Father Donald Fafinski
Diocese of Buffalo
Ordained: 1966
Removed: 2003
Assigned as follows:
- 1967 Unknown
- 1968 St. Casimir (Buffalo, NY)
- 1969-1979 Cardinal Mindszenty High School (Dunkirk, NY)
- 1969-1979 Archbishop Walsh High School (Olean, NY)
- 1980-1981 Special assignment Director of the Youth Council (Buffalo, NY)
- 1982-1989 St. John Vianney, Orchard Park, NY)
- 1990-1991 St. Joseph, Fredonia, NY)
- 1992-2002 St. John, Jamestown, NY)
- 2003 Absent on leave
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father Donald Fafinski:
Father Donald Fafinski worked with children throughout his career as a priest. According to media reports, he was placed on leave in 2003 and retired from ministry that September. In March 2018, his name was included in the Diocese of Buffalo’s list of priests who “were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor.” No information regarding the allegations has been disclosed.
That same month, a man alleged that Father Fafinski sexually abused him in the 1970s when he was a student at Archbishop Walsh. The man said that he reported the abuse in 1994 and received a $24,000 settlement from the Diocese of Buffalo in 1996.
As of 2018, Father Fafinski is believed to live less than a block away from School 7 on East Lake Shore Drive in Dunkirk, New York.
According to media reports, in April 2020, the Diocese of Buffalo removed him and 22 other priests off of its payroll through an agreement it reached with survivors in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Buffalo and throughout New York. The Diocese of Buffalo filed for federal bankruptcy protection in February 2020. Anyone sexually abused by a priest or employee of the Diocese of Buffalo 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 Buffalo will never be able to take action against the Diocese of Buffalo 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.