CBC News
February 28, 2007
http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/goodfather/timeline.html
September 2, 1922: Charles Henri Sylvestre is born in St. Joachim, Ontario. He is baptized by his uncle, a priest, the very next day.
1936 1944: After finishing primary school in St. Joachim, Sylvestre attends Sacred Heart College in Sudbury, Ontario. He graduates in 1944 with a Bachelor of Arts.
1944 1948: Sylvestre studies philosophy and theology at St. Peter's Seminary in London, Ontario.
May 21, 1948: Sylvestre is ordained in London.
1948 1953: Sylvestre's first posting: associate pastor at St. Alphonsus Parish in Windsor, Ontario.
1953 1954: Sylvestre goes to Hamilton to help start up the French-speaking parish of St. Charles Garnier.
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| A portrait of Charles Sylvestre when he was ordained in 1948. |
1954 1956: Sylvestre abuses four girls while the associate pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in Windsor. He also assists at Sacred Heart Parish in LaSalle, a suburb of Windsor.
1957 1958: Sylvestre serves as bursar at King's College, London. He abuses two girls while also the chaplain at Mount St. Joseph's girls' school.
1958 1962: Sylvestre abuses seven girls while the pastor at St. Thomas Aquinas in Sarnia.
1962: Sarnia police launch an investigation after the sister and cousin of one victim report the abuse. When one of the investigators goes to St. Thomas Aquinas to question Sylvestre, he's told that Sylvestre's been sent to Montreal. The case is dropped.
1962 1963: Sylvestre goes to Holy Cross Fathers in Montreal as a kind of "retreat." Diocesan records show him to have been on a "leave of absence." In February 2007, the diocese reports that Sylvestre also moved to Toronto during this year to attend St. Michael's College, but dropped out after one semester.
1963 1968: Sylvestre returns to parish work in Delhi, Windsor and Port Dover, Ontario. He also works as a bursar and librarian at Regina Mundi Catholic College in London.
February 17, 1964: G. Emmett Carter becomes the Bishop of London. He oversees the diocese until 1978, when is named the Archbishop of Toronto. In 1979, Pope John Paul II makes him a Cardinal.
1968 1980: Sylvestre abuses 29 women while the pastor at St. Ursula's Parish in Chatham, Ontario.
May 17, 1973: Sylvestre celebrates the 25th anniversary of his ordination. Bishop Emmett Carter writes him a letter and praises his "generosity" and "self-sacrifice." (.pdf file)
May 1974: Father Barry Glendinning pleads guilty to six counts of gross indecency against children. He is given a suspended sentence and three years' probation.
1980 1989: Sylvestre abuses four girls while the pastor at Immaculate Conception Parish in Pain Court, Ontario.
1989: The Diocese of London implements a Sexual Abuse Policy. The policy states that all diocesan priests must report all instances of sexual impropriety to the diocese's Sexual Abuse Committee, and that "members of the priesthood are not to exercise any discretion in fulfilling this reporting obligation." The policy also recommends a variety of options for responding to allegations of sexual abuse.
February 10, 1989: On the subject of the new policy, Bishop John Sherlock tells a Toronto newspaper that his diocese has not received complaints of sexual abuse of children by clergy. He says the Sexual Abuse Committee was set up in preparation for any such complaints. He says he wants the diocese "to be as forthright and open as possible."
June, 1989: Sylvestre becomes the chaplain at Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital in Windsor.
August 30, 1989: The head of the Sexual Abuse Committee, Father Richard Tremblay, meets with Pain Court officials to discuss allegations of sexual abuse by Sylvestre.
Read Father Tremblay's notes.
October 10, 1989: Sylvestre checks in to an alcohol treatment facility in Michigan called Guest House after Bishop John Sherlock tells him he needs "help." He stays for three months. He checks out on January 10, 1990. In 2007, the diocese acknowledges he was treated for both alcoholism and psycho-sexual problems.
See the Affidavit relating to his stay. (.pdf file)
October 20, 1989: Fr. Tremblay meets with one of Sylvestre's victims.
Read Father Tremblay's notes.
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| Sylvstre perfroms his first mass. |
June, 1992: The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) Ad Hoc Committee on Child Sexual Abuse publishes From Pain to Hope . It is a 96-page booklet that addresses the issue of sexual abuse of minors by clergy, outlines the Committee's mandate and presents 50 recommendations directed to bishops, those responsible for clergy and seminarians, Catholics and the CCCB itself.
