Assignment Record– Rev. Edwin Modicowitz, O.F.M. Cap.
Summary of Case: Modicowitz was a Capuchin Franciscan priest, ordained in 1933. He worked in Indiana, Wisconsin, New York, and Massachusetts, and died in 1980. Modicowitz was accused in 1998 of having sexually abused an altar boy in 1965 or 1966 at St. Denis' in Westwood, Massachusetts. The accuser indicated there may have been other victims. Modicowitz' former Provincial acknowledged in 1998 that he had removed Modicowitz from a New York parish due to "problems."
Ordained: 1933
Died: February 23, 1980
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| Start | Stop | Assignment | Town/Accusations | State | Position | Notes |
1933 Ft. Wayne bishop was John Francis Noll (1924-1956). |
1935 | St. Felix Capuchin Monastery and Novitiate | Huntington | IN | ||
1935 Milwaukee archbishop was Samuel Alphonsius Stritch (1930-1939). |
1936 | St. Elizabeth's (German) | Milwaukee | WI | 4/5 | Parish had a school with 868 students. |
1936 New York archbishop was Patrick Joseph Hayes (1919-1938), followed by Francis Joseph Spellman (1939-1967). |
1946 | Our Lady of Sorrows (German-Italian) | New York | NY | 4/5, 3/5, 3/7, 5/6, 6/7, 5/5 | Parish had a school with 149-118 boys and 157-132 girls. |
| 1936 | 1946 | Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel | New York | NY | This was a chapel for Our Lady of Sorrows. | |
| 1946 | 1948 | East Harlem | NY | Modicowitz is indexed in the 1947 and 1948 Directories as at Our Lady of Sorrows in NYC, but is not listed there in the New York archdiocesan pages. Modicowitz' obituary states he spent these two years in East Harlem, but it doesn't say where or in what capacity. (Capuchin website) |
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| 1948 | 1950 | St. Felix Capuchin Monastery and Novitiate | Huntington | IN | 5/7 | |
| 1950 | 1962 | Our Lady of Sorrows (German-Italian/ English- Spanish) | New York • In 1998 a former NY Capuchin Provincial, Fr. Paul Steffen, reportedly told a Boston archdiocesan official, Sr. Rita McCarthy, that he once had to pull Modicowitz out of a NY parish due to "problems" with Modicowitz. This was in response to Sr. Rita's informing Steffan of a child sexual abuse accusation against Modicowitz. (1998 Boston archdiocesan memo) |
NY | 3/5, 3/6, 3/4, 3/7, 3/8, 2/7, 3/7 | Parish had a school with 150-361 boys and 178-346 girls. The 1956 Directory shows that the parish became "English-Spanish" rather than "German-Italian". Per his obituary, Modocowitz "did seem to enjoy teaching catechism to children." (Capuchin website) |
| 1950 | 1962 | Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel | New York | NY | This was a chapel for Our Lady of Sorrows. | |
1962 Springfield bishop was Christopher Joseph Weldon (1950-1977). |
1963 | St. Francis of Assisi Chapel and Catholic Information | Springfield | MA | 4/6 | |
1963 Boston archbishop was Richard James Cushing (1944-1970). |
1967 | St. Lawrence Friary | Milton | MA | 6/6, 5/6 | |
| 1963 | 1967 | St. Denis | Westwood • In 1998 a man reported to the archdiocese that Fr. Edwin molested him in 1965/1966 at this parish. The man was an altar boy at the time. He indicated that he wasn't the only victim. (1998 Boston archdiocesan memo) |
MA | Per archdiocesan documents, Modicowitz "helped out" at St. Denis'. | |
| 1967 | 1968 | Modicowitz is indexed but not listed in the Boston archdiocesan pages of the 1968 Directory as at St. Lawrence Friary. | ||||
1968 Albany bishop was William Aloysius Scully (1954-1969), followed by Edwin Bernard Broderick (1969-1976). |
1972 | St. Joseph Friary, Mission Band, Capuchin Fathers | Fultonville | NY | In residence. Said to have been in charge of all domestic responsibilities. |
The Friary closed in 1972, so Modicowitz and his fellow Capuchins from Fultonville moved to Interlaken, NY. |
1972 Rochester bishop was Joseph Lloyd Hogan (1969-1978), followed by Matthew Harvey Clark |
1980 | St. Fideles Friary | Interlaken | NY | Modicowitz died February 23, 1980. |
Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1934-1981)
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
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This assignment record was last updated on Sept. 23, 2010.