Jonathan Ficara published his claims in an open letter to Pope Leo about the harassment in the National Catholic Reporter, a lay Catholic publication.
Ficara's claims are also documented in his Proof of Claim document, which was sent to the United States Bankruptcy Court on Dec. 12, 2025.
Ficara declined to make further comment during a conversation with the Norwich Bulletin on March 25.
“I offer this witness not in bitterness, but in hope that those who seek justice within the church's walls are not required to leave them in order to find it,” Ficara wrote in the NCR letter published on March 25 .
Ficara is upset that it took more than a decade for the claims against Monsignor Anthony Rosaforte to be investigated and validated by the Church.
What has Jonathan Ficara alleged?
Ficara says Rosaforte gave him a backrub and put his hand down the back of his pants the night before Ficara was to be ordained as a priest in July 2014.
Ficara says he reported his harassment in December 2014 to then-Bishop Michael Cote and was advised to keep his distance from Rosaforte. Ficara thought an investigation was going to happen but later learned that there was no record and no investigation of his claims.
“I trusted you and naively followed your directive, as I was trained to do, which led to several years of emotional turmoil and distress,” Ficara wrote to Cote in May 2024 letter, included in the Proof of Claim document that was filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court - District of Connecticut.
The stress of what happened stayed with Ficara and caused him to take a leave of absence from the ministry in 2022. He began the formal process to leave the priesthood in March 2024, as he mentioned in the June 16, 2025, letter included in the Proof of Claim document.
What was the timeline of Ficara's accusations
The documents Ficara filed with the bankruptcy court list the events as Ficara alleges they happened. This is the timeline:
Ficara states that he first reported the harassment to Cote in December 2014.
In October 2022, Ficara sought a leave of absence from his duties due to depression.
In March 2024, Ficara met with Father Brian Romanowski, the vice chancellor for the Norwich Diocese, to begin the process of leaving the priesthood. Ficara indicated it was during his conversation with Romanowski he learned the diocese had no record of his disclosure and no investigation had occurred.
In April 2024, Ficara filed a formal complaint with Richard Wheeler, the Bishop’s delegate for internal investigation. In addition to the diocesan complaint, Ficara also filed a Vos Estis Lux Mundi complaint, which is a process to investigate bishops accused of committing abuse or of failing to investigate such claims.
It was during the Vos Estis process, Rosaforte first learned Ficara was making a claim against him.
What did investigators conclude in Ficara case?
According to the documents Ficara filed with the bankruptcy court, his claims were validated.
The investigators concluded his claim was credible and Cote failed to take appropriate action after Ficara had disclosed the sexual harassment by Rosaforte in 2014. Ficara also stated both investigators affirmed diocesan protocol had not been followed and the harm he had experienced was credible, serious, and compounded by institutional inaction.
After Cote's retirement in 2024, Ficara contacted Archbishop Christopher Coyne, who was overseeing the Norwich Diocese until a new bishop was installed. Ficara stated Coyne replied with compassion and affirmation.
Ficara said Coyne apologized for what he had experienced and expressed sincere sorrow that his story had not been acknowledged earlier.
In June 2025, Ficara reached out to the newly installed Bishop Richard Reidy, met with him and made a formal request for financial reparations.
Ficara sought $300,000 in financial reparations
Ficara was paid his salary for two years from 2022 until 2024 as he was officially leaving the priesthood. He sought an additional six months of salary but was offered and paid only $1,000 a month during those six months.
On June 16, 2025, Ficara sent Reidy a letter seeking a $300,000 settlement. The court documents break the figure into $59,813.64 in housing and utility expenses; $2,687.52 in healthcare contributions; $55,474 in tuition payments; $16,500 in food and household costs; $18,400 in lost and underpaid salary; and $11,431 in lost Mass stipends as well as the loss of ministerial identity, and the emotional and psychological impact of his ordeal.
Ficara filed his claim with the bankruptcy court on July 24, 2025.
“This delay was not the result of indifference, manipulation, or neglect, but rather a deeply human, vocational, and institutional tragedy that took years to fully emerge and confront, I acted in good faith throughout and only now, with distance and healing, am able to fully assert my right to be heard,” Ficara wrote in the claim.
The Bulletin last reported on the Diocese of Norwich's Bankruptcy on May 11, 2025. The bankruptcy itself concerned a reorganization of the Diocese and the Diocese's ability to pay people who were abused as minors at the Academy at Mount Saint John between 1986 and 2000. The settlement plan totaled $31 million.
In the July 26, 2025 letter, Ficara told Reidy he had not yet received any updates on the financial settlement mentioned by Coyne or any acknowledgement or acceptance of responsibility by the Diocese. He was also expressed concern Rosaforte may still have been active at the Cathedral of St. Patrick.
Is Rosaforte still an active priest?
As of March 26, Rosaforte is still listed as the Rector on the Cathedral of St. Patrick's website
The Bulletin reached out to the Diocese. On March 25, The Bulletin left phone messages with Rosaforte and Reidy, and spoke with Communications Director Wayne Gignac. Gignac responded by email writing the Diocese “has nothing further to add.”
On March 26, The Bulletin asked Gignac about the status of the investigation into Ficara's claims as well as the status of Rosaforte and his ministerial responsibilities. Gignac declined comment on both matters.
The Bulletin left another phone message with Rosaforte on March 26, which was not returned by deadline.
"Monsignor Rosaforte is currently serving as Rector of the Cathedral. This is a disputed allegation not involving a minor. This matter is being taken seriously and is under investigation and canonical review in accordance with the applicable requirements of canon law. Because this relates to a pending investigation, the Diocese is constrained from providing further comment," Gignac wrote in a March 27 email to The Bulletin after this story was initially published.
The NCR approached Reidy for comment, to which he said "I cannot comment on the letter and the matters it raises. However, in all matters, I take very seriously the duty to investigate allegations and complaints in accordance with the applicable requirements of canon and civil law, including the confidentiality of investigations and any legal processes that may follow."
Norwich Diocese has two accused priests
Ficara’s NCR letter was published weeks after another Diocese of Norwich priest, Father Laurence LaPointe, was placed on leave after an abuse claim.
Both LaPointe, who has served the parish in Willimantic since 1977 and Rosaforte, who has served in various churches in the Norwich Diocese since 1976, were ordained in 1970.