152:. The Franciscans lived in a tenement building on East 7th Street, which Ritter described as a place where he washed his dishes in the bathtub and paid $ 90 a month in rent. Although poverty was the main focus of Ritter's teaching, he soon found a more pressing issue, as he had moved into a high crime neighborhood plagued by heavy drug use. The friars were not immune to this situation, and their apartment was frequently broken into and robbed. One time, Father Bruce's
306:
allegations about sexual activities have all been male youths. The report said, "The cumulative evidence discovered by Kroll in the course of its investigation that Father Ritter engaged in sexual activities with certain residents and made sexual advances toward certain members of the Faith
Community is extensive." Its preparation was supervised by
247:
reported the father of Kevin Kite said his son was "a chronic liar and thief with a 'personality disorder' and a history of hurting those who try to help him." Covenant House officials said they paid Kite's board at
Manhattan College, gave him pocket money, and bought him a computer. They also said a
127:
In 1968, Ritter had given a commencement speech at the
College attacking American society for becoming grievously disconnected from the teachings of Jesus. Ritter had been praised by the students for his speech, but challenged that he ought to practice his preaching. Ritter resigned from the college,
192:
By the late 1980s, Covenant House had moved away from the small group home approach and opened large shelters with training programs in seven United States cities, as well as in Canada (e.g. Toronto) and Latin
America. Its budget approached US$ 90,000,000, and it spent three times what the federal
176:
in 1972 and received his first grant from the New York City
Addiction Services Agency to support his work. Ritter soon began acquiring other properties and opened a series of boys' and girls' group homes, primarily in the Greenwich Village and East Village neighborhoods. In 1976, he announced plans
44:
In 1990, Ritter was forced to resign from
Covenant House after allegations of sexual and financial misconduct. It was one of the most widely publicized cases of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. However no charges were filed against him. Independent investigation commissioned by the charity
238:
In
December 1989, Kevin Kite accused Ritter of having sexual relations with him after meeting him in New Orleans and flying him to New York City to live at Ritter's expense. Kite claimed that he had an eight-month-long sexual relationship with Ritter. He also alleged that Ritter diverted up to $
324:
broke the story, and it became a tabloid sensation into the early months of 1990. The earlier report also cited a number of minor financial irregularities, but added that fundraising was professionally and efficiently managed. Despite mounting a vigorous public relations defense and denying any
305:
cited fifteen cases of reported sexual contacts between Ritter and youths sheltered at
Covenant House or young adults working there as volunteer counselors in what was called the Faith Community. The report did not specifically say all were male, but those who have come forward publicly with
160:, and surrounding apartments in an effort to live in community, and to effect social and political change. Although Fitzgibbon eventually left the ministry, several other individuals, including Adrian Gately, Patricia Kennedy, and Paul Frazier proved instrumental in defining the early years.
40:
in 1972 for homeless teenagers. By the 1980s, it had grown to an $ 87 million agency, operating numerous large centers in New York and six other major United States cities, as well as locations in
Toronto, Canada, and Latin America.
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reported that a third man, Darryl
Bassile, 31, had approached the paper in mid-January to say he too had had sexual relations with Ritter when a youth. He had complained earlier to the Franciscan friary in
145:
283:, after he heard of Kite's charges, and it started an investigation. A fourth accusation was made by Paul Johnson, 33, an admitted felon who claimed that he was involved with Ritter for six years.
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in Rome in 1959, but never revised or published it in an academic journal. After a series of short-term teaching assignments at a variety of Franciscan institutions, Ritter arrived at
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Ritter denied that he had a sexual relationship with any of these men. These allegations were not brought to court, and no charges were filed by the district attorney
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Covenant House contact in upstate New York provided Kite with papers that allowed him to take the identity of Tim Warner, a young boy who died of leukemia in 1980.
