Father William Crouse
Archdiocese of Newark
Ordained:1959
Medical retirement: 2002
Died: 2009
Assigned as Follows:
- 1959-1964: Combini College (Ethiopia)
- 1964-1965: St. Joseph’s (Georgia)
- 1965-1968: Sacred Heart Seminary (Ohio)
- 1968-1970: Verona Feathers of Mount Claire (New Jersey)
- 1970-1971: Military Fort (Gordon, Georgia)
- 1971-1972: Long Bingh (Vietnam)
- 1972-1975: Fort Meade (Maryland)
- 1975-1977: Fort Buchanan (Puerto Rico)
- 1977-1979: St. Mary’s (Altoona)
- 1979-1980: St. John Evangelist (Bellefonte, PA)
- 1980-1987: chaplain at SCI- Rockview
- 1987-2002: St. Kateri Tekak (Penns Valley, PA)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father William Crouse:
Father William “Bill” Crouse was a member of Sons of the Sacred Heart order. He was ordained a priest in 1959 and served in the Archdiocese of Newark. He served in multiple parishes throughout his career. According to media reports, in the 2016 Pennsylvania Grand Jury report on the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, in 2002, he was accused for allegedly sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy during the 1960s while serving at the Verona Feathers of Mount Claire, New Jersey. The man alleged that Father Crouse forcibly raped him. The victim also said that Father Crouse would often give him alcohol and also that a second priest, named “Father Ben,” was present for at least one of the incidents of abuse.
When confronted, he admitted to having an “inappropriate relationship” with the boy, saying it “would be called child molestation today.” He minimized the abuse in therapy and blamed the victim for initiating the sexual contact. According to the grand jury report, there was no attempt to contact authorities once the abuse came out, and no attempt to identify the other priest that was named. Father Crouse was simply ordered into “treatment,” that ultimately led to his therapist recommending that he seek out the victim to apologize to him.
Father Crouse’s name was not included on the February 2019 list of credibly accused priests released by the Archdiocese of Newark. He retired for medical reasons in 2002 and died in 2009.
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.