The Diocese of Brooklyn on Tuesday said that a deacon from Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Sunset Park was removed from the ministry due to alleged sexual abuse.
Robert J. Brennan, Bishop of Brooklyn, announced that Deacon Danny Rodriguez has been removed from the ministry based on the recommendation of the independent Diocesan Review Board.
The board had been investigating claims against Rodriguez since receiving a report on July 15, 2025, alleging sexual abuse of a minor approximately 20 years ago. The DRB found sufficient information to substantiate allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor and recommended Rodriguez’s removal.
The removal from ministry means that he is not permitted to minister at mass and cannot exercise any diaconate ministry. Rodriguez's name will also be added to the List of Credibly Accused Clergy on the Diocese website.
The removal from ministry is not a legal determination of guilt, the Diocese said.
"It is recognition of the possibility that wrongdoing may have taken place, and therefore, out of concern for the safety of the faithful, it was determined necessary to remove the deacon from ministry," the Diocese said in a statement.
Rodriguez was ordained on May 25, 2019. He had been serving at Our Lady of Perpetual Help since May 25, 2019, and additionally at St. Agatha Church in Sunset Park from August 1, 2020, to June 30, 2023, and at St. Catharine of Alexandria in Borough Park from June 30, 2023, to November 1, 2024.
