The Buffalo Diocese is kicking these 23 priests off its payroll
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Clarification (5:20 p.m.): The Diocese of Buffalo originally indicated that Fr. James A. Spielman and Fr. John P. Hajduk would stop receiving benefits, but Wednesday afternoon clarified that they had both had "disassociated himself from the Diocese and moved elsewhere and has not been on the Diocesan pension plan or received any benefits."
It also stated that two priests who had not been previously named as alleged abusers -- Michael R. Swartz and Paul Salemi -- would be removed from the payroll. Interim diocesan spokesman Greg Tucker said, "the substantiated allegations did not involve minors (thus their names aren't included on the published list on the diocesan website), but they were relieved of their faculties nonetheless for other substantiated offenses and continued to receive salary and health benefits."
Previously on Wednesday, 7 Eyewitness News asked Tucker for a list of the 23 priests who would be kicked off the payroll. He did not provide a list but directed the I-Team to a list of 78 priests with substantiated child sex abuse allegations and said only the living priests "would be affected by this action."
The Diocese of Buffalo is kicking these 23 priests off of its payroll through an agreement it reached with survivors this week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Becker, Donald W.
Bialkowski, David M.
Dolinic, Louis S.
Fafinski, Donald S.
Faraci, Douglas F.
Friel, Mark
Fronczak, Dennis A.
Gresock, Thomas
Hatrick, Brian M.
Ingalls, Fred D.
Ipolito, Pascal D.
Juran, Michael
Maryanski, Fabian J.
McCarthy, Thomas J.
Mierzwa, Ronald
Orsolits, Norbert F.
Palys, Daniel J.
Pavlock, Martin L.
Salemi, Paul -- diocese said allegations did not involve minors
Smith, Arthur J.
Swartz, Michael R. -- diocese said allegations did not involve minors
Venne, Samuel J.
Wolski, Mark J.
The Diocese of Buffalo announced Tuesday it would cease all financial support and health benefits for priests with substantiated allegations of sexual abuse beginning May 1 as par...
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director