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	Choir Director on Leave for Alleged Sexual Misconduct Boston Channel May 31, 2010 http://wbztv.com/local/woburn.church.sexual.2.1723666.html BOSTON - An employee of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Woburn was placed on unpaid leave without pay on Sunday by the Archdiocese of Boston while police investigate alleged sexual misconduct. The Archdiocese of Boston said Thomas DeBlois, 47, served as choir director and director of music at the parish since 1992. He previously served as a music teacher at the St. Charles Borromeo School. Upon learning of the alleged misconduct, the Archdiocese of Boston immediately notified local law enforcement and was cooperating fully with the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, the Woburn Police Department and the Massachusetts Department of Family and Children as authorities investigated the allegation. At church on Sunday, DeBlois was noticeably missing from his regular spot at the piano. Parishioners said they were in disbelief at the allegations. "I don't believe it," said a parishioner. "I just don't believe it. Thomas is a really nice guy. It's kind of shocking right now because of my faith… I just think he's being falsely accused." After the noon mass, is when the parish priest told church goers. "I took my small children out with me," said a parishioner. "Because they asked that people with small children take them out." The Archdiocese of Boston said in its commitment to protect children, it requires that any employee or volunteer working with children undergo a background screening check on an annual basis. DeBlois, who had been an employee of St. Charles Borromeo Parish since 1992, was last screened in January 2010 and no criminal entries were discovered. The Archdiocese of Boston was also working closely with the Rev. Timothy J. Shea, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo, and the school principal to support the parish and school communities in their efforts to process the news.
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