Diocese: Archdiocese of New York
Summary of Assignments:
- 1966: Ordained: St. Joseph’s Seminary; Yonkers, NY
- 1966-1975: Cardinal Hayes High School; Bronx, NY
- 1975-1979: Moore Catholic High School; Staten Island, NY
- This assignment was cited in news reports but not in Directory, which cites Pipala as living at Cardinal Hayes during these years
- 1977: St. Margaret Mary; New York City, NY
- In Residence
- 1977-1981: St. Joseph’s; Croton Falls, NY
- 1981-1988: Sacred Heart; Monroe, NY
- 1989-1992: St. John the Evangelist; Goshen, NY
- Pastor
- 1993-2001: Absent on leave
Notes:
The Archdiocese learned of Pipala’s sexual abuse of children in 1977 when a mother told church officials that Pipala sexually abused her son. The Archdiocese sent Pipala for psychological counseling and then reassigned him.
Pipala admitted to creating a secret sex club called “The Hole” while he was assistant pastor and youth minister at Sacred Heart Church, where he served from 1981-1988. In 1988, he was given his own church and installed as pastor at St. John’s where he continued the club. As part of the club, Pipala provided alcohol to boys, taught the boys to drink and smoke in the rectory, engaged in sex acts, and took the boys to a condo in Seaside Heights, New Jersey.
In 1992, Pipala was removed from assignment and sent to St. Luke’s Institute in Maryland. In 1993, he surrendered to state police and was charged with sodomy, sex abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. Pipala was sentenced to 7 years in prison on state and federal charges.
Pipala was released in 2000. He was laicized in 2000. As of 2002, Pipala was living in Mount Vernon, New York.
He was listed on the New York sex offender registry as of September 2009.
Sources: NY Daily News 4.16.02 (in collection of articles); Times Herald-Record 04.21.02; Dallas Morning News 06.12.02; Buffalo News 06.13.02; USA Today 11.11.02; Times Herald-Record 10.07.12; http://bishop-accountability.org/; BA.org Summary of Directory Entries
Note: Years in parentheses indicate editions of the Official Catholic Directory. Because of the publication schedule of the Directory, a priest listed at a parish in a given year was also likely at that parish for part of the previous year.