The accused priests of Buffalo– photos from the 1983 Diocese Directory

By Steve Cichon
steve@buffalostories.com
@stevebuffalo

It’s with great sadness that I’ve spent several hours creating this post today.

When I bought a copy of the 1983 Priests’ Pictorial Directory, I did it with a smile. Flipping through the pages, there are dozens of men who’ve had a positive and wonderful impact on my life.

Instead of sharing the warm and fond memories of the hundreds of men of God in this booklet, I’m drawn today to make sure that the airing out of the deepest recesses of evil within the Catholic church here in Buffalo is as complete as possible.

Of the 42 men named by the Diocese today, 38 of them had photos in this directory. Those photos appear below.

I remember one of these men regularly visiting my Kindergarten classroom. I regularly attended Mass offered by another. It makes me sad and sick– but healing occurs in the light not in the dark.

Here are photos of those accused. May the light shining upon it bring healing to all those who feel the pain of this horrific chapter in the history of the Catholic church.

John R. Aurelio (died 2009)

Donald W. Becker

Robert J. Biesinger (died 2012)

James H. Cotter (died 1991)

Donald S. Fafinski

Douglas F. Faraci

Fred G. Fingerle (died 2002)

Michael R. Freeman (died 2010)

Joseph P. Friel (died 1995)

Mark M. Friel

John P. Hajduk

Michael J. Harrington (died 1989)

Brian M. Hatrick

Fr. James P. Hayes was left off the initial list and mistaken for another priest with a similar name three days later,

Louis J. Hendricks (died 1990)

J. Grant Higgins (died 2016)

Francis T. Hogan (died 2010)

Fred D. Ingalls

Florian A. Jasinski (died 1983)

Gerald C. Jasinski

Richard P. Judd (died 1988)

Timothy J. Kelley

Thomas L. Kemp

Richard J. Keppeler (died 2011)

Bernard M. Mach (died 2004)

Loville N. Martlock (died 2014)

Thomas J. McCarthy

Basil A. Ormsby (died 1997)

Norbert F. Orsolits

Martin L. Pavlock

Roy K. Ronald (died 2013)

Joseph E. Schieder (died 1996)

Gerard A. Smyczynski (died 1999)

James A. Spielman

Edward J. Walker (died 2002)

William G. Ward (died 2008)

William F. J. White (died 2016) Robert W. Wood

Here is the complete list released by the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo– 42 priests, with dates of their deaths in parenthesis:

John R. Aurelio (2009)

Donald W. Becker

David M. Bialkowski

Robert J. Biesinger (2012)

James H. Cotter (1991)

Donald S. Fafinski

Douglas F. Faraci

Fred G. Fingerle (2002)

Michael R. Freeman (2010)

Joseph P. Friel (1995)

Mark M. Friel

Thomas G. Gresock

John P. Hajduk

Michael J. Harrington (1989)

Brian M. Hatrick

James F. Hayes (1988)

Louis J. Hendricks (1990)

J. Grant Higgins (2016)

Francis T. Hogan (2010)

Fred D. Ingalls

Florian A. Jasinski (1983)

Gerald C. Jasinski

Richard P. Judd (1988)

Timothy J. Kelley

Thomas L. Kemp

Richard J. Keppeler (2011)

John D. Lewandowski (1982)

Bernard M. Mach (2004)

Loville N. Martlock (2014)

Thomas J. McCarthy

Basil A. Ormsby (1997)

Norbert F. Orsolits

Martin L. Pavlock

Roy K. Ronald (2013)

Joseph E. Schieder (1996)

Gerard A. Smyczynski (1999)

James A. Spielman

Chester S. Stachewicz

Edward J. Walker (2002)

William G. Ward (2008)

William F. J. White (2016)

Robert W. Wood.

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Steve Cichon

Steve Cichon writes about Buffalo’s pop culture history. His stories of Buffalo's past have appeared more than 1600 times in The Buffalo News. He's a proud Buffalonian helping the world experience the city he loves. Since the earliest days of the internet, Cichon's been creating content celebrating the people, places, and ideas that make Buffalo unique and special. The 25-year veteran of Buffalo radio and television has written five books and curates The Buffalo Stories Archives-- hundreds of thousands of books, images, and audio/visual media which tell the stories of who we are in Western New York.