John Joseph Jenik

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His Excellency, The Most Reverend

John Joseph Jenik
Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of New York
Titular Bishop of Druas
ChurchCatholic Church
ArchdioceseNew York
AppointedJune 14, 2014
InstalledAugust 4, 2014
Term endedOctober 10, 2019
Other post(s)Titular Bishop of Druas
Orders
OrdinationMay 30, 1970
by Terence Cooke
ConsecrationAugust 4, 2014
by Timothy M. Dolan, Gerald Thomas Walsh, and Dominick John Lagonegro
Personal details
Born (1944-03-07) March 7, 1944 (age 77)
Manhattan, New York
MottoDEFEND THE POOR AND NEEDY
Styles of
John Joseph Jenik
Coat of arms of John Joseph Jenik.svg
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

John Joseph Jenik (born March 7, 1944) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York from 2014 to 2018. His ministerial privileges were suspended in October 2018, pending Vatican investigation of a sexual abuse allegation.

On October 10, 2019, Pope Francis accepted Jenik's resignation, a normal practice when a bishop reaches his 75th birthday.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Jenik was born on March 1, 1944, in Manhattan. He was educated at Immaculate Conception School in Manhattan and Cathedral College High School in Queens, New York. He studied for the priesthood at St. Joseph's Seminary in Dunwoodie, New York.

Priesthood[]

Jenik was ordained into the priesthood by Cardinal Terence Cooke on May 30, 1970.[1] He studied Spanish at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico in Ponce and earned a Master of Education degree from Fordham University. His pastoral assignments were all parishes in the Bronx. They included:

  • Parochial vicar at St. Jerome's from 1970 to 1974
  • St. Thomas Aquinas from 1974 to 1978
  • Our Lady of Refuge from 1978 to 2018[2]

Jenik was named a monsignor in 1995, and served as regional vicar for the Northeast Bronx from 2006.[3]

Auxiliary Bishop of New York[]

Jenik was named the Titular Bishop of Druas and Auxiliary Bishop of New York by Pope Francis on June 14, 2014. He was consecrated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan in St. Patrick's Cathedral on August 4, 2014. Auxiliary bishops Gerald Walsh and Dominick Lagonegro were the co-consecrators.[1] While Auxiliary Bishop of New York, Jenik continued as pastor at Our Lady of Refuge Parish and the vicar for the Northeast Bronx.[4]

In 2016, a New York man, Michael J. Meenan filed a sexual abuse accusation against Jenik with Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx. Meenan claimed that in 1984 Meenan, then a teacher at the school, sexually abused him at age 15 at a sleepover. Fordham found the accusation credible and negotiated a settlement with Meenan. Jenik denied the accusations and remained in his ministerial posts. In January 2018, Meenan filed the same complaint with the archdiocese. He was interviewed by the Lay Review Board later that year, which also decided that the allegation was "credible and substantiated" On October 31, 2018, Archbishop Dolan announced that Jenik was stepping down as pastor of Our Lady of Refuge and from his other public ministerial functions, awaiting review by the Vatican.[2][5]

Retirement[]

On October 10, 2019, Pope Francis accepted Jenik's resignation as Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of New York, which he submitted as required when he turned 75. His investigation by the Vatican was still ongoing at that time.[6]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Bishop John Joseph Jenik". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
  2. ^ a b Timothy M. Dolan. "Pastoral Letter from Cardinal Dolan on Bishop Jenik". Archdiocese of New York. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  3. ^ John Woods (2014-07-24). "Ordination of Three Auxiliary Bishops". Catholic New York. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
  4. ^ White, Christopher (October 31, 2018). "New York auxiliary bishop accused of sexual abuse". Crux. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  5. ^ Otterman, Sharon (2018-10-31). "New York Bishop Is Accused of Sexual Abuse". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
  6. ^ "Pope Accepts Resignation of Bronx Bishop Accused of Abuse". NBC New York. October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019.

External links[]

Episcopal succession[]

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
–
 Auxiliary Bishop of New York
2014–2019 		Succeeded by
–
Retrieved from ""