It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that, due to an incident of adult sexual misconduct, I have suspended Paulist Fr. Frank Desiderio from priestly ministry and removed him from his position as Director of St. Mary’s of the Lake, the Paulist summer retreat in Lake George, New York. I have also accepted his letter of resignation from the office of Vice President of the Paulist Fathers.
The victim contacted me directly on August 10, 2023 (and copied our Paulist Victim Assistance Coordinator). She described an incident of an unwelcome sexual advance by Fr. Desiderio, including inappropriate touching, that had occurred a few days prior. I immediately shared this with Fr. Desiderio who confirmed that the victim’s description of the incident was accurate and expressed his great remorse at his lapse in judgment. Fr. Frank profoundly regrets the harm he has caused the victim as well as the effects this may have on the Paulist Fathers and the people we serve.
First of all, I ask for your prayers for the victim, who has requested that her identity not be made public. I had the opportunity to meet with her in person, with someone else present. It was heart-wrenching to hear the traumatic effect the words and actions of a priest can have on someone.
The Paulist Fathers highly value transparency about clerical misconduct. And yet, in order to honor the victim’s desire for anonymity, further details cannot be made public. Any clerical abuse must be taken seriously. Let me assure you that the steps that have been taken, including Fr. Frank’s resignation as vice president, were necessary and in the best interests of the victim, the Paulist Fathers, and all those impacted by these events. In addition to addressing this within our own Paulist leadership, our community has enlisted the outside consultation and expertise of lay professionals who deal with cases of abuse.
The Paulist Fathers are committed to living lives of integrity and observing professional and clerical boundaries. As president, I ask your forgiveness for the pain suffered by survivors of clerical misconduct by any member of our Paulist Fathers community. While we have no reason to believe that any other person experienced such a violation, we make this information public in part to invite any other victim to come forward. Feel free to contact our Paulist Victim Assistance Coordinator with any information.
I realize this is very painful news to take in. Please know that you are all in my prayers. I humbly ask that, along with your prayers for all victims of abuse or clerical misconduct, you please keep our whole Paulist community—our priests, associates, deacons, seminarians, and all who collaborate with us in our mission—in your prayers at this difficult time.
In Christ,
Fr. René