Priest of Archdiocese Is Laicized

Kevin Gallagher, who had served as a priest of the archdiocese since his ordination in 1998, has been granted a dispensation from the obligations of the clerical state by the Vatican’s Congregation for Clergy. This return to the lay state, often referred to as “laicization,” means that Gallagher may not function or present himself as a priest, and he is dispensed from his priestly obligations.

Gallagher was removed from his assignment in 2015 following accusations that he had an improper relationship with a 19-year-old man. The individual who brought the allegation against Gallagher further charged that Gallagher had given him money to purchase heroin.

With his laicization, Gallagher will never again be permitted to serve as a priest in New York or elsewhere.