John Raymond Bostwick III
Alleged Abuse: Accused of sexual abuse in Virginia in the 1980’s while he was working in St. Mary Parish. No criminal charges filed.
Where is he now: Unknown, last known location was in Virginia
John Bostwick was a priest at the Church of the Assumption in Franklin when, in 1996, he was removed from duty and sent to Virginia to participate in an investigation of allegations against him.
In 1989 the bishop of Richmond wrote to the Diocese of Harrisburg about Bostwick, saying that he did not have permission to minister in Harrisburg because he didn’t have proper counseling, according to a grand jury report released in Pennsylvania. The report doesn’t indicate what the counseling was for.
Bostwick then came to the Diocese of Lafayette in 1992 at the invitation of then-Bishop Harry Flynn after receiving permission from the Diocese of Richmond to minister outside the diocese. Flynn and Bostwick had become friends while both were at Mount Saint Mary’s University and Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, according to Lafayette Diocese spokesperson Blue Rolfes.
In 1996, a memo was written to the Harrisburg bishop about an accusation made against Bostwick. It alleged that between 1980 and 1982 Bostwick sexually abused a teenage boy after staying overnight at his family’s home. The grand jury report also says that church documents show another man reported attempted sexual abuse that happened during the summer of 1987.
Bostwick was removed from ministry in 1996. His whereabouts are not known.
There is a Rev. John R. Bostwick III listed as a contact for Coventry at Horseshoe Mountain in Roseland, Virginia, on the Nelson County, Virginia website.
John Raymon Bostwick was included on a list of names released by the Diocese of Richmond of clergy with credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors on Feb. 23, 2019.
Timeline:
1941: Born
1969: Ordination
1970 : Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Lebanon, PA
1976: St. Catherine Laboure in Swatara Twp (Harrisburg Diocese)
1985: On duty outside the diocese
1986-1988: St. George Church in Scottsville, VA
1990-1991: St. Leo the Great in Lancaster
1991-1992: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lebanon
1992-1996: Church of the Assumption in Franklin, LA
Also listed as having connections to Mount St. Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, MD. Published reports and the Catholic Directory have conflicting years and locations listed.
1996: Removed from ministry
