Father John Piatkowski
Diocese of Erie
Ordained: 1935
Death: 1970
Assigned as follows:
- 1935-1948: St. Stanislaus Koska (Erie/Tyler, PA)
- 1948-1970: Assumption (Sykesville, PA)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father John Piatkowski:
Father John Piatkowski was ordained a priest in 1935 and served in the Diocese of Erie. According to the Pennsylvania 2018 Grand Jury report, the Diocese of Erie received an allegation of abuse against Father John A. Piatkowski by letter written in March 1955. The author advised that at the age of 12, he became an altar boy. During his time as an altar boy, Piatkowski began to kiss the victim and tell him that he loved him. He took the victim for rides and to the movies. It was during this time that Piatkowski would play with the victim’s penis until he had an orgasm.
On numerous other occasions, Piatkowski committed similar abuse on the victim in the church basement and in the parish house where Piatkowski lived. The victim related that while he felt that the entire situation did not seem right, he was afraid to tell his parents for fear that they would not have believed him.
In October 1959, another letter arrived at the Diocese of Erie, addressed to Bishop John Mark Gannon.
The letter indicated that the writer was requesting on behalf of the parish in Sykesville that the parish be assigned a new priest. The letter stated that Piatkowski had been molesting little boys and that the boys were afraid to talk. The letter alleged that Piatkowski made nervous wrecks out of the children and that they were afraid of him. It is unknown to the Grand Jury if this incident was ever referred to law enforcement by the Diocese of Erie.
In 2008, Bishop Donald W. Troutman met with a third victim and his wife at the St. Catherine rectory in DuBois. The victim reported that Piatkowski repeatedly sexually abused him when he was approximately 7 or 8 years old. The sexual abuse took place in the 1940s in a small parish in Tyler. Troutman referred the victim to counseling and reported the matter to Erie County District Attorney’s Office on January 5, 2009.
Piatkowski died in 1970 and is buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Erie. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Pennsylvania, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Erie may have legal options, but filing deadlines will apply so please do not delay in reaching out to us.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.