Father Peter Mahoney
Diocese of Brooklyn
Ordained: Unknown
Removed: 2021
Assignment History
- Church of St. Leonard of Port Maurice School (Brooklyn, NY)
- St. Martin of Tours (Brooklyn)
- St. Anne Catholic Church (Flushing, NY)
- St. Nicholas of Tolentine (Jamaica – Queens, NY)
Summary of Sexual Abuse against Father Peter Mahoney
On Nov. 22, 2021, the Diocese of Brooklyn removed Fr. Peter Mahoney after the Diocesean Review Board (DBR) conducted an investigation and found that allegations of sexual abuse against the priest were credible. Sources say at the time of his removal, Fr. Mahoney was ministering part-time at St. Anne Catholic Church in Flushing and St. Nicholas of Tolentine in Jamaica, Queens.
Fr. Mahoney’s removal means he cannot celebrate public mass or exercise any public ministry. Fr. Mahoney is also prohibited from living in a church residence. Additionally, the diocese will add Fr. Mahoney’s name to its list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse involving minors.
Fr. Mahoney’s removal comes more than one year after the complaint was reported to the Diocese of Brooklyn Reporting Line. According to sources, the October 2020 report alleges Fr. Mahoney molested a minor between 1975 and 1978 while serving at St. Martin of Tours in Brooklyn.
Additional details about the nature and scope of the abuse are not publicly available.
April Lawsuit Against Fr. Mahoney
Nearly eight months before Fr. Peter Mahoney’s removal from ministry, a different claimant filed a lawsuit against the priest under the Child Victims Act.
According to the lawsuit, while serving as principal at Church of St. Leonard of Port Maurice School in the early 1960s, Fr. Mahoney groomed and abused a 12-year-old student. The complaint further alleges that Fr. Mahoney asked the claimant if he was circumcised before performing oral sex on him in the presence of other school staff.
Fr. Mahoney’s Career and Whereabouts
According to St. Charles Borromeo Church, Fr. Peter Mahoney has been in ministry for over 50 years.
Before his removal, Fr. Mahoney lived in St. Peters/St. Agnes parish. His current whereabouts, however, 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 Brooklyn. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Brooklyn, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Brooklyn now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an email to [email protected] to discuss your options today.