Father Edwin Collins
Diocese of Palm Beach
Ordained: 1954
Resigned: 1998
Assignment History:
- 1955-1957: St. Barnabas Apostle (Bellmore, NY)
- 1958-1959: St. Barnabas Apostle (Bellmore, NY)
- 1960-1967: St. Pius X Preparatory Seminary (Hempstead, NY)
- 1968: St. Mary’s (Manhasset, NY)
- 1969-1976: St. William the Abbot (Seaford, NY)
- 1977-1997: Our Lady of Lourdes (Malverne, NY)
- St. Matthew Catholic Church (Lake Worth, FL)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father Edwin Collins:
Fr. Edwin Collins was a priest ordained in 1954. He retired from Rockville Centre, New York, moving to Wellington, Florida. Collins assisted with Mass at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Lake Worth, Florida.
In 1998, Collins was accused of inappropriately touching a 13- or 14-year-old boy who spent the night at Collins’ home before a fishing outing in Lake Worth, Florida. According to media reports, the boy woke up to Collins’ hands in between his legs and he fought him off and immediately told his parents and the diocese, and Collins resigned.
The vicar general then wrote a letter and placed it in Collins’ file. The Diocese of Rockville Centre was notified but Collins’ name was not released to the public in 2002 with other accused clergy. The family immediately complained to the diocese about the omission and said the Diocese “missed” the file.
According to Palm Beach County Sheriff’s reports, Collins tried to fondle the boy after he fell asleep in the priest’s bed. An administrator with the Diocese of Palm Beach told detectives that Collins admitted he inappropriately touched the boy. The priest, however, told investigators that he never touched him.
Collins was retired in Florida at the time the alleged abuse occurred. His current whereabouts are unknown.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Palm Beach in Florida. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Florida, contact our office today. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Florida and nationwide. We can help.
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