Future, Present and Past

by Leslie C. Griffin^*

You have probably read more about abuse and abusers in my last four blog posts than you believed was even possible. It is an exhausting list. Yet there are still many more cases before us, even now, in 2024. As the statutes of limitations change, new cases begin in Massachusetts and all around the country. And abuse keeps happening, today as in the past. I will introduce you to those in this post.

And then I will complete the story of the past. I will identify abusers whose names have been mentioned without connection to any criminal or civil cases or settlements.

Finally there are long lists. These are the abusers that the Massachusetts archdiocese and dioceses have provided. I have supplemented them with lists of abusers identified in other sources. Churches still disagree about whether they should release names of abusers. Some churches do; others do not. Victims almost always find that not enough names have been released.

I: THE FUTURE: CASES CURRENTLY DEVELOPING

A Boston lawyer announced in November 2023 that in 1980 his then16-year-old teen client had been abused by Marist Brother Brendan Brennan, whose name is not on any of the lists in these blog posts. Brennan was a religion professor and an athletic trainer. Client Francis G. Kearney III attended Central Catholic High School from 1978 to 1982. Kearney says Brennan “was a monster,” and the church knew it. Brennan died in 2020.¹

Cardinal Sean O’Malley was sued in 2023 by three victims of the former vice principal of Arlington Catholic High School, Stephen Biagoni. The abuse took place between 2011 and 2016, when the plaintiffs were between 15 and 17 years old. The victims’ names have not been released. Maine’s Bishop Robert Deeley and Boston’s Bishop Peter Uglietto were also named as defendants. Garabedian was the plaintiffs’ lawyer.² Biagoni is not a defendant in the case. ³

Richard E. Degagne was charged in 2022 with abusing a boy in 1988 and 1989, when the boy was 12 and 13 years old. Jason Medeiros described the horrible abuse he suffered at Degagne’s hands. Garabedian is his lawyer. ⁴ The lawsuit is in Bristol County Superior Court.

In 2021, a lawsuit was filed against Bishop Christopher Weldon, Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, Patricia McManamy, Monsignor Christopher Connelly, Jeffrey Trant, Kevin Murphy, Mark Dupont, John J. Egan, and John Hale.⁵ The suit arose after Judge Peter Velis issued a report about allegations against Weldon, including complaints of a gang rape, and found the accusations “unequivocally credible.”⁶

Mark R. Hession, of the Archdiocese of Fall River, was set for trial October 5, 2021,⁷ after pleading not guilty on January 7, 2021 to rape and indecent assault of a person under 14 years old. He had been suspended in 2019 for inappropriate communications with adult parishioners.⁸ Father Mark gave a homily at Senator Ted Kennedy’s funeral.⁹

Daniel W. Lacroix charged Bishop da Chunha with defamation in 2021.¹⁰

A new suit was filed in March 2020 against Worcester’s David Holley, the Servants of the Paraclete, the Las Cruces, El Paso and Worcester dioceses, and two Alamogordo parishes for abuse in the 1970s. ¹¹

Worcester priest Alan Martineau, ordained in 2018, ¹² was charged with three counts of indecent assault and battery against someone 14 years or older.¹³ The diocese put him on leave in December 2022 because it determined there was “a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor” and he “cannot present himself as a priest.” ¹⁴ The diocese shared the accusations with law enforcement. “This is the first allegation claiming that an act of sexual abuse of a minor by a diocesan priest occurred in the last 24 years,” says the church.¹⁵

Thomas E. Mahoney was sued in 2020 for abuse of a minor in the 1970s. The complaint says Mahoney groomed and harassed the boy from 1971 to 1974. The priest gave the boy alcohol and tried to have sex with him. The Worcester Diocese also is a defendant. ¹⁶

In October 2023, Mitchell Garabedian added the names Pasquale J. Barietta, James F. Buckley, Edward J. Byington, James H. Coffey, Denis A. Conte, Robert D. Fry, James M. Gibbons, Roger L. Leblanc and Francis G. McInerney to his list of Massachusetts sexually abusive clergy. ¹⁷ In March 2024, he added the names Gerard Boisvert, Serio “Charlie” La Penna, Victor C. LaVoie, Paul V. Rattigan, and William I. Shinnick to his list. ¹⁸

II: MORE NAMES FROM TONS OF SOURCES

There are other abusers whose names are identified, but who do not appear in the court cases.

