, RI)
- 1968-1969: U.S. Naval Air Station (Key West, FL)
- 1969-1970: Military Service, Mobile Support Unit Detachment Bravo (Subic Bay, Philippines)
- 1971-1973: St. Rose of Lima (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1973: Sick Leave
- 1975: St. John's University (Queens and Staten Island, NY)
- 1975-1977: St. Josephs (Kings Park, NY)
- 1977-1978: St. Francis Xavier (Brooklyn, NY); Madonna Residence for the Elderly (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1978-1979: St. Aloysius (Queens, NY); Wyckoff Heights Hospital (Queens, NY)
- 1980: Absent on Sick Leave
- 1980-1981: House of Affirmation (Webster Groves, MO)
- 1981-1983: St. Joan of Arc (St. Louis, MO); Jewish Hospital (St. Louis, MO); Barnes Hospital (St. Louis, MO)
- 1983: St. Francis Xavier (Bronx, NY); Jacobi Hospital (Bronx, NY); Einstein Hospital (Bronx, NY); Good Samaritan Hospital (West Islip, NY)
- 1984-1985: St. James (Woodbridge, NJ)
- 1984-1985: Our Lady of Mount Virgin (Middlesex, NJ)
- 1985-1986: St. John Vianney (Colonia, NJ)
- 1986-1987: Christ the King (Commack, NY)
- 1987-1988: St. Rita's (Staten Island, NY)
- 1989: St. Luke Institute (Suitland, MD)
- 1989-2002: Parsons Manor (Jamaica, NY)
- 2003-2019: Prison, Old Colony Correctional Center
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Romano Ferraro:
In 2002, Fr. Romano Ferraro was arrested for repeatedly sexually abusing a seven-year-old boy from 1973-1980 in Billerica, Massachusetts. In 2004, Ferraro was sentenced to life in prison after he was found guilty of child rape and on three counts of indecent assault and battery against a child under 14 years old.
According to media reports, Ferraro stated he was a childhood friend of the boy's father and molested the victim during annual Christmas visits. The victim had come forward to authorities in late 2001, and it was possible to prosecute because the SOL clock, which precluded bringing charges six years or more after a crime is committed, had stopped with Ferraro out of state.
Ferraro initially denied the charge but admitted at the trial that he was a pedophile predator who had abused perhaps dozens of boys. He also stated that he knew he was a pedophile by 1955, 5 years before his ordination. The earliest abuse alleged in civil suits was in 1964, but previous assignments suggest earlier problems.
Ferraro was sued in 2006 for abuse that occurred in Florida in the late 1960s. He is reported to have sexually abused children in the Dioceses of Brooklyn, Rockville Centre, St. Louis, and Metuchen. One of Ferraro's victim's from St. Louis committed suicide in 2006 after a long struggle with depression.
Ferraro was laicized in 2011 and was in a prison in Massachusetts, serving his life sentence. Ferraro died in January 2023.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of New York. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest or other Catholic clergy in New York State, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of New York 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 York and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today.