A former Staten Islander alleges that he was sexually abused for several years beginning when he was a teen in the 1990s by a Roman Catholic priest who served for decades on Staten Island.
Ryan Barry, now a husband and father who lives in Pennsylvania, said in a lawsuit and a recent interview with the Advance/SILive.com that he was preyed upon by the Rev. James Garisto, a former pastor, teacher and school administrator in our borough.
“He robbed me of pretty much my whole childhood and my teenage years,” Barry said of Father Garisto.
Barry sued the Archdiocese of New York and St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School under the Child Victims Act in Manhattan state Supreme Court. Father Garisto is named as his abuser in the filing, and Barry is represented by the Marsh Law Firm and Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala.
Brian Toale responded to my message.
I wrote him this below. I just find it interesting how some people find these cases not believable even today. My grandparents are both deceased and were great people but didn’t understand or comprehend a “holy” priest doing something bad.
We kids told the grownups what was going on but they couldn’t fathom this happening. So you stop telling it.
No need to be sorry! I’m just surprised this took so long to come out about Father “Jim” as we knew him. Or Father “sit on my lap” Jim. He would have us sit on his lap and touch us this started when we were little kids. My cousins got the worst of it and the Irish kids working on the boardwalk and staying in his condo unit. He would wear “Op” corduroy short shorts with no underwear and sit there in my grandparents kitchen and show us kids. We hated him and tried to tell my grandparents and my Aunt. But it was the 80’s-90’s. But the money given out is right on in that kids story. Their was a reward program. Watch us get showers in the outside shower coming from the beach we get $$. I want to say we were 11-12 yrs old then. He’d come in your room and sit on your bed and rub your back. I hated the guy and it carried over to my interactions with other priests through HS. They didn’t do anything to me but I hated them and would speak out to them always getting detention. JUG “justice under god”.
The Irish kids I believe were the worst of the victims. They had no choice but take it or go back to Ireland.
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On Dec 6, 2021, at 23:15, Brian Toale wrote:
Thanks for writing.
I’m sorry but I can’t respond to your email right now. If you are a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and are seeking information or support, please contact:
For NY SNAP: Mary McKenna, rruby22@aol.com
For SNAP in general: Zach Hiner, zhiner@snapnetwork.org
Be well and stay safe,
Brian
—
Brian R Toale
Manhattan SNAP Leader
Mobile 646-549-0372
Office 212-761-5179
btoale@SNAPnetwork.org
http://www.briantoale.com
Sent from my iPhone