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Assignment Record– Rev. Barry F. Bossa, S.A.C.

Summary of Case: Barry Bossa was ordained for the Pallottines (Society of Catholic Apostolate) in 1981. He worked in parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston MA and New York NY. Prior to ordination, in 1974, Bossa was convicted of performing oral sex on a 12-year-old boy. The Pallottines knew of the conviction before ordaining him. In 2002 Bossa was accused in a lawsuit of sexually abusing two boys, ages 8 and 10, in the early to mid-1970s at a Massachusetts parish, where he was a Pallottine Brother training for the priesthood. When the news of new accusations came to light in 2002 the New York archdiocese, where Bossa was then assigned, removed him from ministry. The Pallottines abruptly sent Bossa to their headquarters in Rome. The Boston archdiocese eventually settled the lawsuit and criminal charges were filed in 2003. Bossa died in Italy in 2007.

Ordained: October 17, 1981
Died: May 20, 2007

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State/Country Position Notes
1970s    

Malone

Bossa pleaded guilty in 1974 to performing oral sex on a a 12-year-old boy. He received no jail time.

NY    

early-mid 1970s

Boston archbishop was Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983).

  St. Thomas Aquinas

Bridgewater

Bossa was accused in a 2002 lawsuit of sexually abusing two boys, ages 8 and 10, during his time at this parish.

MA religious brother in training for priesthood; CCD teacher, youth choir instructor, oversaw altar servers  

1981

New York archbishop was Terence James Cooke (1968-1983), followed boy John Joseph O'Connor (1984-2000).

1986 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Italian) New York NY 6/6; 5/5

Parish had a school with 289-210 students.

The Pallottines knew before he was ordained of Bossa's 1974 conviction.

1986 1988       Bossa not indexed or listed in the 1987 or 1988 Directories.

1988

O'Connor was succeeded by Edward Michael Egan (2000-2009).

2002 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Yonkers NY

4/6; 3/5; 2/4

 

Parish had a school with 265-178 students.

 

2002 2007   Rome Italy  

The New York archdiocese stripped him of his duties and Bossa was abruptly moved by his order to its world headquarters in Rome in 2002 when his criminal history prior to ordination, as well as new allegations, came to light.

Charges were filed in 2003 and the archdiocese settled with Bossa's accusers.

Bossa died in Italy May 20, 2007.


Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: Kenedy & Sons, 1982-1986, 1989-2002).

First Amended Complaint, October 21, 2002
16 Priests Named for First Time in Sexual Abuse Lawsuits, By Michael Rezendes and Matt Carroll, Boston Globe, January 30, 2003
Records on 10 Clergy Released, Documents Reveal McCormack's Role, By Sacha Pfeiffer, January 31, 2003
Runaway Priests, Hiding in Plain Sight, The Rev. Rev. Barry Bossa, Rome Case Study #3, Dallas Morning News, September 12, 2004
In the Shadow of the Vatican, Accused Clerics Serving in Rome, Heart of the Catholic Church, By Reese Dunklin, Dallas Morning News, September 12, 2004
" International Traffic in Catholic Priests Who Abuse", By Richard Sipe and K.K. Murray, SNAP [United States], April 17, 2007
The Missing Names From Cardinal O'Malley's List of Accused Clerics, Boston Globe, November 20, 2011
Accused Boston Clerics, BishopAccountability.org, Revised November 21, 2011
Confratelli Defunti, Societas Apostolatus Catholici, No Date


Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy & Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Bossa's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated September 1, 2015.



 
 

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