Father Arthur J. Long
Archdiocese of Harrisburg/Scranton/Washington/Jesuit
Ordained: 1955
Removed: 1995
Died: 2004
Assignment History:
- 1963 – 1964: Bishop’s Latin School (Pittsburgh, PA)
- 1965 – 1968: Gesu School (Philadelphia, PA)
- 1974: Harrisburg Polyclinic Hospital (Harrisburg, PA)
- 1975 – 1987: Geisinger Medical Center (Danville, PA)
- 1975 – 1987: Villa Sacred Heart (Danville, PA)
- 1989 – 1990: Scranton Jesuit Community (Scranton, PA)
- 1990 – 1991: St. James Church (Jessup, PA)
Summary of Abuse Allegations Against Father Arthur J. Long:
Father Arthur Long was ordained in 1955 as a member of a Catholic religious order, the Maryland Province Society of Jesus, and worked in the Diocese of Harrisburg, Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Archdiocese of Washington, and Scranton. In 2018, Fr. Long was named an abuser in the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report. He was then listed on the Diocese of Harrisburg’s Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse of Minors list in 2018. In 2018, Fr. Long was listed on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse of Minors list. In April 2023, Maryland’s Attorney General released a report alleging 156 Catholic clergy members sexually abused at least 600 children over six decades. The report lists the names of the abusers, including Father Arthur Long.
According to media reports, in 1987, the Archdiocese of Washington received an allegation that Father Arthur J. Long solicited a 17-year-old girl for sex in 1983. He was also accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with a 13-year-old girl. At the time, Fr. Long was chaplain of a Danville convent attached to a girls’ high school. Father Long admitted to having had sex with ‘four or five’ girls since being assigned to the convent when confronted.
In 1988, Father Long was moved to St. Ignatius parish in Mount Vernon while he worked as a hospital chaplain at Mercy Medical Center, according to a spokesman for the Jesuits’ Maryland Province. After that, he returned to Pennsylvania and lived in Jesuit communities at the University of Scranton and St. Joseph’s University. He continued to have faculties to minister as a Jesuit priest in good standing.
In 1992, Father Long returned to Maryland and spent six weeks living in a Jesuit community associated with Loyola Blakefield High School. He was later removed from ministry when more reports of inappropriate behavior and sexual abuse surfaced, including his attempt to marry a teenage girl. The PA grand jury report indicates, however, that Father Long wasn’t forced out of ministry by his province until 1995. Father Long left the community for “vacation” but never returned.
Fr. Long died in 2004.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Harrisburg and throughout Pennsylvania. The Diocese of Harrisburg filed for federal bankruptcy protection in February 2020. Anyone sexually abused by a priest or employee of the Diocese of Harrisburg may be entitled to file a claim against the Diocese in these bankruptcy proceedings, but very strict filing deadlines apply. Most victims of abuse in the Diocese of Harrisburg will never be able to take action against the Diocese of Harrisburg if they miss this bankruptcy filing deadline, so it is important that you contact us immediately to discuss your potential case. Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your legal options today.