1. Boston

John T. Atwater was accused of molesting two boys in 1967-1968 and in 1971 at Cushing Hall in Scituate. ¹⁹

Gary E. Balcom admitted sex acts with eight or nine boys for 20 years. He was defrocked in 1998. ²⁰

Robert E. Barrett was accused of fondling a boy in the 1960s at St. Mary of Assumption in Hull.

Robert P. Beale was accused of sexually abusing a child in the 1970s and was suspended in 2002. ²¹

George C. Berthold was accused of a 1972 molestation. He was dismissed and allowed to teach in North Carolina until he was later fired.²²

William L. Butler was accusing of molesting a Hull boy in 1966 and was suspended in 2003. ²³

Monsignor Joseph J. Boyle was added to Garabedian’s list in October 2022.²⁴

Lawrence Buckley was a Redemptorist priest in 1987 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Roxsbury, where he sexually assaulted Chris, a 7-year-old altar boy, for four years. ²⁵

Richard Buntel was accused of raping Leeland Eli Eisenberg, formerly known as Ralph E. Woodward, in his car after getting Woodward drunk. In 1982-1983, Woodward was a homeless 21- year-old when he took on painting work for Buntel in order to stay alive. Buntel gave him alcohol, shared pornography with him, and then raped him. Woodward left the parish and tried to kill himself a week later. Buntel was removed from his position in 2002 based on these allegations.²⁶

Boston Bishop John D’Arcy had written a letter on August 1, 1983, setting out the problems and suggesting that Buntel should be relieved of duty. That did not happen, primarily on the grounds that Buntel did not agree with D’Arcy about his wrongdoing.²⁷

Gerard E. Creighton engaged in sexual acts with two girls’ mother in 1978, and the girls imitated his behavior. He retired in 2002 amid the allegations. He had served in 20 different parishes in 28 years. ²⁸

Gerard V. Dever was accused by eight girls of inappropriate touching and talk from 1993 to 1996 at St. Ann’s in Quincy. ²⁹

John A. Dunn, along with Dwyer and Barrett, was accused of fondling boys in the 1960s at St. Mary’s in Hull. ³⁰ He was defrocked.

Leo V. Dwyer, too, was accused of fondling a boy in the 1960s at St. Mary of Assumption in Hull. ³¹

Peter J. Frost, a sex addict who was removed from ministry in 1992,³² was defrocked in 2005. He admitted sexually abusing boys as far back as 1969, and also of abusing a 14-year-old in 1980.³³

Louis J. Govoni was accused of molesting a male student when he taught at Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree in the 1970s. He was fired from Duxbury High School in 2003 after records of the earlier abuse became available. ³⁴

Daniel M. Graham was accused in 1969-1971 of abusing young boys, including a 14-year-old, at St. John the Baptist Church in Quincy. ³⁵ He was suspended in 1995 but reinstated by Cardinal Law in 1996.³⁶ He was removed from his post in 2002. ³⁷ He receives salary and benefits from the church.³⁸

Gerald J. Hickey allegedly sexually abused two of his nephews and was fired from St. Helen’s in Norwell in 2002. Someone at his post-priesthood home answered the phone “St. Bridget’s Parish,” where Hickey had worked from 1987 to 1994. ³⁹

Richard Johnson was accused of attacking girls. A memo from Law said there was no proof of these allegations.⁴⁰

Victor C. LaVoie was accused of molesting a 15-year-old boy. ⁴¹

Samuel Lombard abused Steve Lynch, who was 9 years old at the time. ⁴²

Bernard P. McLaughlin was added to Garabedian’s list in October 2022.⁴³

Cardinal Humberto S. Medeiros was accused in 2002 of sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy.⁴⁴

Robert Meffan has reports in his file of abuse of girls going back to 1977, and a retirement letter in 1996. ⁴⁵ He “acknowledged that he recruited three teenage girls into religious life in part by insisting that they play ‘brides of Christ,’ a game that included fondling and kissing his genitals. He caressed their breasts, encouraged them to masturbate in front of him, and recommended they attach unique sexual feelings in various biblical passages, though he eschewed intercourse, saying that it was for ‘the afterlife.’” ⁴⁶ He later said he was trying to show them the life of Christ by demonstrating intimacy. ⁴⁷ He was defrocked in 2004. ⁴⁸

