SPRINGFIELD (MA)
Republican
Sunday, June 12, 2005
By BILL ZAJAC
wzajac@repub.com
When James E. Thibault tried to kill himself three years ago, he left a note that shocked his brother.
Thibault, then 53, revealed to his brother for the first time he was sexually abused as a child.
Thibault's brother, Kickapoo Thunder of Chicopee, won't reveal the perpetrator's name, but said it was a man in training for the priesthood who was later accused by others once he served as a priest in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield.
Thibault's obituary, prepared by his family, said: "Jim was a victim of sexual assault as a child by people claiming to be Christians. Like so many of our families who have been affected so tragically, Jim could no longer live with this burden and tragically ended his life."
"It explained a lot about the trouble and pain my brother experienced in his life," Thunder said.