Diocese: Archdiocese of New York
Summary of Assignments:
- 1988-1996: Christ the King; Bronx, NY
- 1996-1997: St. Joseph of the Holy Family; Harlem, NY
- 1998: Not listed in the 1998 Directory
- 1999-2001: Absent on Leave
- 2001-2002: St. Elizabeth’s / On Leave of Absence; Washington Heights, NY
- Despite being on leave, Mills was allowed to celebrate mass and teach on occasion at St. Elizabeth’s School.
Notes:
In a 1998 lawsuit, a man claimed that Mills gave him booze and raped him during a 1992 counseling session at Christ the King Church in the Bronx and at St. Joseph of the Holy Family Church in Harlem. Mills denied the allegations. After the suit was filed, Mills was put “on leave” and sent to an upstate facility for therapy.
The Official Catholic Directories showed Mills as absent on leave for several years, but a reporter found him in 2002 celebrating public Masses at St. Elizabeth’s in Washington Heights and on occasion, teaching at the parish school.
Mills counter-sued his accuser. As of 2002, both lawsuits were still pending.
He is not indexed in the Official Catholic Directories beyond 2002 and his whereabouts are unclear.
Sources: New York Daily News 07.03.98; New York Post 03.19.02; New York Times 03.20.02; Daily News 06.16.02; USA Today 11.11.02 ; http://bishop-accountability.org/; BA.org Assignment Record
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.