Ordained: 1969
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Harrisburg PA
Father John Bostwick was initially ordained for the Richmond diocese, but he transferred to the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 1972 before returning to Richmond in 1985. In 1989, he was sent to the House of Affirmation, and later in Massachusetts was unassigned for about a year. From 1992-1996, he was assigned to the Lafayette diocese in Louisiana at the request of a bishop who was his friend.
In April 1996, Father John Bostwick was accused of sexually abusing a boy from 1980 to 1982 in Harrisburg, PA. When the allegations surfaced, he was suspended in Louisiana and was supposed to be sent for treatment. He was then sent back to Richmond. In August 1996, another allegation was made against him, this time of attempted molestation of a 14- to 15-year-old boy in Virginia in the summer of 1987.
Fr. Bostwick’s name was included on the Harrisburg diocese’s list released on August 1st, 2018, and he was also mentioned in the August 14th, 2018 PA Grand Jury report. In September 2018, his name was added to the Baltimore archdiocese’s list, and on February 13th, 2019, he was added to the Richmond diocese’s list. Finally, he was included in the Maryland Attorney General’s Report released on April 5th, 2023.