Former student accuses nun of sexual abuse at Holy Cross School

Above: A former pastor of St. Veronica Church in Howell appears for his arraignment on child sex abuse charges.

A former student of Holy Cross School in Rumson has filed suit against the school claiming that a nun molested her when she was in first grade in the 1960s.

Carole Clark of Cliffside Park, Bergen County, names as defendants the school, the Holy Cross Parish, former school administrators, and the Diocese of Trenton, which oversees the school, alleging nun and former teacher, Sister Mary Nazareen, had "improper sexual contact" with her when she was a child.

"Sister Mary Nazareen induced and directed Plaintiff (Clark) to engage in various sexual acts with her. The sexual molestation and abuse constituted harmful and offensive touching of Plaintiff (Clark), to which Plaintiff (Clark) did not and could not consent," Clark's attorney Eric G. Kahn wrote in the lawsuit.

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The lawsuit alleges that school officials failed to remove the nun from the school after the allegations were brought to administrators. School officials failed to investigate the allegations and "actively concealed the dangers of child molestation by Holy Cross School employees and agents," according to the lawsuit.

The suit was filed in December in state Superior Court in Monmouth County.

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"The Diocese only recently learned of the allegation," Diocese of Trenton spokeswoman Rayanne Bennett said in an email. "It is being reported to the Attorney General’s Office and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office in keeping with our policy."

Kahn, in the lawsuit, said his client has suffered "severe emotional distress and physical injury" as a result of the alleged abuse. When reached by email for additional comment, he declined to comment further.

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The Press attempted to locate and contact Sister Mary Nazareen for comment, but was unsuccessful. Holy Cross principal Mark C. DeMareo declined comment. The school started as a one-room schoolhouse in 1894.

No trial date has yet been assigned to the case.

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Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers Brick, Barnegat and Lacey townships as well as the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than a decade. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.