Memorials honoring two Catholic priests named in suppressed abuse cases

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A road sign and plaque honoring two priests who the Long Island Catholic Church said were credibly accused of sexually abusing minors years ago have been removed from public display.

The “Bermingham Place” street sign in Williston Park which honored the longtime pastor of St. Aidan’s Church, Msgr. Charles Bermingham, has been removed and replaced with the original name – Dover Street.

At St. Paul the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in Brookville, a plaque honoring Mgr. Mario Costa has been replaced by a portrait of the Virgin Mary.

The two men, who have died, are on a list of 101 clerics who the Rockville Center diocese says have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors. The diocese submitted the list to the U.S. bankruptcy court in Manhattan in April.

Williston Park mayor Paul Ehrbar said the village board voted 5-0 to remove the sign, although he initially had reservations.

“I have expressed my fear that it is still America and that you are innocent until proven guilty,” he said.

But after the village prosecutor explained that the church considered the allegations legitimate, Ehrbar said, he voted with the other officials to remove the sign.

The Costa plaque was missing in a photo provided by area parishioner James Hughes, who said he had been an altar boy for Costa for two years.

Diocese spokesman Sean Dolan said the church “defers to the village’s decision in this matter” of the road sign.

Dolan also said in a statement that the diocese “works with parishes and provides advice on the issue of dedications and memorials within parish property.”

He had said last month that the diocese was studying the matter but not commenting on specific cases.

In St. Paul, the lower parish hall and offices were named after Costa. The room had a bronze plaque bearing a sculpted representation of Costa’s face and a quote that read in part: “Living in the midst of the world without desiring its pleasures… penetrating all the secrets; heal all wounds… have a heart of fire for charity and a heart of bronze for chastity. “

Church officials covered the plaque with a white cardboard-like material held in place with blue tape after Newsday spoke about it last month, before installing Mary’s paint in recent days.

Hughes, a parishioner at St. Dominic’s Church in Oyster Bay, said the diocese and village had made the right decisions, but he was amazed “that no words were said to the parishioners of St. Paul l ‘Apostle to explain why these steps were taken. “

He has asked the diocese to release its records of clergy sexual abuse and the Nassau County district attorney to seize those records if the diocese refuses.

Patrick Stoneking, a Manhasset lawyer who represents victims of clergy sexual abuse for the firm Jeff Anderson & Associates, said the removal of the village road sign “is a strong statement of support for survivors of abuse, including many still live here “.

Regarding the plaque in Brookville, he said “it shouldn’t take an article in Newsday for these churches to do what they know is right. It is important for us to stop pretending that these horrible things did not happen to innocent Catholic children. ”

Costa spent most of 27 consecutive years as a pastor at St. Paul the Apostle, starting in 1975, with the exception of a seven-month absence in 1982, according to court documents. He finished his service there in 2002.

Bermingham joined St. Aidan in 1960, according to court documents, and retired in 1977, according to the parish website.

Previously, he was head of the Catholic Youth Movement diocese and director of Catholic charities, newspapers said.

Ehrbar said he informed the current pastor of St. Aidan, the Reverend Adrian McHugh, of the removal of the road sign honoring Bermingham. Reverend McHugh and Mgr. James Pereda, pastor of St. Paul, did not respond to requests for comment.

The list of 101 clerics was the first time the diocese had provided a detailed account of the names of priests with credible allegations against them. It provides the places where the abuse took place, from motels, boats, ski resorts and even an airplane, to places as far away as Yellowstone National Park, the Bahamas, Rome and Zurich, Switzerland.

The diocese has come under fire for leaving the names of several dozen priests on the list, including two prominent church figures, former Bishop John McGann and Bishop. Alan Placa, although lawsuits have been brought against them.

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