Thomas F. DeVita
In 1998, Fr. Thomas F. DeVita publicly confessed to having “a sexual relationship” with a 16-year-old boy in approximately 1978. Fr. DeVita was the pastor at St. Joseph’s in Kings Park, New York, when he sexually abused the boy. In 1993, the Diocese of Rockville Centre settled with the survivor for $50,000.
In 1995, Fr. DeVita was accused of sexually abusing an adult male parishioner. Fr. DeVita was the pastor at Our Lady Queen of Apostles in Royal Palm Beach, Florida, when he allegedly sexually abused the man. In 2002, the Diocese of Kalamazoo removed Fr. DeVita from ministry.
Fr. Thomas F. DeVita was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Rockville Centre on March 18, 1978. He also worked in the Dioceses of Venice and Kalamazoo. Fr. DeVita worked at the following locations throughout his career as a priest:
- 1979-1980: St. Joseph’s, Kings Park, NY
- 1981-1982: St. Gertrude’s, Bayville, NY
- 1983-1988: St. James, Seaford, NY
- 1989-1993: St. Aidan’s, Williston Park, NY
- 1995: Epiphany Cathedral, Venice, FL
- 1996: Unknown
- 1997-2002: St. Mary of the Lake, New Buffalo, MI
- 2002: Removed from ministry
Fr. DeVita celebrated mass and had other duties at St. Rita in Wellington and Our Lady Queen of Apostles in Royal Palm Beach from approximately June to October 1995. Fr. Thomas F. DeVita died on December 13, 2013.
(Sources: The Official Catholic Directory; http://www.bishop-accountability.org/ny-rockvillecentre/accused_priests.htm; http://www.lifestorynet.com/obituaries/rev-thomas-f-devita.96075)