William Authenrieth

Ordained: 1962

Multiple lawsuit were filed in Orlando, Florida in 1985 accusing Father Authenrieth of molesting three boys. The lawsuits allege that Authenrieth sexually abused the boys while he was a priest at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Rockford between 1978 and 1982. Although he served in Florida after 1973, Authenrieth was ordained in 1962 in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Authenrieth allegedly testified in a deposition that he came to Florida in 1973 after being “threatened” with exposure by a parishioner with whom he’d had sex. It was reported that Authenrieth admitted to fondling the boys who brought forward the lawsuits.

Authenrieth is last known to have been living in a retirement community in Massachusetts before his death in 2015.

Father Authenrieth's Assignments

Articles about Father Authenrieth

• Newsday - Twelve Priests, One Brother Named in Lawsuit (16/11/2002)
• San Jose Mercury News - Child-Abuse Cases Cost Church Millions (31/12/1987)