168:
By the early 1970s, Ritter decided to concentrate on sheltering homeless youths. The issue of "runaways" was receiving considerable national media attention;
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793:
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Additional allegations surfaced concerning financial improprieties and administrative irregularities at Covenant House. Charles Sennott, a reporter for the
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136:, Father James Fitzgibbon, to move to this troubled neighborhood and initiate what he described as a "ministry of availability" to the poor. The
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259:, had recounted that from the time he was 16, he had an intermittent 13-year sexual relationship with Ritter. Melican repeated his claims to the
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697:(October 22, 1999). "In Quiet Fields, Father Ritter Found His Exile; After Scandal, Covenant House Founder Had a Simple, Solitary Life Upstate".
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government did on runaways. He called the teenagers in the Covenant House "my kids", "nice kids", and "gorgeous kids". Ritter wrote two books,
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25,000 in Covenant House money to finance the affair. Ritter denied Kite's story, although he said he helped get Kite a scholarship at
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found none of the allegations of sexual misconduct can be proved beyond any question, but that cumulative evidence was extensive.
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In 1988, Ritter received the Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged, an award given out annually by
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He also left the Franciscans, but retained his priestly faculties. He retired to a small town in upstate New York.
201:, which detailed his experience in starting up Covenant House and provided his perspective on homeless teenagers.
26:
178:
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was taken by the thieves. Gradually they accumulated a following of young volunteers who moved to the
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appeared to be a magnet that attracted many homeless youths. He formally incorporated his ministry as
185:. He began to gain considerable publicity by claiming that he was rescuing youths who had arrived in
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64:. His father died in 1931 when he was four, and his mother struggled financially during the
148:. It had been designated as an experimental parish, in that it was structured around a team
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address for their efforts in aiding homeless and runaway youth. In 1985, Ritter served on
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Philip Nobile, "Body and Soul: New Allegations About the Secret Life of Father Ritter,"
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620:(New York: Simon and Schuster, 1992) is Sennott's full account of the controversy.
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Steinfels, Margaret O'Brien (December 13, 1992). "The Priest and the Runaways",
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wrongdoing, Ritter was forced to resign from Covenant House in February 1990.
99:, but returned. Ritter was ordained as a Franciscan in 1956. He completed his
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643:
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Rick Anderson, "A Life In Ruins And Molestation Allegations Against A Priest"
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469:"National Winners | public service awards | Jefferson Awards.org"
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81:
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and had been lured into the child pornography and prostitution trades.
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In 1947 following the war, he took the name Bruce when he entered the
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348:. From 1990 until the end of his life in 1999, he celebrated
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Ritter left the Franciscan order, but retained his priestly
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in 1945, worked briefly in a local industry, and joined the
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Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals in the United States
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Child sexual abuse in New York City religious institutions
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People from Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
667:, constitutes the most complete account of the scandal.
234:
Allegations of sexual abuse and financial improprieties
730:. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
177:to open a multi-service center for youths near the
132:of New York City. He recruited a fellow Franciscan
522:"Priest's Accuser Is Called a Liar By His Father"
72:and a series of odd jobs. Ritter graduated from
22:(February 25, 1927 – October 7, 1999) was a
760:
728:Covenant House: Journey of a Faith-Based Charity
430:Covenant House: Journey of a Faith-Based Charity
565:, 10 February 1990, accessed 19 September 2013
352:privately in his home and attended retreats.
344:. Eventually he retired to the small town of
814:20th-century American Roman Catholic priests
794:United States Navy personnel of World War II
632:"Ritter Inquiry Cites Reports From the 70's"
600:"Ritter Inquiry Cites Reports From the 70's"
314:and then senior managing director of Kroll.
140:assigned Ritter and Fitzgibbon to the local
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51:
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68:of the 1930s, raising five children on a
297:A report prepared for Covenant House by
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105:The Primacy and the Council of Florence
91:. He transferred for a time to explore
819:Deaths from cancer in New York (state)
761:
574:
519:
496:
423:
421:
271:, which published them in early 1990.
195:Covenant House: Lifeline to the Street
539:
630:Blumenthal, Ralph (August 4, 1990).
598:Blumenthal, Ralph (August 4, 1990).
520:Farber, M. A. (December 21, 1989).
418:
255:reported that John Melican, 34, of
13:
749:"Obituary for Father Bruce Ritter"
575:Cronin, Mary (February 19, 1990).
497:Cronin, Mary (February 19, 1990).
