Rev. John J. Castaldo-Assignment

Rev. John J. Castaldo

Summary of Case: Castaldo has been accused of the sexual abuse of at least four boys, ages 10-14. The abuse is said to have occurred in a church sacristy and on a trip to Florida for altar boys. Castaldo was arrested in May 2001 for having sexually explicit internet conversations with an undercover police agent posing as a 14 year-old boy, and arranging to meet him at a motel. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a weekend in jail and 5 years probation. Castaldo had been expelled from a Long Island NY seminary in 1985 for "remarkably bizarre behavior"; the seminary rector-president warned Bridgeport diocesan officials that Castaldo was unfit to be a priest. Nonetheless, Castaldo attended and completed seminary studies in Wisconsin and was ordained by Bridgeport bishop Walter Curtis in 1987.

Ordained: 1987

Start	Stop	Assignment	Town/Accusations	State	Position	Notes
	1985	Seminary	Long Island	NY	seminarian	Castaldo was expelled from a Long Island seminary for "remarkably bizarre behavior" and a psychological evaluation that determined he was "preoccupied with his own sexual urges". The president-rector of the seminary warned Bridgport diocesan officials in 1985 that Castaldo was unfit for the priesthood.
	1987	Sacred Heart Seminary		WI	seminarian
1987 Bishop of Bridgeport diocese was Walter W. Curtis (1961-1988), followed by Edward M. Egan (1988-2000).	1992	St. Teresa's	Trumbull • Castaldo was accused in a lawsuit settled in 2005 of having molested a 14 year-old boy in the early 1990s while a priest at St. Teresa's. • In a lawsuit filed in April 2002 Castaldo was accused of molesting a St. Teresa's altar boy from 1987-1991, beginning when the boy was 12 years-old. Castaldo's accuser said the abuse began in the sacristy and on a trip to Florida with other altar boys. • Castaldo was accused in a 2009 lawsuit of the sexual abuse of a boy at St. Teresa's in the 1980s. The priest was said to have forced the child to perform oral sex and "attacked the boy for purposes of his own deviant sexual gratification". • In 2010 a young man accused Castaldo in a lawsuit of having sexually abused him when he was a fifth grader and altar boy at St. Teresa's. The diocese denied the allegations.	CT	2/6	Parish had a school with 280 students and a CCD program with 637-650 students.
1992	1994	St. Mark's	Stratford	CT	2/2	Parish had a CCD program with 674-680 students.
1994	1998	St. Edward the Confessor	New Fairfield	CT	3/3	Parish had a CCD program with 1,083-1,219 students.
1998	2000	St. Rose of Lima	Newtown	CT	3/5, 3/6	Parish had a CCD program with 1,266 students.
2000	2001	St. Maurice's	Stamford • Castaldo was arrested in May 2001 for having sexually explicit internet conversations with an undercover police agent posing as a 14 year-old boy, and arranging to meet him at a motel. He pleaded guilty in Sept. 2001 and was sentenced to one weekend in jail and 5 years probation.	CT	3/3 In residence	Parish had a CCD program with 198 students. Castaldo was removed from St. Maurice's after his arrest.
1999 William E. Lori became Bishop of Bridgeport in 2001.	2001	Trinity Catholic High School	Stamford	CT	spiritual director	After 2001, Castaldo is no longer indexed in the Directory. He was defrocked sometime before 2010.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: Kenedy & Sons, 1988-2001).

• Connecticut Priest Arrested in Sex Sting, By Jim Fitzgerald, Associated Press State & Local Wire May 25, 2001
• Bridgeport Bishop Apologizes after Priest Arrested in Sex Sting, By John Christoffersen
Associated Press State & Local Wire, May 29, 2001
• Priest Guilty in Sex Chat, Former Chaplain of Catholic School Faces 6 Months' Jail, By Jonathan Bandler, Journal News, September 8, 2001
• Priest Who Pleaded Guilty Gets One Weekend in Jail, Associated Press State & Local Wire, November 28, 2001
• Lawsuit Claims Priest Molested Altar Boy in Late 1980s, Associated Press State & Local Wire, May 1, 2002
• Jury Selection Starts in Priest Abuse Trial, By Daniel Tepfer, Connecticut Post, January 11, 2005
• Cardinal's Deposition in Sex Abuse Case Closely Watched, By John Christoffersen, Associated Press, carried in Newsday [Stamford CT], January 12, 2005
• Priest Admits 'Sexual Sickness' in Suit, By Daniel Tepfer, Connecticut Post, January 13, 2005
• Diocese of Bridgeport Announces Settlement Agreement Has Been Reached in the Case Involving John Castaldo, Diocese of Bridgeport Press Release, January 18, 2005
• Settlement Reached in Connecticut Priest Abuse Case, NBC 30 [Stamford CT] , Downloaded January 19, 2005
• Ex-trumbull Priest, Diocese in Abuse Suit, By John Burgeson, Connecticut Post, January 23, 2009
• Cardinal Egan Named in Priest, Sex Suit, By Alan Cohn, WTNH, March 31, 2009
• Diocese Fights Lawsuit Alleging Abuse by St. Theresa's Priests, By Daniel Tepfer, Connecticut Post, November 24, 2009
• Diocese of Bridgeport Acknowledges Allegations Involving 8 Priests from 1968 to 2000, By Dave Altimari, Hartford Courant, November 25, 2009
• Priests Cited in Sexual-abuse Claims, Connecticut Post, December 1, 2009
• Sexual Abuse Suit Names Priest, Archdiocese, By Allan Appel, New Haven Independent,
March 3, 2010
• Sex Abuse Lawsuit Says Bridgeport Diocese Knew Of Priest's 'Bizarre' Behavior, By Josh Kovner, The Hartford Courant, March 04, 2010|

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.

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This assignment record collates Castaldo'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 on Jan. 21, 2013