Father James Aubrey Finan
Archdiocese of Washington
Ordained: 1959
Removed: 1996
Laicized: 1996
Died: 2013
Assigned as follows:
- Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church (Washington, DC)
- Holy Redeemer parish (Kensington, MD)
- St. Nicholas Church (Laurel, MD)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father James Aubrey Finan:
According to media reports, in December 1996, an allegation that Father Finan sexually abused a 10-year-old boy was made to the Archdiocese of Washington. The victim alleged that he was abused in 1966 while he served as an altar boy at the Holy Redeemer parish in Kensington. Finan was later arrested on these charges.
The alleged victim told police that Father Finan was a friend of his family. The victim spent a night with the him at the church rectory in Kensington during the summer, and Father Finan performed oral sex on him.
Finan was also accused of abusing a 6-year-old girl in 1966. The victim said he was a friend of the her family in the mid-1960s, when he was pastor of Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in Washington. She said he performed oral sex on the her and fondled her while they were in the back seat of his car.
In 1996, Finan was removed from ministry after the abuse was reported. He later pled guilty to the charges against him, and he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
In 2003, Father Finan also pled guilty to sexually abusing a 7 or 8-year old boy in 1966. In reporting the abuse, the victim said that Father Finan came for dinner to counsel the youth’s mother, who was on the verge of divorce. Father Finan and the mother drank whiskey, and the mother invited him to spend the night in her son’s bedroom. According to court documents, Father Finan came into the bedroom as the boy lay awake, got into his bed and fondled him. Finan was sentenced to a five year suspended sentence and five years probation. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.
In December 2006, the Archdiocese of Washington reached a $1.3 million settlement with 16 men who were sexually abused by priests between 1962 and 1982. At least one of plaintiffs was a victim of Finan.
In 1996, Father Finan was laicized.
He died in August 2013.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Washington. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Washington, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Washington now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Contact us at (954) 641-2100 or [email protected] today.