Assignment Record– Rev. Richard F. Gorman

Summary of Case: Richard Gorman was ordained for the Archdiocese of New York in 1982. His first assignment was as an assistant at St. Barnabas in the Bronx. From there he spent three years at Stepinac High School in White Plains before joining the faculty of Spellman High in the Bronx where, from 1997 on, he was in residence. From 1997 to 2004 Gorman was Associate Director of the Department of Social Research for Catholic Charities, after which he is noted in the Official Catholic Directory to have been retired for several years. In the early 2000s he earned a law degree. Gorman served as a judge for the archdiocese's Metropolitan Tribunal and, from 2010 to 2016, he was the Prison Apostolate director. Gorman was known for his community activism; for over twenty years he was chairman of Community Board 12 in the Bronx.

In mid-2015 a man reported to law enforcement and to the archdiocese that Gorman had sexually abused him when he was a 13-year-old St. Barnabas parishioner. The man said Gorman took him to a church facility in Westchester County, where the abuse took place. The investigations reportedly yielded several additional alleged victims and witnesses. Gorman denied the accusations, which the archdiocese deemed "credible but not yet substantiated." He was placed on leave in January 2016. A laicization process was pending when Gorman died January 23, 2018.    

Ordained: November 6, 1982
Died: January 23, 2018

1982

Archdiocese of New York

Archbishop was Terence James Cooke (1968-1983), followed by Joh Joseph O'Connor (1984-2000).

New York (Bronx)

• Gorman was accused in mid-2015 of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy while assigned to St. Barnabas the 1980s. He allegedly abused the boy after transporting him to a Westchester County church facility. Investigations by law enforcement and the church reportedly yielded more alleged victims and witnesses, including at least one other and possibly a third victim from St. Barnabas.

St. Barnabas' had a school with 1, 273 students, and a high school for girls with 750 students.

Gorman denied the abuse.

1990

O'Connor was succeeded by Edward Michael Egan (2000-2009).

Timothy Michael Dolan replaced Egan as New York archbishop (2009-).

Gorman was placed on leave in January 2016 due to "credible" but not yet "substantiated" allegations that he had sexually abused minors 30 years previously.

A laicization process was pending when Gorman died January 23, 2018, at age 63.   

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, 1983-2016).

• 'Father Rich' celebrates 25 years with God and community, By Dan Gesslein, New York Daily News, October 30, 2007
• Fr. Gorman Abuse Allegations Statement, Archdiocese of New York, January 21, 2016
• Bronx Priest Active in Local Politics Suspended in Abuse Case, By Brendan O'Connor, Gawker, January 21, 2016
• Longtime Priest in the Bronx Accused of Sexually Abusing Minors, By Ben Kochman, New York Daily News, January 21, 2016
• Bronx Reverend Removed after Sex Abuse Allegations Surface, CBS News, January 22, 2016
• Bronx Priest Accused of Sexually Abusing Male Youths, By Joseph Pelletier, Church Militant, January 22, 2016
• Bronx Priest Accused of Sexual Abuse in Westchester, By Matt Spillane, Journal News, January 22, 2016
• Bronx Priest Accused of Abuse Resigns from Lehman PAC Board, By Eddie Small, DNAinfo, January 25, 2016
• Activist Priest Denies Abuse Allegations, By Shant Shahrigian, Riverdale Press, January 28, 2016 
• Banished Priest Fr. Richard Gorman Dead at 63, Bronx Chronicle, January 27, 2021 

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 Gorman'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 June 27, 2021.