Assignment Record:
| Dates | Assignment |
|---|---|
| Approx. 1961 | Ordained in the Diocese of Allentown |
| 1961 – 1962 | St. Joseph Church, Ashland, PA |
| 1962 – 1965 | St. Joseph Church, Girardville, PA |
| 1965 – 1966 | Holy Family Church, New Philadelphia, PA |
| 1965 – 1966 | Marian High School, Tamaqua, PA |
| 1966 – 1971 | Nativity High School, Pottsville, PA |
| 1966 – 1970 | St. Kieran Church, Heckscherville, PA |
| 1970 | St. Mary Church, St. Clair, PA |
| 1970 – 1971 | St. John the Baptist Church, Pottsville, PA |
| 1971 | Bethlehem Catholic High School, Bethlehem, PA |
| 1971 – 1972 | St. Francis Orphanage, Orwigsburg, PA |
| 1972 – 1982 | Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Gordon, PA |
| 1973 – 1982 | “Diocesan Tribunal” |
| 1982 – 1986 | Most Blessed Sacrament Church, Bally, PA |
| 1983 – 1987 | “Liturgical Commission” |
| 1986 – 1987 | St. Francis of Assisi Church, Allentown, PA |
| 1987 | St. Anthony of Padua Church, Easton, PA |
| 1987 | Council of Catholic Nurses (Regional Director) |
Sources:
- Report I of the 40th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury, released by the Office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General, dated July 27, 2018; and
- The Official Catholic Directory, Kenedy & Sons
Father Bender is not indexed in the Official Catholic Directory after 1987. According to the Grand Jury report, Father Bender retired in 2002 and was dismissed from the priesthood in 2005.
Summary:
- Father Thomas Bender was accused of sexually abusing a male minor child on at least three occasions from approximately 1966 to 1967 when the male child was approximately fourteen to fifteen years old. At the time of the sexual abuse, Father Bender was assigned to Nativity High School in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, and the male child was a student at the school. The sexual abuse took place in locations including the boy’s family home in Pottsville.
- The sexual abuse by Father Bender included the following: Father Bender fondled the boy’s penis and testicles over the boy’s clothing.
- The claim settled in April 2020 in the low six figures.
