By Dan Mangan and William J. Gorta
New York Post
October 14, 2011
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/priest_busted_for_alleged_sex_abuse_2xkq2b1IG0rMVlvOVpMOeI
An ailing Brooklyn priest who had served as an FDNY chaplain for a quarter century was arrested today on charges of recently trying to sexually abuse two teen boys in the rectory of his long-time parish, officials said.
Msgr. Thomas Brady, 78, also was placed on administrative leave by the Diocese of Brooklyn, which alerted authorities to the alleged crimes in the Good Shepherd Parish in Marine Park, according to the diocese.
"It's devastating," said Stefanie Gutierrez, a spokeswoman for the diocese. "He was a well-regarded pastor. He's loved in the parish."
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| Msgr. Thomas Brady. |
Brady, who was ordained a Catholic priest in 1959, had served for years as pastor the Good Shepherd Parish, and remained on the staff there as pastor emeritus after retiring in 2009. Guttierrez said he had remained very active in the parish, where he lived in the rectory.
Brady is referred to as a "wonderful pastor" in the autobiography of former FDNY Commissioner Thomas Von Essen. He retired as a chaplain from the FDNY in the late 1990s.
But recently, Gutierrez said, Brady has been "very ill" with cancer and had suffered several strokes. "He's undergoing chemotherapy right now," she said.
The Diocese was alerted sometime this week that Brady had allegedly engaged in inappropriate conduct with two teenage boys in separate incidents recently in the rectory, Gutierrez said. The diocese then promptly notified the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, as has been its policy on the heels of the clerical molestation crisis that began rocking the American Catholic church in the mid-2000s.
"He was not in his right mind or faculties when this allegedly happened," Gutierrez said of the alleged misconduct. She noted that Brady had never been previously accused of misconduct with children.
Brady was released on $2,000 bail after appearing in Brooklyn Criminal Court today on charges of attempted sex abuse, attempted sexual activity and endangering the welfare of a a child. The case also was transferred for prosecution to the Staten Island DA's office because Brady has had prior dealings with the Brooklyn DA's office.
His lawyer, James Wright, could not be reached for comment.
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