Robert Morrissette attacked homeless boys in the church’s basement in 1983 and 1984.⁴⁹

Thomas F. Motherway was added to Garabedian’s list in October 2022.⁵⁰

David C. Murphy made 1974 phone calls to girls. ⁵¹

Arthur O’Leary met police while he was hanging out in a gay spot. ⁵² A father of two boys accused him of abusing the boys in Hanover. ⁵³

John Picardi was repeatedly investigated by the state of New Jersey, which had laws requiring clergy to report abusers. A 1995 Boston letter refuted one of their investigations.⁵⁴

Seminarian Bruno Primavera of Pope John XXIII National Seminary in Weston was added to Garabedian’s list in October 2022. ⁵⁵

Anthony Rebeiro was accused of assaulting another man’s wife. Other abuse events were later reported. Cardinal Law said these episodes were personal to Rebeiro. Rebeiro was finally removed from ministry twenty years after the reported events. ⁵⁶

Paul P. Rynne was accused of raping one boy in the 1960s and another boy 100 times. He was accused of making lewd advances in 1986 but returned to ministry, was placed on leave in 1994, and died in 2021. ⁵⁷

Polish priest Andrzej Sujka was removed from Our Lady of Czestochowa, South Boston, on an accusation of molestation. ⁵⁸

Paul Tivnan was evaluated in 1985. The archdiocese persuaded authorities not to prosecute Tivnan because he was being treated for sexual disorders. Tivnan admitted to molesting a 15-year-old boy in 1978. He was allowed to serve as a chaplain until 1996.⁵⁹

Robert A. Ward resigned after downloading child pornography and was defrocked in 2005. He was accused of an altar boy’s molestation in 1970. ⁶⁰ He was suspended by the archdiocese in February 2002 after it received an allegation of sexual misconduct involving a minor.⁶¹

Joseph L. Welsh was accused of abusing boys over 20 years. He was suspended in 2002.⁶²

The Rev. Alan Caparella, a Franciscan, worked at St. Leonard’s of Port Maurice Parish in Boston. Brother Paul White, a Capuchin, worked at St. Lawrence Friary in Milton. The Rev. Joseph Maffei, of the Salesians of Don Bosco, worked at Sacred Heart Retreat House in Ipswich. W. Emmitt O’Brien [a layman] was children’s choir director at St. John Chrysostom Church in West Roxbury. Sister Agnes Daniels worked at St. Mary school in Boston when she allegedly committed the abuse. Although deceased, they were included on Garabedian’s list in 2013, when he named seven new abusers.⁶³ The others were Vincent Inghilterra, who was chaplain at Trenton State Teachers College in New Jersey when he allegedly abused a minor in the 1970s, and Victor Phelan, who worked in the African countries of Burkina Faso and Ghana. ⁶⁴

Robert D. Fay, Kelvin Iguabita, Bernard Lane and Robert Ward were removed by the archdiocese from the “clerical state,” so they do not receive financial support. They can offer absolution to the dying.⁶⁵

2. Fall River

The victim of Fall River’s Bento Fraga decided not to press criminal charges. Fraga had lost his ability to minister after the charges were found to be credible.⁶⁶

3. Springfield

So far, I have found no additional abusers to add to Springfield’s list.

4. Worcester

Paul J. Doherty said he had been involved with a minor before he was ordained. Bishop McManus told the police. ⁶⁷

Norman R. Jalbert was accused of sexually assaulting students.⁶⁸

Edward P. Lettic was put on leave because of a 40-year-old allegation of abuse.⁶⁹

Donald J. Rebokus was accused of molestation in the mid-1970s. ⁷⁰

And then there are the official lists.

III: THE ARCHDIOCESAN AND DIOCESAN LISTS

To give you an idea of what an enormous problem the sexual abuse by priests has been, following are lists of the priests identified by this archdiocese and these dioceses as abusers. The dioceses do not always include all the abusers’ names. But the lists tell you that the abuse problem was and remains enormous. I don’t expect you to read or study all the names. I just want you to remember that finally the church started to list individuals who were “credibly accused” of abuse.

