Diocese of
Rockville Centre, New York
The Diocese of Rockville Centre (“the Diocese”), which was established in 1957, encompasses two counties in eastern Long Island, New York. It consists of 134 parishes and one mission, 391 diocesan priests, 233 deacons, one seminary, two colleges/ universities, 63 schools and serves a population of 1,560,456 registered Catholics. The Most Reverend William Francis Murphy, who was installed as bishop on June 26, 2001, leads the Diocese. A compliance audit of the Diocese was conducted during the period of October 20-24, 2003.

The information found herein represents conditions as they were found to exist during the week of the audit. Information regarding necessary and recommended corrective actions taken by the Diocese subsequent to the audit will be found in the final paragraph.

Findings

To Promote Healing and Reconciliation
The Diocese has established a proactive outreach program, and it was commended for its methods. The bishop, or his designee, has met or offered to meet with victims/survivors of abuse in the Diocese who reported the abuse after June 2002. The victim assistance coordinator is Eileen Puglisi, a trained psychologist with an extensive background in mental health. The diocesan review board has been established and consists of 11 members, including parents, social workers, psychiatrists, a judge, members of law enforcement, and a priest. The procedures for making a complaint of abuse are readily available in printed form. The Diocese has not entered into any confidentiality agreements since June 2002.

To Guarantee Effective Response to Allegations of Abuse of a Minor
Since the bishop’s arrival, all allegations of sexual abuse are immediately reported to civil authorities, even if the statute of limitations has expired. The Diocese has an open and continuing dialogue with these authorities. A procedure is in place to advise victims/survivors of their right to report allegations of abuse by a member of the clergy to civil authorities, and the victim assistance coordinator encourages victims/survivors to do so. A clear and well-publicized code of conduct for priests and deacons exists and appears on the diocesan website. The Diocese has a communications policy, which is open and transparent on issues regarding the sexual abuse of children and youth and uses several outlets to accomplish this, and the Diocese was commended for its efforts.

To Ensure Accountability of Procedures
The Diocese has participated in the research study regarding the “nature and scope” of the problem of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy.

To Protect the Faithful in the Future
The Diocese has selected and implemented the VIRTUS program to establish safe environments. To date, 4,800 church personnel and volunteers have been trained, and other delivery systems are being used to formalize the training. The timeline for the completion of the training is December 2004. The Diocese has publicized standards of conduct for priests and deacons, as well as diocesan employees, volunteers, and other church personnel in positions of trust who have regular contact with children. The Diocese has developed a new background screening process. This process will consist of criminal checks and statewide sex offender searches, all of which will be accomplished by a private firm. Background checks were implemented for all new employees effective May 2003. Background investigations are in process for all employees hired prior to May 2003. The Diocese was instructed to complete the background investigations in accordance with their pre-established priorities. The Diocese has not transferred any priest or deacon who has had a credible allegation of sexual abuse made against him to another ministerial assignment, or for purposes of residency in another diocese. Clerics have taken up residencies in other dioceses/eparchies, and appropriate notifications have been made to those entities. Representatives of the bishop have met with major superiors or their delegates concerning the issue of allegations of sexual abuse involving religious clerics. To date, the Diocese has not had the opportunity to cooperate with other faiths and institutions of learning to conduct research in the area of sexual abuse of minors. A screening and evaluation program for the selection of candidates for ordination is in place. The Diocese has a systematic, ongoing formation program in keeping with the Basic Plan for the Ongoing Formation of Priests (2001).¹

Compliance with the Provisions of the Charter

At the conclusion of this audit, the Diocese of Rockville Centre was issued one Instruction, two Recommendations, and two Commendations.

INSTRUCTION—The Diocese should expeditiously complete background investigations.

RECOMMENDATION 1—That the Diocese furnish critical documents pertaining to the Charter in languages other than English.

RECOMMENDATION 2—That the Diocese require all extern priests and visiting seminarians who would have substantial contact with children to provide documentation that they have undergone background evaluations, including an arrest check.

COMMENDATION 1—For the bishop’s proactive and in-depth communications policies.

COMMENDATION 2—For proactive methods used as part of the Diocese’s outreach program.

As of December 1, 2003, the Instruction and all Recommendations have been addressed. The Diocese of Rockville Centre is found to be compliant with the provisions of the Charter as measured by the process described in Chapter 2 in Section I.

Note

1. USCCB, Basic Plan for the Ongoing Formation of Priests (Washington, DC: USCCB, 2001).

The compliance audit measured activity that has occurred since the adoption of the Charter in June 2002 with the exception of certain mandated actions found in Articles 5 and 14. Actions taken by the diocese/eparchy prior to June 2002 to address allegations of sexual abuse of minors by priests and deacons are not included in this summary report.




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Office of Child and Youth Protection
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194
(202) 541-5413 | FAX: (202) 541-5410
Email: ocyp@usccb.org