Man allegedly abused by priest kills himself
Jeff Alfieri, 43, was found by Kirkland police officers in his vehicle early Tuesday with a gunshot wound to his head.
In June, Alfieri contacted the Seattle Archdiocese, saying that the Rev. Gerald Moffat had molested him in the early 1970s when Moffat was a priest assigned to Holy Family, said archdiocese spokeswoman Jackie O'Ryan.
A lawsuit filed on behalf of Alfieri in November accuses Moffat of sexually molesting him during trips and church-related occasions when the boy was about 11 to 13 years old.
Alfieri's complaint was the only one the archdiocese has received about Moffat, who O'Ryan said was unavailable for comment.
Alfieri's family did not want to be interviewed but released a written statement yesterday through the archdiocese.
"We are concerned about the way issues of sexual abuse by priests and other people in positions of authority have been addressed in the past," the family's statement said. "We believe there is a dire need to stay with the truth and to deal with the issues openly and honestly. ... This archdiocese has been most kind.
"Archbishop Brunett is in a difficult position. He must deal now with a problem that is many years old and not of his making. Only his continued honesty will bring about trust and reconciliation."
The family believes the alleged abuse contributed to the suicide, O'Ryan said.
Alfieri, who worked as a business agent for Teamsters Local 117, which represents more than 8,000 workers throughout Puget Sound, graduated from the University of Washington in 1986 and earned a law degree from Gonzaga University Law School in 1990.
"Jeff was a remarkably kind and generous man, looking out always for the underdog and helping others whenever there was an opportunity," said Lisa Alfieri-Postle, Jeff Alfieri's sister, through the archdiocese.
After Alfieri reported the accusations to the archdiocese last summer, the church contacted police and placed Moffat, then pastor at St. Hubert Church in Langley, Whidbey Island, on administrative leave, O'Ryan said. The church also paid for counseling for Alfieri with a counselor of his choosing.
"This is a cruel reminder of our church's past failures and how we have to be ever vigilant to the standards we've set for ourselves in the last decade and a half," O'Ryan said. "We know the pain of abuse can be as real as the day it occurred even though decades have passed."
Alfieri is survived by his parents, two sisters and four brothers.
Funeral Mass for Alfieri will be held tomorrow at St. James Cathedral, 804 Ninth Avenue, Seattle.
Remembrances can be made to Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, P.O. Box 6416, Chicago, IL 60680; Childhaven, 316 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98122; or HALO, Helping and Loving Orphans, 2416 Second Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109.
At least two other people in this state who accused priests of past abuse have committed suicide.
A lawsuit filed in September against the Rev. Patrick O'Donnell, a former Spokane priest, said one of the victims suffered such "profound, irreparable and devastating psychological injuries" that he had committed suicide the month before the filing.
The parents of another man, who had committed suicide in 1990, filed a complaint with the Spokane Diocese in August, alleging that their son had been molested by O'Donnell.
O'Donnell, who served in the Spokane Diocese from about 1971 to 1985, has been accused of molesting at least 20 boys. He was forced out of active ministry in 1985 and most recently practiced psychology in Bellevue.
At least 20 lawsuits alleging past sexual abuse, representing more than 50 plaintiffs, have been filed against the Seattle and Spokane dioceses in the past 1½ years.
Janet I. Tu: 206-464-2272 or jtu@seattletimes.com