The CCCB calls From Pain to Hope "the first systematic study, and thus a landmark, by a Conference of Bishops in the Catholic Church for the prevention of sexual abuse, the care of victims and the administrative procedure to be used in cases of sexual abuse by clergy."
December 14 18, 1992: Sylvestre completes a five-day evaluation at the Southdown Institute in Aurora, Ontario, a treatment facility for clergy and religious members. Southdown documents show he was "referred because of allegations of sexual assault." He undergoes a psychiatric evaluation, and health and psychological testing.
See the Affidavit relating to his evaluation. (.pdf file)
1993: The diocese implements a five-page Sexual Harassment Policy. The policy states that all parts of the diocese should "be safe and healthy, poison-free places, free from any sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse." The diocese vows to address promptly "any allegations of sexual harassment and to seriously discipline, to the point of termination, any who have contravened this policy."
February, 1993: Father Robert Morrissey is sentenced to 18 months' probation on charges of attempted buggery, indecent assault and assault. He appeals in March 1995, but the appeal is dismissed.
April 16, 1993: Bishop Sherlock defends Fr. Morrissey in a diocesan newsletter. According to newspaper reports, Sherlock says he believes Morrissey and thinks "there has been a misunderstanding."
His defense of Morrissey sparks outrage by advocates of victims' rights. Sherlock later apologizes.
August 13, 1993: Sylvestre retires from active ministry. In a letter, Bishop Sherlock thanks Sylvestre for his "many years of devoted service."
1994: The Diocese of London reviews its policy in the light of From Pain to Hope. It decides that "no revisions were necessary" and leaves the policy as is.
January, 1994: Father Michael Francis White pleads guilty to one count of indecent assault against a young girl. He is given 18 months' probation.
July 2, 1996: Sylvestre faces first lawsuit: Two women, Irene Deschenes and Joanne Morrison, file a lawsuit against Sylvestre and the Diocese of London for $5.25 million each. They claim Sylvestre abused them while they were girls at St. Ursula's Church in Chatham. Sylvestre denies "assaulting, abusing or inappropriately touching" either of them.
February, 1998: Father Gary Roy pleads guilty to 2 counts of indecent assault against boys. He is sentenced to four months in jail and given three years' probation.
March 31, 1998: Sylvestre celebrates 50 years as a priest. Bishop John Sherlock sends him a letter acknowledging his "years of devoted service to the Church" and thanks him "for the great good" he accomplished in his career.
January, 1999: In a second conviction for sex crimes, Father John Stock pleads guilty to gross indecency against a young boy. He is sentenced to 12 months in jail.
October 16, 2000: Diocese settles lawsuit with Deschenes and Morrison for $100,000 each, denying any wrongdoing.
February, 2001: Father Cameron MacLean is sentenced to two years less a day after pleading guilty to indecent assault and sexual assault of young boys.
June, 2001: Father Thomas Cromien pleads guilty to indecent assault of a teenage boy. He is sentenced to two years less a day.
November, 2001: Father Richard Boll is sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to gross indecency, indecent assault and sexual assault against boys. At the time of his arrest, Boll was the Bishop's advisor on canon law.
2002: The diocese completes and files a full screening program, including police checks for all persons who minister in it.
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| Sylvestre in 1985, when he worked as a pastor in Pain Court, Ontario. |
March 29, 2002: Bishop Sherlock responds to the recent spate of priests' convictions. In a letter to all priests and parishioners, he begs "pardon of all who have suffered abuse." He also says that "the priests and bishops guilty of these crimes need our prayers as well since no one, however sinful, is excluded from the saving power of Christ."
April, 2002: Bishop Sherlock retires. In August, Ronald Fabbro is ordained as the Bishop of the Diocese of London.
March, 2003: In a second conviction for sex crimes, Father John Harper is given three years' probation after he pleads guilty to indecent assault.
October 28-31, 2003: The CCCB announces it has created a special task force to review From Pain to Hope. The task force has 11 members who will consult with experts, victims and perpetrators and focus on "safe environments for pastoral work, with emphasis on the protection of children; transparency and accountability." They are to prepare a final report by the end of 2004.
2004: The Diocese of London updates its Sexual Abuse Policy.
