Memorials honoring two Catholic priests named in abuse cases have been removed

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A street sign and plaque honoring two priests who the Catholic Church on Long Island says were credibly accused of sexually abusing minors years ago has been removed from public display.

The “Bermingham Place” sign in Williston Park which honored the longtime pastor of St. Aidan’s Church, Msgr. Charles Bermingham, has been removed and replaced with the original name – Dover Street.

At St. Paul the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in Brookville, a plaque honoring Msgr. Mario Costa has been replaced by a portrait of the Virgin Mary.

The two men, who died, are on a list of 101 clerics who the Diocese of Rockville Center says have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors. The diocese submitted the list to US bankruptcy court in Manhattan in April.

Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar said the village council voted 5-0 to remove the sign, although he initially had reservations.

“I raised a concern that it’s still America, and you’re innocent until proven guilty,” he said.

But after the village lawyer explained that the church considers the allegations legitimate, Ehrbar said he voted with the other officials to remove the sign.

The Costa plaque was missing in a photo provided by local parishioner James Hughes, who said he served as an altar boy for Costa for two years.

An image of the Virgin Mary in her portrayal of the Lady of Guadalupe took pride of place at St. Paul the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in Brookville, replacing a plaque in memory of the longtime former pastor, Reverend Mario Costa, among Long Island priests accused of sexual abuse. . Credit: James Hughes

Diocese spokesman Sean Dolan said the church “defers to the decision of the village in this matter” of the road sign.

Dolan also said in a statement that the diocese is “working with parishes and providing guidance on the issue of dedications and memorials within parish property.”

He had said last month that the diocese had studied the matter but did not comment on individual cases.

A plaque at St. Paul the Apostle Roman Catholic Church...

A plaque at St. Paul the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in Brookville was used to honor the late Bishop Mario Costa. Costa was on a list of clerics suspected of sexually abusing minors. The plate was covered and recently removed. Credit: James Hughes

In St. Paul, the lower parish hall and offices are named after Costa. The room had a bronze plaque bearing a sculpted likeness of Costa’s face and a quote that read in part: “To live in the midst of the world without desiring its pleasures… to penetrate all the secrets; heal all wounds…have a heart of fire for charity and a heart of brass for chastity.”

Church officials covered the plaque with a white cardboard-like material held in place with blue tape after Newsday reported on it last month, before installing the painting of Mary in recent days.

Hughes, a parishioner at St. Dominic’s Church in Oyster Bay, said the diocese and the village had made the right choices, but was stunned “not a word was said to the parishioners of St. Paul l ‘Apostle as to why these measures were taken.’

He called on the diocese to release its clergy sex abuse records and the Nassau County prosecutor to seize those records if the diocese refuses.

Patrick Stoneking, a Manhasset attorney who represents victims of clergy sex abuse for Jeff Anderson & Associates, said the village’s removal of the road sign “is a strong statement of support for survivors of abuse, many of whom still live here”.

Regarding the plaque in Brookville, he said, “It shouldn’t take an article in Newsday for these churches to do what they know is right. It is important for us to stop pretending that these horrible things did not happen to innocent Catholic children. ”

Costa spent most of the 27 consecutive years as a pastor at St. Paul the Apostle, beginning in 1975, except for a seven-month absence in 1982, according to court documents. He finished his service there in 2002.

Bermingham joined St. Aidan in 1960, according to court documents, and retired in 1977, according to the parish’s website.

Previously, he was head of the Catholic Youth Movement diocese and director of Catholic charities, the newspapers said.

Ehrbar said he informed current St. Aidan pastor Reverend Adrian McHugh of the removal of the street sign honoring Bermingham. Reverend McHugh and Msgr. St. Paul pastor James Pereda did not respond to requests for comment.

The list of 101 clerics was the first time the diocese had provided a detailed account of the names of priests with credible allegations against them. It provides the locations where the abuse took place, from motels, boats, ski resorts and even a plane, to places as far apart as Yellowstone National Park, the Bahamas, Rome and Zurich, Switzerland.

The diocese has come under fire for excluding the names of several dozen priests from the list, including two prominent Church figures, former Bishop John McGann and Msgr. Alan Placa, although lawsuits have been filed against them.

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