“Stephen Foley and his band of sexual predators stole my ability to trust, wounded my sense of self-worth, damaged my relationship with my family, and left me to cope with a lifetime of sorrow.

"And I was one of the lucky ones.

"This is my story, but it is dedicated to all the survivors who ran out of time and never saw justice. My voice is their voice.”

In the heartland of devoutly Catholic, working-class, 1970s New England, few took notice of Connecticut State Police and fire chaplain Father Stephen C. Foley racing around in an official-looking car full of teenaged boys and young men, visiting firehouses, chasing fire engines, showing up at fire scenes and pretending to be firemen.

But hidden in plain sight, Father Foley was a central figure in a network of firehouse groupies across New England and into New York City that—over  two decades—used the “candy” of firehouse and police culture to lure boys, possibly hundreds, into violent sexual “initiations” that left their lives shattered while the Catholic Church looked the other way.

This is the story of one of those boys, and a look inside one of the most bizarre and callous cases of pedophilia ever uncovered among the Catholic clergy.

It is a tale of hypocrisy still unfolding in today’s headlines as the Diocese of Hartford continues to pay out millions to keep the truth from being told, while providing Foley with shelter and defense against a growing chorus of victims.