Assignment Record – Rev. Brion T. Ares

Summary of Case: Ares was a priest of the Worcester diocese, ordained in 1987. He was was indicted in late 1993 on charges of rape and indecent assault on a male youth who had gone to him for counseling. The case ended in a mistrial when the jury couldn't reach a verdict. Ares died in 1998.

Ordained: 1987

1987

Worcester bishop was Timothy Joseph Harrington (1983-1994)

Athol

• Ares was indicted for rape and indecent assault on a male youth in Athol in 1994. The youth had gone to Ares for counseling. The incident is said to have happened during a night of drinking at the rectory. The case ended in a mistrial when the jury couldn't reach a verdict.

This was a mission of Our Lady Immaculate in Athol.

Ares is not indexed beyond the 1994 Directory. Ares died in 1998.

Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1988-1994)

• Worcester Telegram and Gazette, October 28, 1994
• Thou Shalt Not.........But some priests did—and the church didn't want to know, By Ellen O'Connor, Worcester Magazine
September 24, 1997
• Victims of Abuse Are Asked to Report Possible Cover-Ups, By Kathleen Shaw, Telegram & Gazette, December 18, 2002
• Ex-City Priest Arraigned for Assault, By Kathleen A. Shaw, Telegram & Gazette, August 28, 2003
• Rev. Brion T. Ares, findagrave.com

Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Ares's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on Nov. 19, 2013