Assignment Record– Rev. George Boxelaar, O.Carm.

Summary of Case: George Boxelaar was a native of Holland, ordained at some point for the Carmelite Order. He was in the U.S. as early as 1954, assigned to the Carmelite's priory in Mantzville PA 1954-56, then to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parish in Middletown NY 1956-57. The Official Catholic Directory shows a gap in his assignments 1957-62, after which he is shown again as at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel for many years, until 1985. Boxelaar was involved with a number of the mission parishes affiliated with the parish; it is not clear whether he was assigned to all of the missions or to the parish's stations.

In 1973 a 7-year-old boy told his father that Boxelaar forced his hand down the boy's pants during confession at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parish school. The boy's father reportedly confronted Boxelaar, who denied misconduct. The boy's mother contacted a lawyer and some mothers of other boys at the school; the mothers said Boxelaar had also molested their boys, but they wanted to keep it quiet. The boy's family decided not to press charges so that their son would not have to testify. Another mother complained to the church about Boxelaar in 1981, and again in 1985. Boxelaar threatened her with excommunication if she 'created scandal.' Along with other parents of boys allegedly molested by the priest, the mother went to state police. When the parents were told their sons would have to testify, they decided not to press charges. Boxelaar was quietly sent to Holland to "retire." He died in 1990.

In 2002, after news reports of Boxelaar's abuse of little boys, at least 25 more men came forward to say that they, too, were sexually abused as children by the priest. Carmelite Provincial, Rev. Michael Driscoll, acknowledged that the Order had received one complaint about Boxelaar in the 1970s, and five in the 1980s.

Ordained: ?
Retired: 1985
Died: 1990

1954

Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Archbishop was John Francis O'Hara, C.S.C. (1951-1960).

1956

Archdiocese of New York

Archbishop was Francis Joseph Spellman (1939-1967).

1962

Spellman was succeeded as New York archbishop by Terence James Cooke (1968-1983), followed by John Joseph O'Connor (1984-2000).

Middletown

• In 1973 a 7-year-old boy told his father that Boxelaar forced his hand down the boy's pants during confession at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parish school. The boy reportedly ran out of the school and down the street to his home after the incident. The boy's father confronted the priest, who denied misconduct. The father threatened arrest if it happened again. Another priest, who was present, said that kissing and hugging was a European tradition. The boy's mother called a lawyer and mothers of some other boys at the school; the mothers said their boys had been molested, too,by Boxelaar, but they didn't want to come forward. The family decided not to press charges when they were told their son would have to testify.

• In 1981 a mother reported her son's molestation by Boxelaar to the church; when she complained again in 1985, Boxelaar showed up at her house and told her she could be excommunicated for creating scandal in the church. She and other parents of boys allegedly abused by Boxelaar then reported him to state police; the parents decided not to press charges to spare their sons the difficulty of testifying.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel had a school with 429-206 students.

Boxelaar is not indexed in the 1963-1977 Directories, but he is listed in the diocesan pages as at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel during those years.

In 2002 Carmelite Provincial, Rev. Michael Driscoll, stated that the Order received one complaint about Boxelaar in the 1970s and five in the 1980s.

S. Centerville

• In 1993 a man reported to the Mount Carmel Priory in Middletown that Boxelaar molested him as a young boy. He was told that Boxelaar was quietly sent back to Holland and that "he had abused boys because he couldn't express his feelings." The man told a reporter in 2002 that when he was a 7-year-old altar boy at Holy Cross, Boxelaar kissed him on the mouth. The boy told his father, whose response was that it must have been a Dutch custom. The kissing continued over years and progressed to crotch-rubbing.

• After publicity in 2002 regarding Boxelaar's sexual abuse of boys in decades past, multiple men came forward to report that the priest abused them, too, as little boys, some at Holy Cross.

Unionville

• Boxelaar was alleged in a 2002 news report to have sexually abused preadolescent boys at Our Lady of the Scapular.

Boxelaar was sent to his native Holland in 1985 to "retire." He died there in 1990 at age 81.

As the result of news reports in 2002 that Boxelaar sexually abused children, at least 25 men came forward to say that they, too, had been sexually abused as boys by the priest.

Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (Kenedy & Sons, 1955-1985).

• Priest's Abuse Victims Find Safety in Numbers, By Steve Israel, Times Herald-Record [recordonline.com], Posted May 19, 2002, Updated Dec. 15, 2010
• An Abuse Victim Steps out of the Shadows, By Steve Israel, Times Herald-Record, April 21, 2002
• Conference Gives No Comfort, By Steve Israel, Times Herald-Record, June 13, 2002
• Priests Preyed on Local Youths, By Beth Quinn, Times Herald-Record, February 28, 2004
• Abuse Victim: “spotlight Continued Church Denial”, By Jay Behrke, Hudson Valley News Network, November 11, 2016 

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Boxelaar's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with the allegations against him, as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegations we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on March 15, 2017.