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Here is the list of 40 Vermont priests credibly accused of child sex abuse

Elizabeth Murray
Burlington Free Press

A list of 40 priests credibly accused of child sexual abuse was issued by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington this week. 

A seven-member lay committee appointed by Bishop Christopher Coyne read through more than 50 priest personnel files over nine months and compiled the list of priests against whom allegations were credible and substantiated. 

The committee — comprised of three women and four men — included one priest abuse survivor and one non-Catholic. 

Bishop Christopher Coyne, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, announces the release of 40 names of priests accused of sexual abuse during a news conference on Thursday, August 22, 2019, in South Burlington. He also released a report looking into priest misconduct back to 1950.

According to the report, the committee adopted a standard used by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, New York, to guide decisions on what allegations were considered credible. They agreed that "credible" was defined as an allegation that meets one or more of the following thresholds based on the facts of the case:

  • natural, plausible and probable;
  • corroborated with other evidence or another source; or 
  • acknowledged/admitted to by the accused.

"We determined there must be at least — a "fair probability" — based on the information we were given access to, that a particular priest had either sexually abused a child under the age of 18 or created a 'substantial risk' that the child would be sexually abused," the report states. 

More:Burlington Catholic Diocese releases names of priests accused of child sex abuse

The Review Committee considered complaints from 1950 to present, and looked through more than 50 files of priests who had been identified as having some kind of claim made against them. The report states that within the time period of interest, 419 priests had been assigned in the Diocese of Burlington. 

None of the priests named in the report are still in ministry, Coyne said.

Coyne and members of the lay committee acknowledged that there is still work to be done and encouraged others who had been abused to come forward. Coyne said there may be more information out there that he and the committee were not aware of during the review.

More:Priest sex abuse report to be released by Burlington diocese before end of month

The list of priests that follows has been condensed for length and clarity. To view the entire report, visit vermontcatholic.org/promise. 

  1. Robert J. Baffa — Served in Vermont 1966-2002; deceased
  2. Donald A. Bean — Served in Vermont 1970-1994; deceased
  3. James E. Beauregard — Served in Vermont 1970-1999; deceased
  4. Conrad A. Bessette — Served in Vermont 1973-1990; living
  5. Paul M. Bresnahan — Served in Vermont 1954-2002; deceased
  6. Donald A. Bruneau — Served in Vermont 1954-1994; deceased
  7. James J. Campbell — Served in Vermont 1962-1965; presumed dead
  8. Leo J. Courcy Jr. — Served in Vermont 1962-February 1965, February to December 1966, and January to May 1971; living
  9. Robert E Devoy — Served in Vermont 1903-1955; deceased
  10. Joseph H. Dussault — Served in Vermont 1934-1978; deceased
  11. John F. Eastman — Served in Vermont 1946-1953; presumed dead
  12. James F. Foley — Served in Vermont 1949-1979; deceased 
  13. Edward C. Foster — Served in Vermont 1951-1967 and 1990-1991; deceased
  14. William P. Gallagher — Served in Vermont 1965-2002; deceased 
  15. Edward J. Gelineau — Served in Vermont 1942-1990; deceased 
  16. John A. Guischard — Served in Vermont 1968-1991; deceased 
  17. John B. "Jack" Kenney — Served in Vermont 1957-1966 and 1994-1997; living
  18. Dennis J. LaRoche — Served in Vermont 1987-1992; living
  19. Michael K. Madden — Served in Vermont 1970-1988; deceased 
  20. Charles G. Many — Served in Vermont ministry 1981-1986, Edmundite Generalate 1986-1994; living
  21. James J. McShane Jr. — Served in Vermont 1966-2002; living
  22. Brian E. Mead — Served in Vermont 1969-2002; living 
  23. Walter D. Miller — Served in Vermont 1961-1966 and 1974-2004; deceased
  24. Joseph Maxime Mooney — Served in Vermont 1917-1956; deceased
  25. George O. Murtagh — Served in Vermont 1950-1958 and 1963-1987; deceased 
  26. Stephen J. Nichols — Served in Vermont 1986-2007; living
  27. Edward O. Paquette — Served in Vermont 1972-1978; living 
  28. George A. Paulin — Served in Vermont 1970 -2003; living 
  29. Raymond C. Provost — Served in Vermont 1936-1975, but continued to help in Winooski parishes until 1995; deceased 
  30. Daniel F. Roberts — Served in Vermont 1946-1980; deceased 
  31. Forest W. Rouelle — Served in Vermont 1956-1998; deceased 
  32. Emile W. Savary — Served in Vermont 1954-1966; deceased 
  33. Ronald A. Soutiere — Served in Vermont 1974-1983 and 1999-2002; living 
  34. Richard E. Thompson — Served in Vermont 1968-1984; deceased 
  35. Charles A. Towne — Served in Vermont 1931-1972; deceased 
  36. Raymond D. Walsh — Served in Vermont 1954-1998; deceased 
  37. Donal D. Ward — Served in Vermont 1963-1967 and 1976-2002; deceased 
  38. Alfred Willis — Served in Vermont 1976-1981; living 
  39. Benjamin D. Wysolmerski — Served in Vermont 1950-1993; deceased 
  40. Mark L. Quillen (also known as Andrew Quillen) — Served in Vermont 1990-1994; credibly accused of abuse in Diocese in Davenport, Iowa, but no allegations in Vermont; living

Contact Elizabeth Murray at 802-651-4835 or emurray@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LizMurrayBFP.