Assignment Record– Rev. Andrew P. Brizzolara, C.S.

Summary of Case: Andrew P. Brizzolara was ordained for the Missionaries of St. Charles (Scalabrinians) in 1976. He worked for his order in the Archdioceses of New York NY, Boston MA and Hartford CT. Brizzolara was removed from the Connecticut parish where he was pastor in January 2004 after an accusation surfaced that he had sexually abused a minor in the early 1980s, during his time in Massachusetts. He reportedly was sent out of state to live with members of his order; a Scalabrini website in 2007 indicated Brizzolara was working at Villa Rosa Nursing Home in Mitchellville, MD.

Ordained: 1976

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: Kenedy & Sons, 1977-2004).

• Priest Resigns Amid Sexual Abuse Allegations, Boston.com [New Haven CT], January 18, 2004
• Wooster Square Priest Resigns Sexual Abuse Allegations Date to 1983 in Boston, By Michael Gannon, New Haven Register, January 18, 2004
• Accused of Abuse, a Priest Resigns, Conn. Pastor Faces Allegations in Mass., By David Abel, Boston Globe, January 19, 2004
• Hartford Priest Accused of Sex Abuse in Bay State, By Marie Szaniszlo, Boston Herald, January 19, 2004
• Priest Quits after Abuse Claim, By David Owens, Hartford Courant [Connecticut], January 19, 2004
• The Missing Names From Cardinal O'Malley's List of Accused Clergy, Boston Globe, November 20, 201

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 Brizzolara'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.