A. Archdiocese of Boston

In 2011, Archbishop Sean O’Malley released the following list of priests accused in the Archdiocese of Boston in a variety of ways. His words define the five categories, A through E, that the archdiocese recognized for them.

Numerous other priests have been publicly mentioned for their abuse. Garabedian published a list online. ⁷¹

A. Cases That Have Been Concluded Canonically, Either By Dismissal or Sentence to Life of Prayer and Penance, or Criminally, Either By Plea or Conviction.⁷²

“This section contains the names of those members of the clergy of the Boston Archdiocese who have been found guilty of sexually abusing a child, either by the Church, the State, or both. In the case of criminal convictions, the cleric either has been convicted after a criminal trial or has pled guilty to a crime involving the sexual abuse of a child. In the case of canonical processes, the clerics whose names are included in this section either have been dismissed from the clerical state (“dismissed”) at the end of a canonical process or have been assigned to a life of prayer and penance, with no ministry possible. The Church assigns priests to a life of prayer and penance where they are not suited to dismissal due to age or infirmity.” ⁷³

Name Year of Ordination Status

Barrett, Robert E 1963 Assigned to Life of Prayer and Penance

(2004); Deceased (2008)

Buchette, Anthony L 1957 Dismissed (2005)

Charest, Edmund P 1960 Dismissed (2015)

Coughlin, Richard T 1953; Excardinated to the Permanently Restricted

Archdiocese of Los Angeles

(now Diocese of Orange) in

1971

Crowley, Jr., Joseph I 1980 Pled Guilty to Criminal Charges (1999);

(Permanent Deacon) Laicized (2006)

Dempsey, Thomas F Ordained for the Diocese of Pled Guilty to Criminal Charges in

La Crosse, Wisconsin in Wisconsin (1997); Deceased (1998)

1955; Incardinated into the

Archdiocese of Boston in

1976

Fay, Robert D 1967 Dismissed (2005)

Gale, Robert V 1968 Pled Guilty to Criminal Charges (2004);

Laicized (2006)

Gaudreau, James E. 1969 Assigned to a Life of Prayer and Penance

(2020)

Geoghan, John J 1962 Dismissed (1998); Convicted on

Criminal Charges (2000); Deceased (2003)

Guthrie, Frederick L 1962 Pled Guilty to Criminal Charges

(involving attempted solicitation of a minor over the Internet) (2004); Laicized (2010)

Hanlon, John R 1955 Convicted on Criminal Charges (1994);

Laicized (2005); Deceased (2016)

Hurley, Paul W 1970 Convicted on Criminal Charges (2006);

Dismissed (2006)

Iguabita-Rodriguez, 1999 Convicted on Criminal Charges (2003);

Kelvin E Dismissed (2005)

Johnson, Harold J 1949 Assigned to Life of Prayer and Penance

(2004); Deceased (2009)

Keane, John F 1969 Pled Guilty to Criminal Charges (2008);

Dismissed (2009); Deceased (2021)

Kelley, Edward T 1968 Assigned to Life of Prayer and Penance

(2005); Deceased (2011)

Lane, Bernard J 1960 Dismissed (2004)

Laurano, Anthony J 1950 Dismissed (2007); Deceased (2007)

Lyons, John P 1955 Dismissed (2020) ; Deceased (2020)

Maguire, Thomas H. 1976 Dismissed (2016)

Mahan, Paul J 1968 Dismissed (1998)

McLaughlin, Paul J 1955 Assigned to a Life of Prayer and Penance

(2021); Deceased 2021

McMahon, Gerard T 1961 Pled Guilty to Criminal Charges (2006);

Deceased (2013)

Menna, F. Dominic 1958 Assigned to a Life of Prayer and Penance

(2016)

Murphy, Francis A 1957; Excardinated to the Permanently Restricted

Archdiocese of Anchorage

(1964)

Nyhan, W. James 1973 Pled Guilty to Criminal Charges (2006);

Dismissed (2007)

O’Sullivan, Eugene M 1960 Pled Guilty to Criminal Charges (1984);

Dismissed (2005); Deceased (2019)

Paquin, Ronald H 1973 Pled Guilty to Criminal Charges (2002);

Laicized (2004)

