Assignment Record – Bro. Shawn McEnany, S.C.

Summary of Case: A Brother of the Sacred Heart, New England Province, McEnany was convicted in 1988 of "unlawful sexual contact" with a 15 year-old girl. The girl was a student at St Dominic's in Lewiston, ME, which was then a Brothers of the Sacred Heart school. McEnany received two jail sentences of 364 days and one year of probation. The victim's mother stated in 1997 that the Order urged her in 1988 to keep the accusations quiet. Despite his conviction, McEnany was allowed in 1990 to teach at another Brothers of the Sacred Heart school, Bishop Guertin, in Nashua, NH. He was removed from Guertin High in 1997, after New Hampshire authorities discovered he was teaching there. He was charged with teaching as a convicted sex offender and failing to register as a sex offender. The charges were later dropped. McEnany is last known to be living in the Order's Pascoag, RI community and working as a clinical social worker.

First Vows: 1983

Portland bishop was Edwin Cornelius O'Leary (1974-1988)

Bros. of Sacred Heart, NE Provincial was Bro. Leo R. Labbe, S.C. (1985-1991)

Lewiston

• McEnany was accused of and charged in 1988 with "unlawful sexual contact" with a 15 year-old girl, who was a St. Dominic student. The girl's mother stated that school officials urged her to keep the accusations quiet.

1988

O'Leary was succeeded by Joseph John Gerry, O.S.B. (1988-2004)

1990

Manchester bishop was Leo Edward O'Neil (1990-1997)

Labbe was succeeded as Provincial by Bro. Roland Oulette, S.C (1991-1997)

McEnany was removed from Bishop Guertin in Nov. 1997 after NH authorities learned of his 1988 conviction. He was then charged with teaching as a convicted sex offender, and for not registering as a sex offender. The Bishop Guertin community rallied behind McEnany. The charges were dropped just before trial in June 1999, due to inconsistencies in the state law.

A former Bishop Guertin administrator said the school knew of McEnany's conviction when they hired him in 1990, but didn't think it would be a problem because the school was all-boys at the time. Bishop Guertin started admitting girls in 1992.

Providence bishop was Robert Edward Mulvee (1997-2005), followed by Thomas Joseph Tobin
(2005-)

Bro. Robert F. Breault, S.C. replaced Oulette as Provincial (1997-2003), followed by Bro. Raymond Reinsant, S.C. (2003-2008), and then Bro. Robert Croteau, S.C.
(2008-)

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons)

• Teacher Backed Despite His Past, Portland Press Herald (Maine), November 13, 1997
• Bishop Guertin Religion Teacher Likely to Face Sex Offender Charge, By Kate Munro, Union Leader (Manchester, NH), November 13, 1997
• Maine Sex Conviction Haunts N.H. Teacher, Associated Press, carried in Portland Press Herald (Maine)
November 14, 1997
• Religion, Law Clash at Bishop Guertin, By Kate Munro, The Union Leader (Manchester, NH), November 17, 1997
• Hold Teacher Accountable, Mother Urges, Portland Press Herald (Maine)
November 20, 1997
• Teacher Challenges Sex Offender Law, Associated Press, carried in Portland Press Herald (Maine), December 21, 1997
• Brother McEnany Pleads Innocent to Sex-Offender Teaching Charges, By Kate Munro, Union Leader (Manchester, NH), January 9, 1998
• N.H. High School Teacher Continues to Fight Sex Law, Associated Press, carried in Portland Press Herald (Maine), January 10, 1998
• Court Refuses to Hear Former Teacher's Appeal, Associated Press, carried in Portland Press Herald (Maine), February 20, 1999
• Charges Dropped against Sex Offender, Associated Press, carried in Portland Press Herald (Maine), June 15, 1999
• Teachers at Catholic High School Investigated, Associated Press State & Local Wire, March 26, 2002
• Lawyer Says School Legally Responsible for Abuse by Teacher, Associated Press State & Local Wire, May 27, 2003
• Maine A.G. Report, Feb. 24, 2004

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This assignment record collates McEnany'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.13, 2012