Assignment Record– Rev. William T. White

Summary of Case: William T. White was a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, ordained in 1958. He worked as an assistant priest at a Manhattan parish early on, going on to spend a decade at Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, where he served as a counselor and dean of students. That assignment was followed by a year with the Archdiocesan Department of Education, then six years as principal of Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx. From there White spent twelve years as pastor of a parish in New Rochelle. There is a gap in his assignments 1994-1995. During 1995-2002, White taught at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida in the Palm Beach diocese, while assisting at area parishes.

In 1997 a man reported to the archdiocese that White sexually abused him over a three-year period, beginning when the man was a 17-year-old Stepinac student in the 1970s. White admitted to the abuse. The former student received a settlement in 1998. White wasn't removed from ministry until March 2002, when the clergy sex abuse crisis was a major focus of attention in the news media. In 2004 White was accused in a lawsuit of having sexually abused a boy, ages 9-11, from 1959 to 1961, at Holy Cross parish in Manhattan.

Ordained: 1958

1958

Archdiocese of New York

Archbishop was Francis Joseph Spellman (1939-1967).

New York (Manhattan)

• White was accused in a 2004 lawsuit of the sexual abuse of a boy, ages 9-11, during 1959-1961. The boy was in the church choir, which was directed by White. His accuser said the priest would hug and dry-hump him while kissing him, and strap him over a desk and strike his buttocks while masturbating under his robe. He said White told him not to tell his parents and that "no one would love him as much as he did."

Holy Cross had a school with 385-316 boys and 429-314 girls.

1965

Spellman was succeeded as New York archbishop by Terence James Cooke (1968-1983).

White Plains

• A man reported to the archdiocese in 1997 that in the mid-to-late 1970s, beginning when he was a 17-year-old Stepinac senior and lasting for three years, White sexually abused him. The former student received a settlement from the archdiocese in1998. White admitted to his behavior.

Spellman High had 1,097 - 1, 013 boys and 1,134-1,277 girls.

White was elevated to Monsignor in 1979.

1982

John Joseph O'Connor replaced Cooke as New York archbishop (1984-2000).

1995

Diocese of Palm Beach

Bishop was Joseph Keith Symons (1990-1998), followed by Anthony Joseph O'Connell (1998-2002).

Per news reports, White would say mass a area churches, including St. Vincent Ferrer in Delray Beach.

White is not indexed beyond the 2002 Directory. He was removed from ministry

White was removed from ministry in March 2002. (This was the same month Palm Beach bishop Anthony O'Connell resigned after admitting to having sexually abuse of a youth. O'Connell had replaced Bishop Keith Symons, who resigned in 1998 after admitting to the sexual abuse of boys.)

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.

Source: Official Catholic Directory (Kenedy & Sons, 1959-2002).

• Stepinac grad claims sex abuse by priest, Journal News April 3, 2002 (in collection of articles)
• Schoolkids Punished for Church's Sins, by Douglas Montero, New York Post, April 12, 2002 (in collection of articles)
• Special Reports: Catholic BIshops and Sex Abuse, Dallas Morning News, June 12, 2002
• Perez et al v. Parrakow, et al, Supreme Court of NY, County of NY, February 26, 2004
• Six Abuse Cases Reported by Palm Beach Diocese, by Elizabeth Clarke, Palm Beach Post, February 28, 2004.
• Sun-Sentinel 04.24.06 

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 White'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 October 17, 2017.