According to the lawsuit, we were sexually molested by a teacher at a Catholic high school in New Jersey in the 1980s

The Archdiocese of Newark and a Catholic nonprofit are accused of failing to protect two students from sexual assault by a teacher who worked at the now-closed Queen of Peace High School in Bergen County in the 1980s.

Former teacher Lief Schiroki sexually assaulted a student from 1984 to 1985 and another student from 1984 to 1987, according to lawsuits filed in March in Essex County. The victims, identified in court documents only by their initials, now live out of state.

According to public records, Shiroki died in 1992 at the age of 49. His last known address was Juneau, Alaska.

Schiroki was a teacher at Queen of Peace High School, a Catholic school in North Arlington. He was not a member of the clergy and is not on the list of 188 priests and deacons jointly accused by New Jersey’s Catholic dioceses in 2019 of child sexual abuse.

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A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Newark said the church’s “ability to share information is limited given pending litigation.”

“However, the Archdiocese of Newark’s steadfast commitment to protecting the faithful has not wavered. All allegations of abuse will be reported immediately to law enforcement authorities. We remain fully committed to our sexual abuse awareness and prevention training programs and protocols to protect believers. We continue to work with survivors of abuse, their legal representatives and law enforcement to resolve allegations of past abuse,” said Maria Margiotta, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese.

“Our commitment extends to promoting reconciliation, facilitating healing, ensuring accountability, promoting transparency and implementing preventive measures,” Margiotta added.

The lawsuit also names the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill, an order of nuns that helped run Queen of Peace High School when Schiroki was employed there.

Spokeswoman Cecilia Rupell said the nonprofit’s legal counsel has instructed it not to comment on pending litigation. However, the group expressed sympathy for the victims.

“The Sisters of St. Joseph are committed to a mission of unity and are saddened by any actions, particularly abusive or hurtful treatment, that are inconsistent with that mission. We pray for all survivors and victims,” Rupell said.

According to the lawsuits, Shiroki began mistreating students early in his tenure at Queen of Peace High School. Because he was employed by the Catholic Church, the students “tacitly trusted Shiroki,” the lawsuits say.

The teacher used his position of authority to “groom and sexually abuse” the students, the lawsuits say.

The lawsuits do not specify where the alleged abuse took place or exactly how old the victims were at the time of the attacks.

Nathaniel Foote, the victim’s attorney, did not respond to requests for comment.

Schiroki sexually abused one of the victims between 1984 and 1985, the complaint says. He assaulted the other plaintiff from 1984 to 1987, the lawsuit says.

Church officials failed to “monitor and supervise” Shiroki and the students, the lawsuits say.

As a result of these sexual assaults, victims continue to suffer “severe and lasting emotional, psychological and psychiatric injuries,” the lawsuits say.

Queen of Peace High School closed in June 2017 after 86 years of operation due to declining enrollment and financial constraints.

The lawsuits come five years after a shift in New Jersey led to a flood of sexual assault lawsuits against the Catholic Church.

In 2019, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law giving sexual assault victims in New Jersey more ability to sue their abusers and nonprofit organizations that employed them. Under the old law, child sexual assault victims had to file a civil lawsuit within two years of their 18th birthday or up to two years after “delayed discovery,” a term that recognizes that victims can suppress painful memories for years.

The new law permanently extended the statute of limitations for adults who were sexually abused as children. It allows victims to file a civil lawsuit until they are 55 or seven years after they link their emotional and psychological injuries to sexual abuse as children. Adult victims of sexual assault also have seven years to file a civil lawsuit, up from the previous two-year deadline.

The lawsuits filed in March against the Archdiocese of Newark do not mention the victim’s current age or when she linked her alleged emotional and psychological injury to childhood sexual abuse.

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Jackie Roman can be contacted at [email protected].