Father Matthew Fitzgerald
Diocese of Rockville Centre
Ordained: 1968
Laicized: 2002
Assigned as follows:
- 1970-1974 St. Hedwig (Floral Park, NY)
- 1974-1978 St. Pius X (Plainview, NY)
- 1978-1982 Holly Patterson Home (Uniondale, NY);
- 1983-1985 St. Brigid (Westbury, NY)
- 1986 St. Matthew (Dix Hills, NY)
- 1987-1989 St. Patrick (Smithtown, NY)
- 1992-1993 St. Lucie (Port St. Lucie, FL)
- 1994-1996 Our Lady of Lourdes (Boca Raton, FL)
- 1997-1998 St. Lucie (Port St. Lucie, FL)
- 1999-2000 Unknown
- 2001 Special Assignment, On Duty Outside Diocese
- 2002-2004 Retired
Summary of Abuse Allegations Against Father Matthew Fitzgerald:
Father Matthew Fitzgerald was ordained a priest in Ireland and moved to the Diocese of Rockville Centre shortly after. According to media reports, in 1985, he was accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy while working at St. Brigid’s in Westbury, New York. He was transferred to the Diocese of Palm Beach, FL in 1989.
At least four additional survivors came forward alleging child sexual abuse by Father Fitzgerald at two Florida parishes where he worked in the 1990s. He denied the allegations. The Diocese of Palm Beach forced him into retirement in 2000.
According to media reports, in 2002, Father Fitzgerald was laicized after he allegedly tried to say a public Mass and recruit people for a pilgrimage. In 2003, he was named in civil lawsuits filed in New York and Florida by survivors of child sexual abuse.
According to the 2003 Suffolk County Grand Jury report, the description of Priest B matches public allegations against Father Fitzgerald.
“He fondled altar boys as they prepared for Mass, in a sauna at a health club, and during play ‘wrestling’ in his rectory bedroom…. [He] was reassigned to a diocese in Florida. He was later accused in Florida of molesting children in two parishes and was relieved of his duties.”
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 Rockville Centre in New York. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in New York, contact our office today. In October 2020, the Rockville Centre Diocese filed for federal bankruptcy protection. The Court will resolve all claims of sexual abuse in this process but strict filing deadlines will apply and no late claims will be considered, so contact us today. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in New York and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.