Assignment Record– Rev. Edward F. Sherry

Summary of Case: Sherry was accused in a 2003 lawsuit of having sexually abused a boy beginning in 1968, when the boy was ages 13-16. He was kept in active ministry for seven months before being placed on leave in August 2003. He was reinstated in June 2005, after the Diocesan Review Board determined they could not substantiate the claims. Sherry died in March 2011.

Ordained: 1968
Incardinated: Boston archdiocese
Died: March 8, 2011

   

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1968

Boston archbishop was Richard James Cushing (1944-1970), followed by Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983).

1973 St. Joseph's

Malden

• Sherry was accused in a 2003 lawsuit of having fondled and raped a boy at St. Joseph's beginning in about 1968, when the boy was 13-16 years old. (Boston Globe
January 30, 2003)

MA 4/4, 3/3, 2/3 Parish had a school until 1972 with 252-179 boys and 246-150 girls.
1972 1973 Incarnation of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Melrose MA    
1973 1982 Immaculate Conception Malden MA

6/6, 3/4, 3/6, 3/7, 2/5, 1/4

Sherry was in residence 1973-1974.

 Parish had a grade school with 681-435 students and a high school with 260-180 girls.
1982 1983 St. Raphael's Medford MA 3/3 Parish had a school with 340 students.

1983

Medeiros was succeeded by Bernard Francis Law (1984-2002).

1985 St. Mary's Winchester MA 4/6, 4/4 Parish had a school with 238-230 students.
1985 1993 Immaculate Conception Newburyport MA 2/2, 2/3

Parochial Vicar 		Parish had a school with 185-201 students.
1985 1993 St. James Plum Island MA   This was a mission of Immaculate Conception in Newburyport.
1993 1994         Sherry is not indexed in the 1994 Directory.
1994 1998 St. Thomas of Villanova Wilmington MA 2/2, 2/3

Parochial Vicar 		 

1998

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

Aug. 2003 Nativity Merrimac MA 1/1, 1/2 Despite an accusation in Jan. 2003 of that he sexually abused a child in the late 1960s-early1970s, Sherry was kept in active ministry by the archdiocese. (Boston Globe
March 5, 2003) Richard Lennon was interim bishop when the accusation surfaced. In July 2003 Sean O'Malley was installed as archbishop. Sherry was put on leave in August. (Boston Globe [Boston MA]
August 24, 2003)
Aug. 2003 June 2005 On Leave        
2005 2010 Nativity/Holy Redeemer West Newbury MA 1/1

Sherry was allowed to return to active ministry in June 2005. (Boston.com [Boston MA]
June 5, 2005)

The Directories continue to list Sherry as at Nativity 2003-2005.

Nativity and Holy Redeemer were supressed in 2006.

Sherry died March 8, 2011. (Boston Pilot
March 18, 2011)



Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1965-2009)

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 Sherry'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 July 2, 2011.