Pelletier, Leonard E 1969 Dismissed (2019)

Plourde, Raymond C 1958 Assigned to Life of Prayer and Penance

(2004); Deceased (2013)

Rosenkranz, George J 1962 Dismissed (2006)

Shanley, Paul R 1960 Dismissed (2004); Convicted on

Criminal Charges (2005); Deceased (2020)

Surette, C. Melvin 1956 Dismissed (2012)

Tague, Patrick J 1963 Dismissed (2006)

Tivnan, Paul J 1963 Assigned to Life of Prayer and Penance

(2004)

Welsh, Joseph L 1968 Assigned to Life of Prayer and Penance

(2004); Deceased (2019)

B. Cases That Have Been Concluded Canonically By Laicization.

“Laicization under Church law is a process whereby the cleric voluntarily requests that he be separated from the clerical state. The laicization process, because it is voluntary, does not involve a determination of guilt for crimes involving the sexual abuse of children. Included in this section are the names of priests who have sought laicization after being accused of sexually abusing a minor. “⁷⁴

Name Year of Ordination Status

Balcom, Gary E 1972 Laicized (1998); Deceased (2002)

Beale, Robert P 1970 Laicized (2010); Deceased (2019)

Cartier, Jr., 1963 Laicized (2010); Deceased (2020)

Frederick J

Coleman, Joseph K 1981 Laicized (2005)

Connell, John K 1965 Laicized (2005); Deceased (2007)

Conte, Denis A 1975 Laicized (2004)

Daly, Robert F 1967 Laicized (2011)

Finegan, Paul J 1970 Laicized (2005)

Forry, Thomas P 1968 Laicized (2006)

Frost, Peter J 1970 Laicized (2005)

Govoni, Louis J 1972 Laicized (2010); Deceased (2020)

Keefe, Dennis A 1989 Laicized (2009)

Knapp, Robert J 1965 Laicized (2010)

Matte, Richard O 1964 Laicized (2005); Deceased (2017)

McDonald, Paul E 1964 Laicized (2005)

McMahon, Jr., 1968 Laicized (2010)

Benjamin J

Meffan, Robert V 1953 Laicized (2004)

Morrissette, Robert H 1975 Laicized (2005)

Ryan, Frederick J 1964 Laicized (2005)

Tourigney, Ernest E 1961 Laicized (2006)

Walsh, William M 1971 Laicized (2011)

Ward, Robert A 1974 Laicized (2004)

White, Paul D 1961 Laicized (2005)

Wilson, James L 1990 Laicized (1998)

C. Cases Involving Living Archdiocesan Clergy That Already Have Been Publicized, But Where The Canonical Proceedings Against Those Clergy Have Not Yet Been Resolved.

“Included in this section are the names of priests or deacons of the Boston Archdiocese who have been publicly accused of sexually abusing a child, but where there remain to be completed canonical proceedings involving those priests or deacons. In each case, the cleric involved has been removed from public ministry and remains on administrative leave. It must be emphasized that there has been no final determination of guilt or innocence in these cases. “⁷⁵

Name Year of Ordination Status

Fratic, Joseph P 1964 Administrative Leave; Case in Process

Graham, Daniel M 1970 Administrative Leave; Case in Process

Kanchong, Peter 1968, Diocese of Ratchburi, AWOL

Thailand

Strahan, Francis V. 1959 Administrative Leave; Case in Progress

D. Cases Involving Priests Accused After Laicization On Other Grounds.

“Laicization under Church law is a process whereby the cleric voluntarily requests that he be separated from the clerical state.  Included in this section are the names of priests who were already laicized (and therefore no longer in the clerical state) when they were publicly accused of sexual abuse of a minor. “⁷⁶

Name Year of Ordination Status

Carew, Michael J 1949; Incardinated 1964 Laicized (1971); Deceased (2015)

Dunn, John A 1960 Laicized (1973)

Maloney, William F 1959 Laicized (1974)

McCarthy, Paul R 1980 AWOL (2005)

Towner, Robert K 1969 Laicized (1990)

E. Cases Involving Deceased Clergy for Whom Criminal or Canonical Proceedings Were Not Completed But The Existence of Allegations Has Been Publicized.

