Services to be held for credibly accused priest at parish where he previously served

• Services at St. Thomas in Delmar on Friday for Rev. Gregory Weider who accused in three sexual abuse cases

• Diocese grants family’s request to hold funeral at parish

DELMAR – A priest removed from public ministry by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany is scheduled to have a wake and funeral at one of the parishes he served before allegations of child sexual abuse were made against him decades later.

According to the St. Thomas the Apostle parish calendar, a wake for Rev. Gregory Weider is scheduled for Friday, July 19, in its chapel from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a funeral mass to follow in the church.

Spotlight News specifically asked the Albany Diocese if any of the abuse allegations took place at St. Thomas, but the diocese declined to answer, citing the privacy of the victims.

Weider was added to the diocese’s “List of Credibly Accused” after it determined there was reasonable cause related to allegations of sexual abuse against minors following a Child Victim’s Act lawsuit that was filed against him in 2021. While the lawsuit was still unresolved in the courts, two prior allegations dating from 2004 and 2010 were presented to the Independent Diocesan Review Board. Details from those allegations led the board to recommend Weider’s name be placed on the list.

Albany Bishop Edward Scharfenberger announced that he had accepted the recommendation through a May 2022 statement.

Before August 2021, the diocese did not automatically open investigations on CVA accusations due to ongoing litigation, but did investigate accusations that were reported directly to the diocese. It is unclear why Weider’s cases were not investigated when victims came forward in 2004 and 2010.

The diocese discovered at that time that the two older abuse allegations, outside of the CVA litigation, were reported, but never fully investigated. Because of the found cases, Scharfenberger placed Weider on administrative leave rather than ask him to take a voluntary leave of absence, which had been the standard procedure for other active priests accused under CVA allegations.

Weider, who had retired in 2010, was still serving as a sacramental minister in Delaware County when the diocese restricted him from performing priestly duties.

Those on the list also are not eligible to have a burial mass for clergy, which is different than a funeral mass.

“The difference with a funeral Mass for a priest, it involves different prayers and allows for an open casket with the priest dressed in vestments,” Albany Diocese Director of Communications Kathy Barrans said.

“Anyone baptized in the faith has a right to a funeral Mass in a church. We respect the wishes of the family as they requested that this funeral Mass be held at St. Thomas in Delmar.”

The allegations of abuse

According to documents filed in Albany County Supreme Court, the complaint alleged that Weider sexually abused an unnamed teenager at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Coxsackie where he began his role as pastor in “late 1977,” a few months after leaving St. Thomas the Apostle. Weider served as the Associate Pastor at St. Thomas from 1971 to July 1977.

“On June 14, 2002, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People . The charter addresses the Church’s commitment to deal appropriately and effectively with cases of sexual abuse of minors by priests, deacons, and other church personnel (i.e., employees and volunteers).” The Charter Preamble reads.

Spotlight News was not able to find any public disclosure of allegations or investigation of Weider from 2004 or 2010, which is in conflict with the Charter in regards to communication of such acts.

“Dioceses/eparchies are to be open and transparent in communicating with the public about sexual abuse of minors by clergy within the confines of respect for the privacy and the reputation of the individuals involved. This is especially so with regard to informing parish and other church communities directly affected by sexual abuse of a minor,” It further reads.

In the May 2022 announcement of Weider’s placement on the “ List of Credibly Accused, ” the diocese said “Announcements will be made in the parishes where Fr. Weider served.”

The diocese, however, did not disclose when or where the abuse took place in this release as it has in prior cases of other alleged abuse by other clergy.

Since his ordination in 1963, Weider has served at many parishes including St. Thomas the Apostle. He has also served at Blessed Sacrament in Mohawk; St. Anthony in Schenectady; St. Agnes in Cohoes; St. Mary’s in Coxsackie; Holy Cross in Albany; Sacred Heart in Watervliet; and Holy Trinity in Schaghticoke, which was the merger of St. John the Baptist and Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Johnsonville, and St. Monica, Valley Falls. He also served as diocesan chaplain for scouting; National chaplain for scouting; chaplain at Samaritan Hospital in Troy, with residence at Our Lady of Victory, and chaplain at St. Mary’s Hospital, Amsterdam.

Spotlight News Managing Editor Michael Hallisey co-wrote this article.

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