Rev. Allen F. Stepien

Summary of Case: Stepien was placed on leave in 2002 due to accusations that he had sexually abused minors in the late 1970s or early 1980s. In 2003 the Paterson diocesan review board deemed the accusations to be credible, and asked the Vatican for permission to hold a church trial. Stepien continued to be listed in the Official Catholic Directory in 2009, as retired.

Ordained: 1965

     

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1965

Paterson bishop was James Johnston Navagh (1963-1965), followed by Lawrence Bernard Brennan Casey (1966-1977)

1968 St. Rose of Lima East Hanover NJ 2/2 Parish had a school with 283-259 students.
1968 1971 Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Morristown NJ 2/4 Parish had a school with 494-364 students.

1971

Casey was succeeded as bishop by Frank Joseph Rodimer (1977-2004)

1979 St. Anthony's Hawthorne NJ 2/4, 2/3, 3/4, 1/4 Parish had a school with 482-241 students.
1979 1995 St. Philip the Apostle

Clifton

• Accusations surfaced in 2002 that Stepien had sexually abused "minors" 20 or so years previously. Diocesan officials released no other information. (The Record
April 23, 2002)

NJ 2/3, 2/4 Parish had a school with 325-610 students.
1995 2002 St. Mark the Evangelist Long Valley NJ 1/1, 1/2

Parish had a CCD program with 245-500 students.

Stepien was removed from active ministry in April 2002, due to accusations that he sexually abused minors at least 20 years previously.(The Record
April 23, 2002)

2002

Arthur Joseph Serratelli replaced Rodimer as Paterson bishop (2004- )

2008 Absent on Leave      

The accusations against Stepien were considered credible by the diocesan review board. (NorthJersey.com [New Jersey]
January 9, 2003)

The diocese said that it asked the Vatican for permission to hold a church trial for Stepien. A criminal trial could not be held due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. (Observer-Tribune [New Jersey]
October 23, 2003)

2008 2009 Retired Clifton NJ    


Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1966-2009)

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.

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 Stepien's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation 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 April 23, 2010