Father Leo Mojecki
Archdiocese of New York
Ordained: 1957
Died: 1985
Assigned as follows:
- 1960s St. Sylvester’s R.C. Church (Concord, NY)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father Leo Mojecki:
According to media reports, in late April 2021, a lawsuit was filed against a former Erie County priest, Fr. Leo Mojecki, and the Archdiocese of New York for the alleged drugging and repeated sexual assault of an altar boy in the 1960s. The lawsuit alleges that Mojecki repeatedly raped the plaintiff from 1964 to 1966 while he was attending his fourth to sixth grade at St. Sylvester School in Concord, New York. The victim was approximately 9 to 11 years old at the time of the abuse.
According to the lawsuit, Mojecki regularly drugged the plaintiff and then raped the boy in his sleep. Most of the incidents occurred in the parish’s rectory, while he wore his official priest garb. He allegedly fondled the child’s genitals, rubbed his own genitals in front of the boy, kissed him, and forced him to serve Mass as an altar boy with only underwear on underneath his acolyte robes.
The suit claimed that Mojecki had groomed the plaintiff. “Father Mojecki would regularly keep the plaintiff late at church; offer to drive plaintiff home; socialize with plaintiff’s parents; and asked plaintiff to help him with tasks,” the suit stated. The boy told his teacher about the sexual abuse, but no action was taken.
The lawsuit also alleges that Fr. Thomas Burke and Msgr. John Lennon, the parish pastor at the time, knew that the victim spent nights in the rectory with Mojecki. Despite this fact, they continued providing the priest access to commit the sexual assaults against the boy. Msgr. John Lennon died in 1982, Fr. Burke died in 1984, and Fr. Mojecki died in 1985.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of New York. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in New York, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of New York now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an email to [email protected] to discuss your options today.