406:Catholic Church sexual abuse cases
14:
835:
742:
312:New York City Police Commissioner
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824:Hamilton High School West alumni
435:University of Pennsylvania Press
197:(New York: Doubleday, 1987) and
128:and began a new ministry on the
89:Order of Friars Minor Conventual
804:People from Trenton, New Jersey
670:
657:
623:
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577:"Bleak Days for Covenant House"
499:"Bleak Days for Covenant House"
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208:praised Covenant House in his
199:Sometimes God Has a Kid's Face
16:American Roman Catholic priest
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368:No One (Program Commissioned)
700:Sennott, Charles M. (1992).
445:. Accessed January 17, 2018.
7:
394:
303:Cravath, Swaine & Moore
179:Port Authority Bus Terminal
119:to teach theology in 1963.
10:
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290:or state attorney general
809:Catholics from New Jersey
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372:
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251:On January 24, 1990, the
221:Commission on Pornography
74:Hamilton High School West
56:Bruce Ritter was born in
243:. In December 1989, the
123:Lower East Side ministry
60:, and grew up in nearby
52:Early life and education
36:who founded the charity
789:Conventual Friars Minor
726:Wosh, Peter J. (2005).
158:East Village, Manhattan
138:Archdiocese of New York
281:Union City, New Jersey
509:on February 20, 2008.
427:Wosh, Peter J. Wosh,
706:Simon & Schuster
587:on November 5, 2012.
475:on November 24, 2010
301:and the law firm of
299:Kroll and Associates
288:Robert M. Morgenthau
214:US Attorney General
204:In 1984, President
146:St. Brigid's Church
58:Trenton, New Jersey
721:The New York Times
694:The New York Times
636:The New York Times
604:The New York Times
526:The New York Times
359:at the age of 72.
210:State of the Union
107:at the Conventual
78:United States Navy
755:, 13 October 1999
616:Charles Sennott,
392:
391:
386:Mary Rose McGeady
383:Succeeded by
346:Decatur, New York
308:Robert J. McGuire
241:Manhattan College
170:Greenwich Village
113:Manhattan College
62:Hamilton Township
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505:. Archived from
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471:. Archived from
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365:Preceded by
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228:Jefferson Awards
80:near the end of
66:Great Depression
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702:Broken Covenant
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154:religious habit
130:Lower East Side
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101:doctoral thesis
70:widow's pension
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11:
5:
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779:Covenant House
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771:
757:
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753:New York Times
744:
743:External links
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740:
739:
724:
717:
698:
688:
685:
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678:Covenant House
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665:Covenant House
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547:Village Voice,
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512:
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396:
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376:Covenant House
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276:New York Times
262:New York Times
245:New York Times
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174:Covenant House
165:
164:Covenant House
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53:
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38:Covenant House
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374:President of
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292:Robert Abrams
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253:Village Voice
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206:Ronald Reagan
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187:New York City
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29:and one-time
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723:book review.
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585:the original
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473:the original
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458:, pp. 37-111
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334:incardinated
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183:Times Square
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82:World War II
55:
47:
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20:Bruce Ritter
19:
18:
774:1999 deaths
769:1927 births
310:, a former
217:Edwin Meese
763:Categories
412:References
380:1972-1990
31:Franciscan
649:March 21,
644:0362-4331
531:April 27,
479:August 5,
332:by being
330:faculties
437:, 2005.
395:See also
265:and the
150:ministry
109:seminary
97:Trappist
24:Catholic
687:Sources
338:diocese
336:into a
257:Seattle
115:in the
734:
712:
676:Wosh,
663:Wosh,
642:
454:Wosh,
441:
357:cancer
142:parish
27:priest
342:India
134:friar
117:Bronx
95:as a
34:friar
732:ISBN
710:ISBN
651:2020
640:ISSN
581:Time
533:2010
503:Time
481:2013
439:ISBN
350:Mass
274:The
708:.
340:in
219:'s
181:in
103:on
765::
751:,
638:.
634:.
602:.
579:.
561:,
524:.
501:.
489:^
420:^
294:.
230:.
223:.
144:,
84:.
738:.
716:.
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606:.
535:.
483:.
322:,
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