Ukrainian Diocese settles sexual abuse case involving former Terryville priest

Victim was 12 when alleged abuse started in Plymouth in 1980s

The Ukrainian Catholic Diocese of Stamford has settled allegations of sexual abuse by a former priest for $450,000.

The Rev. Joseph Shaloka, who died in 1990, was pastor at St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church in the Terryville section of Plymouth when the abuse occurred, attorney Nate Baber of Aeton Law Partners said Thursday.

A representative of the diocese could not be reached.

His client was 12 years old when Shaloka started sexually abusing him in the rectory next to the church on Allen Street, and the abuse continued for about five years, Baber said.

The alleged victim, now age 51, did not complain about the abuse at the time because he considered Shaloka a father figure and did not see the abuse as abnormal, Baber said. He said his client was not a member of St. Michael, but had been introduced to Shaloka by a friend who thought the priest could offer him guidance.

Shaloka was appointed to St. Michael in 1968 after serving at a church in Syracuse, New York, according to an article in the Courant from that time. Shaloka had been active in youth programs in Syracuse, according to the Courant article.

Baber said he was not aware of any formal complaints against Shaloka from other parishes, but learned through his investigation that there are credible claims of abuse in Syracuse.

Shaloka told the victim in Terryville to never speak of the abuse, Baber said, but after Shaloka died, the young man began to realize that what he had considered a paternal relationship was actually abusive and harmful.

The years of abuse affected the man’s physical health and relationships, Baber said. His life has been troubled, including substance abuse and run-ins with the law that have hurt his career prospects, Baber said.

Shaloka’s obituary in the Post-standard newspaper of Syracuse says he died on Feb. 28, 1990 in Philadelphia. He was a native of Marion Heights, Pennsylvania, and attended Bloomsburg State Teachers College and later Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he completed his theological studies. Shaloka retired in October 1989, according to the obituary. He was survived by two sisters.