July 21, 2005: Chatham-Kent police arrested Sylvestre at home in Belle River and charge him with three counts of indecent assault, one of rape and one of sexual intercourse with a female under 14 years. During interrogation, Sylvestre admits to touching the breasts of "a half dozen or more" girls.
July 22, 2005: In a press release, the diocese acknowledges the charges against Sylvestre and says it "deplores all acts of sexual abuse and sexual impropriety, especially by clergy."
September 22, 2005: The Special Task force presents its review of From Pain to Hope to the CCCB annual meeting in Cornwall. The review recommends that "dioceses adopt rigorous measures for protecting children, banning from public ministry any member of the clergy or pastoral staff convicted of sexual assault, adopting diocesan mechanisms to counter sexual abuse, and implementing procedures to evaluate the diocesan management of sexual abuse cases."
The document is sent to all bishops, who are invited to offer comments and amendments that will be reviewed by the CCCB's Permanent Council in November.
November 2005 May 2006: Police continue to lay charges against Sylvestre as more victims come forward.
July 4, 2006: Father Konstanty 'Konnie' Przybylski is sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual assault and sexual exploitation of two teenage boys.
August 3, 2006: Father Charles Sylvestre pleads guilty to 47 counts of indecent assault. He is sentenced in October to three years in prison.
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| Sylvestre near the end of his career. |
August 6, 2006: Bishop Ronald Fabbro apologizes to victims of Fr. Sylvestre in a sermon at St. Ursula's Church in Chatham. He also apologizes "for the failure of the Church to protect the victims and their families from Father Sylvestre." Read the sermon on the Diocese of London website .
He vows to end abuse of minors in the London diocese, which he says has been "a scourge."
See a CBC.ca news story about the apology.
September, 2006: Bishop Fabbro attends meetings at the Vatican, where he discusses beginning the process of having Fr. Sylvestre dismissed from the priesthood.
October 6, 2006: Sylvestre is sentenced to three years in a federal penitentiary.
October 20, 2006: The CCCB Plenary Assembly refers the "question of sexual abuse" to its Permanent Council, which is set to meet in November. Bishops review a report on the revised From Pain to Hope. The document is "waiting to be approved" by bishops at their next meeting
December 14, 2006: The bishop's house goes on the market. Diocesan officials say that "proceeds from the sale of the property will be used to pay for sexual abuse claims."
December 20, 2006: The diocese announces that it found copies of three police witness statements (.pdf file) from 1962 in October. The documents contain transcribed interviews with three girls who told police how Sylvestre had touched them and exposed himself while a priest in Sarnia, and prove that somebody in the diocese had early knowledge of Sylvestre's pedophilic tendencies. Diocesan officials claim they don't know "how or when" the documents came into their possession.
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| Irene Deschenes filed a lawsuit against Sylvestre. She claimed that she was abused by him in the 1970's. |
Later, Bishop Fabbro tells the fifth estate that it is "certainly a possibility that [the documents] could have been 'deliberately hidden'.
The diocese also announces that it plans to circulate its sexual abuse policy by the end of February "so that the finished policy will be promulgated by the end of March 2007."
December 21, 2006: In a letter to the fifth estate (.pdf file), Bishop John Sherlock acknowledges that "some victims of Father Sylvestre came to [him] in 1989" but that he didn't believe them.
He also denies any knowledge of the 1962 documents that were found in October in the diocesan offices, and insists that if he had, his "reaction to the 1989 complaints would have been quite different."
January 17, 2007: The diocese hosts a workshop for all clergy and lay people at a church in Comber, Ontario. Two of Sylvestre's victims, the mother of two victims, the Crown Attorney and a psychologist address the workshop on the consequences of clergy sexual abuse. The diocese holds a second workshop in London, Ontario at the end of the month.
January 18, 2007: The diocese announces it will spend $44,000 to help victims of clergy sexual abuse. From Isolation to Action is designed "to get needed and timely information regarding prevention measures, policies, and guidelines."
January 22, 2007: Sylvestre dies of natural causes in the hospital at the Kingston Penitentiary
February, 2007: The diocese publishes Sylvestre's employment history on its website . This "understanding of facts" contradicts diocesan documents made public in previous lawsuits against Sylvestre and adds new details never before mentioned by the diocese in previous lawsuits or by Sylvestre in interviews with lawyers and police.
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| Sylvestre waits to enter the Chatham-Kent Court House on September 22, 2006. |
A lawyer for the diocese says the information on the website "is subject to change as more information is received from victims and others."
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