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Assignment Record– Rev. John C. Chaisson
Summary of Case: According to a police chief in Danvers, MA Chaisson admitted in 1974 to having sexually assaulted a child. He was allowed to stay in active ministry until his removal in 2003. In September 2015 Chaisson is listed on the archdiocesan website as "Unassigned Senior"
Ordained: 1966
| Start |
Stop |
Assignment |
Town/Accusations |
State |
Position |
Notes |
1966
Boston archbishop was James Richard Cushing (1944-1970), followed by Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983). |
1973 |
St. James |
Haverhill
|
MA |
3/3, 4/4, 3/4 |
Parish had a grade school with 365-95 boys and 355-110 girls, and a high school until 1970 with 80-19 boys and 212-17 girls. |
| 1973 |
1985 |
St. Alphonsus |
Beverly
• A Danvers police chief stated that Chaisson admitted in 1974 to sexually assaulting a child, according to personnel files released by the archdiocese.
|
MA |
2/2 |
. |
| 1985 |
1994 |
St. James |
Salem
|
MA |
2/2, 4/4, 4/5, 3/4, 2/3 |
|
| 1994 |
2003 |
St. Adelaide |
Peabody
|
MA |
2/3, 2/4,1/3 |
Chaisson was removed from ministry in Aug. 2003 due to past allegations of sexual abuse of minors. |
| 2003 |
2005 |
|
|
|
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Despite removal from ministry in 2003, Chaisson continues to be listed in Directory as being at St. Adelaide in Peabody, MA, with his position as 1/4 and 1/3. |
| 2005 |
2006 |
|
|
|
|
Chiasson is not indexed in the 2006 Directory. |
| 2006 |
2010 |
Senior Priests/Retired |
|
|
|
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| 2011 |
|
Administrative Leave |
|
|
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In Sept. 2011 Chaisson is included in the Boston archdiocese's list of the accused with canonical proceedings not yet resolved. |
| |
2015 |
Unassigned Senior |
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Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York:
Kenedy & Sons, 1967-2005).
• O'Malley Places 4 Priests on Leave, By Jenna Russell, Boston Globe [Boston MA], August 24, 2003
• New Files Show Paquin Victim Abused by 2 Priests, By Robin Washington, Boston Herald, January 15, 2004
• Boston Archdiocese Posts Sex-Abuse Database Online, By Joan Frawley Desmond, National Catholic Register, August 25, 2011
• Accused Boston Clerics, Revised November 21, 2011
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 &
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 Chaisson'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 Sept. 23, 2015.
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