“This section includes the names of deceased clergy accused of sexual abuse of a minor for whom criminal or canonical proceedings were not completed, but the existence of allegations has been publicized. In most cases, allegations were received only after the priest’s death. In others, the priest died before the conclusion of the proceedings. There has been no formal determination of guilt in these cases. Rather, the Archdiocese has decided to list these names in the interest of transparency and healing. “⁷⁷

Name Year of Ordination Status

Atwater, John T 1963 Deceased (2006)

Aubut, Charles E 1941 Deceased (2002)

Bailot, Eugene J 1937 Deceased (1983)

Bayers, Sydney H 1937 Deceased (1979)

Beauvais, Leon F 1962 Deceased (1997)

Berthold, George C 1963 Deceased (2020)

Birmingham, 1960 Deceased (1989)

Joseph E

Bolduc, Paul J 1960 Deceased (2009)

Boucher, Clarence R 1940 Deceased (2001)

Breton, Philippe C 1936 Deceased (1984)

Bullock, Myron F 1953 Deceased (2007)

Butler, Richard J. 1962 Deceased (2012)

Butler, William L 1961 Deceased (2017)

Byrne, Joseph F. 1969 Deceased (2014)

Collins, Jeremiah J 1939 Deceased (1982)

Connelly, James E 1943 Deceased (1985)

Cotter, John M 1960 Deceased (1989)

Creighton, Gerard E 1951 Deceased (2004)

Croke, Edmund W 1928 Deceased (1971)

Cummings, William J 1968 Deceased (1994)

Dever, Gerard V 1971 Deceased (1997)

Dewey, Charles F 1939 Deceased (1996)

Dewire, John J 1946 Deceased (1994)

Dwyer, Leo V 1932 Deceased (1989)

Fairbairn, Frank E 1969 Deceased (2000)

Foley, James J 1978 Deceased (2016)

Fusoni, Joseph A 1960 Deceased (1988)

Guiney, John E 1947 Deceased (1998)

Hagan, Arthur J 1933 Deceased (1963)

Hyder, Raymond L 1929 Deceased (1975)

Jansonis, Alphonse 1945 Deceased (2000)

Kane, Charles R 1953 Deceased (1986)

Keenan, Bernard J 1948 Deceased (1966)

Kenney, Joseph F 1931 Deceased (1992)

Lane, James H. 1962 Deceased (2007)

Lane, John J 1925 Deceased (1971)

LeBlanc, Kenneth 1976 Deceased (2010)

Lombard, Samuel J 1946 Deceased (1998)

Manning, Paul F 1967 Deceased (2020)

McAndrews, John K 1949 Deceased (1986)

McDonald, James T 1953 Deceased (1999)

McKeon, James T 1928 Deceased (1965)

Morgan, William H 1950 Deceased (1999)

Moriarty, Paul J 1948 Deceased (1982)

Motherway, 1969 Deceased (2003)

Thomas F

Murphy, Kenneth B 1946 Deceased (1999)

O’Neill, William V 1931 Deceased (1960)

Ouellette, Lionel P 1957 Deceased (2000)

Papile, 1988 Deceased (2009)

Joseph A (Deacon)

Rebeiro, Anthony J Ordained for Diocese of Deceased (2017)

Nagpur, India in 1956;

Incardinated into the

Archdiocese of Boston in

1977

Reilly, Joseph P 1943 Deceased (1992)

Roche, Allan E 1946 Deceased (1997)

Ryer, Robert L 1943 Deceased (1967)

Rynne, Paul P 1956 Deceased (2001)

Shaughnessey, 1937 Deceased (1989)

James C

Shea, Francis S 1932 Deceased (1972)

Shea, William B 1946 Deceased (2005)

Spagnolia, D. George 1964 Deceased (2008)

St. Hilaire, Bernard 1951 Deceased (1977)

Sullivan, Michael D 1945 Deceased (2005)

Thomson, J. Garrett 1981 Deceased (2010)

Veneto, Joseph P 1946 Deceased (1998)

White, John J 1957 Deceased (2004)

B. The Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts

The Diocese of Fall River released a list of the following 75 names.⁷⁸ They are divided into categories of credibly accused, publicly accused, and cases in process, of which there currently are none. ⁷⁹ The footnotes were provided by the authors of the list.