Monsignor Edward Foster
Diocese of Burlington
Ordained: 1951
Died: 2000
Assignment History
- 1951-1955 Cathedral (Burlington, VT)
- 1955-1958 St. Joseph Orphanage (Burlington, VT)
- 1958-1963 Cathedral (Burlington, VT)
- 1963-1967 St. Francis Cabrini (West Pawlet, VT); St. Anne (Middletown Springs, VT)
- 1967-1986 Assistant National Secretary Catholic Near East Welfare Association (NYC, NY)
- 1986-1990 Deputy Director of External Affairs for Catholic Relief Services
- 1990-1991 Director of Development for the Diocese (Burlington, VT); Executive Director for The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (Washington, D.C)
Summary of Abuse Allegations Against Monsignor Edward Foster:
Monsignor Edward Foster worked at St. Joseph Orphanage as a seminarian in the late 1940s. He served as a priest in the Diocese of Burlington in Vermont for approximately 17 years. In May 1994, his priestly faculties were revoked. He retired one month later, in June 1994, and died in April 2000.
In the early 2000s, a judge ordered the Diocese of Burlington to release personnel files for dozens of priests who had been accused of sexual misconduct. According to media reports, those files revealed that Monsignor Foster had recently been sent to the St. Luke Institute in Maryland, where many priests accused of sexual abuse were treated.
A St. Luke Institute report said Monsignor Foster had "severe sexual issues" and decades of behavior "unbecoming to a priest." It advised that he should have no unsupervised contact with minors. Bishop Angell, who had previously testified that it was "unthinkable" that a priest would assault a child, oversaw Monsignor Foster's case.
In August 2019, Monsignor Foster's name appeared publicly on the Diocese of Burlington's list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors. One of his alleged victims said he kept the secret that he was repeatedly abused by Monsignor Foster starting in eighth grade for more than 50 years.
The attorneys at Horowitz Law have a long history of representing survivors of child sex abuse. If you or someone you know was abused by a priest in the Diocese of Burlington, please contact Horowitz Law today for a free consultation. We can help you understand your legal options and fight for the justice you deserve. The Burlington Diocese has filed for federal bankruptcy protection, and strict deadlines will soon be set by the bankruptcy court. Please contact our law firm at 888-283-9922 or e-mail sexual abuse lawyer Adam Horowitz at adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com for a free consultation to discuss your options today.