Father Richard Mieliwocki
Archdiocese of Newark
Ordained: 1972
Removed: 1994
Laicized: 2013
Assigned as follows:
- Roselle Catholic (Roselle, NJ)
- St. Joseph The Carpenter (Roselle, NJ)
- Most Holy Name (Garfield, NJ)
- Our Lady of Sorrows (South Orange, NJ)
- Holy Trinity (Westfield, NJ)
- Nativity (Midland Park, NJ)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father Richard Mieliwocki:
Father Richard Mieliwocki was ordained a priest in 1972 and served in the Archdiocese of Newark. According to media reports, in July 1994, a 39-year-old Morris County man reported that he molested him for several years beginning in 1988 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in South Orange. An Archdiocese of Newark review board found “sufficient information” to support allegations that Father Mieliwocki sexually abused the man and possibly others. The victim received a $60,000 settlement.
Father Mieliwocki was ordered to undergo counseling and removed from public ministry, but retained his status as a priest. He failed to complete his treatment and then disappeared.
Father Mieliwocki resurfaced in 1999, and according to state records, working as a social worker at Clifton Mental Health Service. The state board of medical examiners suspended his license for three years for professional misconduct with a minor once the 1994 allegations were reported. According to media reports, Father Mieliwocki was providing therapy and counseling, including providing sex-therapy counseling without proper certification.
In 2005, a Morris County grand jury handed down an indictment that charged Father Mieliwocki with three counts of child endangerment and five counts of criminal sexual contact that all related to alleged sexual interaction he had with four teenage boys between the ages of 16 and 18 while he worked as a counselor at a prestigious in-patient substance abuse rehabilitation facility.
In August 2007, Father Mieliwocki pled guilty to child abuse and was sentenced to five years probation and community service. In 2011, the state permanently revoked his social work license. He was laicized (removed from the priesthood) by the Vatican in September 2013.
In February 2019, Father Mieliwocki’s name appeared on the Archdiocese of Newark’s list of credible accused priests. The Archdiocese of Newark did not release any information about the allegations against Father Mieliwocki except to say that he was the subject of “multiple” allegations. No information was released about the age/gender of the victims, or Father Mieliwocki’s assignments at the time of the abuse.
Father Mieliwocki is believed to be living in the Trenton, New Jersey, area. He is not a registered sex offender.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Newark in New Jersey. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused in the Archdiocese of Newark, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Newark now have legal options, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in New Jersey and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.