Father Nicholas V. Cudemo

priest who abused minors. They said that they were not surprised, but felt guilty for not
speaking up sooner. The two women had been friends during their junior and senior years
at Cardinal Dougherty High School from 1972 to 1974. Both were accosted by Cudemo
when they were 17 years old and in their senior year of high school.
Patricia testified that Cudemo constantly touched and hugged her and that it was
routine when accompanying him in his car, even with others present, for him to take her
hand and put it between his legs. She told of three incidents which went far beyond this
touching, in one case terrifying the teenager. The first incident, she said, took place as she
cleaned in the chapel after school one day. She said that Fr. Cudemo entered the chapel,
came over behind the altar where she was working, and began “chitchatting.” The next
thing she knew, she was pinned against the wall and he was kissing and touching her body.
Before anything else happened, the principal of the school, Father James Howard, entered
the chapel and saw them. She said that Fr. Cudemo immediately stepped away from her
and left the chapel without a word. Patricia testified that she could not remember the
principal’s exact words, but that his message to her was clear -- if she said anything about
the incident, she would be expelled. She said that he asked her no questions about the
incident or her welfare.
She continued to see Fr. Cudemo around school and on outings in his car with other
students. She said that she felt safe when with a group, but twice Fr. Cudemo dropped the
other teens home before her. Both times, when he had her alone, he sexually abused her.
The incident which scared her most, happened when the priest pulled his car to the side of
a dark and deserted road “in the middle of nowhere.” She testified that after stopping, Fr.
Cudemo pulled her toward him and began to kiss her. She said that she pled with him:
“Please don’t do that.” When she began crying and asked what he was doing, she said, he
unfastened his pants and pulled down the zipper. She said that he got angry and the more
she cried, the angrier he got. She said that he kept pulling her hand over to try to make her
touch his exposed penis. He told her he couldn’t believe she “didn’t want to do this.” She
said that she was terrified by his anger and truly thought she was in danger of physical
harm. She said she did not know how long the activity lasted, but eventually she took her
hand away and he drove her home. This was one of the last times she saw Fr. Cudemo.
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