NEWARK (NJ)
Star Ledger
February 20, 2019
By Kelly Heyboer
The old name of School No. 25 in Elizabeth has been ripped off the front of the building, but you can still make out the shadow of the letters on the red bricks.
Around the back of the building, the name of the school has been hastily covered with duct tape on its dedication plaque. But the letters are still visible beneath the silver tape.
District officials said they tried to erase the name of the school — Charles J. Hudson School No. 25 in Elizabeth — after learning the elementary school was named after one of the 188 priests “credibly accused” of child sexual abuse on a list released by New Jersey’s Catholic dioceses last week.
Hudson, who died 22 year ago, worked in St. Elizabeth Hospital in Elizabeth and was the founder of the Center for Hope Hospice in Union County, according to the list released by the Archdiocese of Newark. He was credibly accused of the sexual abuse by one minor, though no details were released by church officials.
Elizabeth School District officials said they had no idea Hudson’s name would be on the list.
The newly released records date back to 1940, church officials said.
“The Elizabeth School District began the process of renaming School No. 25 immediately upon learning the individual for whom it was named had been identified by the Newark Archdiocese as someone ‘credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors,’” said Pat Politano, a spokesman for the school district.
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