Assignment Record– Rev. Steven W. Poitras

Summary of Case: Poitras was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston in 1993. He assisted at parishes in North Andover, Somerville and Hudson MA. Poitras was placed on administrative leave in November 2006 due to an accusation that he had sexually abused a minor in 1994.

Born: 1966
Ordained: 1993

     

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

6/01/93

Boston archbishop was Bernard Francis Law (1984-2002).

3/29/95 St. Michael's

North Andover

• Poitras was accused in 2006 of having sexually abused a minor in 1994. (Boston Globe [Hudson MA]
November 28, 2006)

MA 2/2 Parish had a school with 153 students.
3/30/95 12/31/95 Health Leave        
1/01/96 6/04/01 St. Ann's Somerville MA 3/3, 2/2, 2/4, 2/3 Parish had a school with 235 students.

6/05/01

Law was replaced by Sean Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap.
(2003- ).

11/21/06

St. Michael's

Hudson MA 3/3, 2/2, 2/3

Parish had a grade school with 119-201 students, a high school with 201 students, and a religious education program with 721 students.

Poitras is not indexed in the Directories after 2006.

Poitras was placed on administrative leave in November 2006 due to an allegation that he sexually abused a minor in 1994. (Archdiocese of Boston
November 27, 2006)

11/22/06   Administrative Leave       Poitras remains on leave and his case is "in process" in October 2015.


Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1994-2006 ); Poitras Assignment History, Archdiocese of Boston

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 Poitras' 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 October 29, 2015.