Report: Defrocked Priest from Philadelphia Called a 'Brutal Abuser' Has Been Living in Dallas
By Robert Wilonsky
James Brzyski, a defrocked priest from Philadelphia who’s almost always described as “one of the Archdiocese’s most brutal abusers,” has been hiding in plain sight in Dallas while pretending to be “a jovial former Xerox employee who’d lost millions after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.” And a support group for men and women abused by priest is calling on the Catholic Diocese of Dallas to do something about it. target="_blank">The Philadelphia Daily News found the 62-year-old at the Crescent View Apartments near Cedar Springs and the Dallas North Tollway. Residents who once welcomed him warmly quickly discovered there was something wrong with their new neighbor, who played with visiting young boys in the complex’s pool and “bragged about going online to find males who appeared to be underage.” They soon discovered his past as a man accused of sexually assaulting as many as 100 boys, according to a grand jury report, during his years in Philadelphia during the 1970s and ’80s. Brzyski, who left the church in 1985 but wasn’t kicked out of the priesthood for another two decades, said nothing about his past until he was confronted about it. Because he didn’t have to. “Brzyski is able to move from one community to another in relative anonymity — at least until his behavior gives him away — because the Archdiocese won’t disclose his whereabouts, or the whereabouts of 23 other Philadelphia priests who have been defrocked for abusing minors,” writes William Bender. A public records search shows Brzyski doesn’t appear to have a Texas driver’s license, and that since leaving Philadelphia he’s lived in Virginia; the West Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles; and Kenosha, Wisconsin. And he doesn’t have to register as a sex offender, Bender notes, because “the Archdiocese kept his case under wraps in the 1980s, when allegations that he was sexually abusing children were first reported to church leaders.” Bender later adds that “Brzyski’s choice of Dallas is ironic, because the man who blew the whistle on him in the 1980s lives only a half-hour away. The Rev. James Gigliotti, pastor of St. Maria Goretti in Arlington, Texas, said he was unaware that Brzyski was living nearby and was disturbed to hear neighbors’ reports about his behavior around kids.” Following the story’s publication Wednesday morning, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests issued a lengthy statement calling on the Catholic Diocese of Dallas and Bishop Kevin Farrell to “act now to warn parents about him and help police catch him.” The Dallas diocese’s director of communications, Annette Gonzales Taylor, says the diocese was unaware of Brzyski’s move to Dallas until the story’s publication. And, Taylor says, it’s powerless to do anything about it: “He’s been laicized, so Bishop Farrell has no jurisdiction over this individual,” she tells The Dallas Morning News. We appreciate the media notifying the public about his presence.” That appears to answer SNAP’s question posed in its statement released Wednesday. “So what’s Dallas Bishop Kevin Farrell — and the hundreds of Dallas area church employees — going to do?” says the statement issued by Barbara Dorris, SNAP’s outreach director. “They could split hairs, dodge responsibility and feign powerlessness. Or they could show real courage, compassion and leadership. That’s the choice: do nothing or step up. We hope they step up. “Specifically, we hope Dallas bishops, priests, and lay employees: Get every shred of information about Brzyski from Philly church officials; post all this information on the diocesan and parish websites; make pulpit announcements this weekend about Brzyski; and beg bishops in each state where Brzyski has lived (Pennsylvania and Virginia) to use pulpit announcements, church bulletins and diocesan websites to seek out anyone who saw, suspected or suffered his crimes or misdeeds.” The full statement from SNAP follows. We will update when we hear back from the diocese. Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests For immediate release: Wednesday, Jan. 29 A notorious and frightening now-defrocked Philadelphia predator priest has recently moved to — and apparently from — a Dallas apartment complex where he repeatedly expressed sexual interest in kids. Dallas Catholic officials must act now to warn parents about him and help police catch him. Catholic officials recruited, educated, ordained, hired, supervised, trained and repeatedly protected Fr. James Brzyski for more than three decades, giving him access to vulnerable kids and unsuspecting parents time and time again. Then, when the heat got too intense, they cut him loose. Now, this dangerous man moves around the country continuing to act in scary ways around kids. So what’s Dallas Bishop Kevin Farrell — and the hundreds of Dallas area church employees — going to do? They could split hairs, dodge responsibility and feign powerlessness. Or they could show real courage, compassion and leadership. That’s the choice: do nothing or step up. We hope they step up. Specifically, we hope Dallas bishops, priests, and lay employees: – get every shred of information about Brzyski from Philly church officials, – post all this information on the diocesan and parish websites, – make pulpit announcements this weekend about Brzyski, and – beg bishops in each state where Brzyski has lived (Pennsylvania and Virginia) to use pulpit announcements, church bulletins and diocesan websites to seek out anyone who saw, suspected or suffered his crimes or misdeeds. They should not wait for subpoeanas. Church officials and members should take the initiative now. (Bishops always claim they “cooperate” with police and prosecutors. In reality, that means they respond when subpoeaned. Rarely, if ever, do they take the initiative and promptly and voluntarily give ALL information they have about proven, admitted or credibly accused child molesting clerics to secular authorities.) We beg everyone who is or has been a Dallas Catholic church-goer or staffer — think hard, find courage, and call police with even the slightest clue you may have. (Or send it to groups like SNAP and BishopAccountability.org) We beg every Dallas citizen who has encountered Brzyski to do likewise. And we urge every Dallas parishioner to insist that your bishop speak out and reach out now, to alert parents and parishioners in Texas, Virginia and California, and any other place where this dangerous man has lived or visited over the past decade. This is an increasingly common and troubling pattern – hundreds of suspended or defrocked child molesting clerics going or being sent to far away places where no one knows of their crimes. Just yesterday, we disclosed the death of a priest (Fr. Richard Mataconis) who molested in New York and was later sent to Rome where he worked for years. Whether it’s Fr. James Beine (St. Louis to Las Vegas), Fr. Harry Walsh (Detroit to St. Paul), Brother Damien Chong (Los Angeles to Chicago to Boston), Brother Gerald Chumick (Newfoundland to Santa Barbara), Fr. Carmin Sita (Newark to Jefferson City), Fr. Thomas Teczar (Worcester to Dallas to Amarillo), Fr. Carroll Howlin (Joliet to Lexington) or Fr. Thomas Cronin (Kansas City to Reno), this is a growing public safety crisis. The same is true of bishops who send or let child molesting clerics go abroad. It’s happening more and more. Bishops basically have their cake and eat it too: they enjoy the financial benefits a priest brings to their diocese, but when he’s caught molesting kids bishops think only of themselves. Instead of working towards criminal prosecution or housing and supervising the predator priests, bishops do the bare minimum and sit passively back while the offenders resurface elsewhere living or working around kids. Bishops are powerful, not powerless. They should use their power to protect kids – from predators who are working, retired, suspended or even defrocked. Finally, we beg every person who was hurt by Bryzski – anywhere – to overcome their fears and shame. Now more than ever, it’s crucial that you call police. And we applaud Brzyski’s neighbors who talked among themselves about his suspicious behavior, told him he was inappropriate, “googled” him, and spoke with a reporter about him. We hope they will contact law enforcement and share every bit of knowledge they may have about Brzyski, especially if any of them have any hints whatsoever about where Brzyski may be now. We also hope they’ll talk with every child who was near Brzyski, and gently ask if he hurt any of them in any way. In cases like this, we are confident that if every adult acts responsibly and aggressively, predators like Brzyski can be prosecuted, convicted and kept away from kids. Contact: rwilonsky@dallasnews.com
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