BishopAccountability.org
 
  Real (Ray) Bourque, O.M.I.
Boston Archdiocesan Personnel File

Bishop Accountability [Boston MA]
April 13, 2003

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/docs/boston/bourque/

We believe these are all the Bourque personnel documents filed with the court by Attorney Eric MacLeish in the Ford case. This is not Bourque's complete file. In particular, the documents below refer to other documents that should be in the Boston files or were in the Oblate provincial's files:
  • 1979 Oblate letter to Boston auxiliary bishop Hart, probably in regard to his phone call and visit with the Oblate provincial about Bourque (see AOB 00150 for reference to call and visit; see AOB 00148 for reference to Oblate letter).
  • Document in Oblate files containing "reference to incidents in Maine" (see reference in AOB 00148).
  • 1993 or 1994 letter by Cardinal Law in Wellesley parish bulletin about abuse (see reference in AOB 00146).
  • 1997 circular letter by Bourque to many people in Boston area, suggesting that he is back in ministry there (see reference in AOB 00141).

See also Bourque's assignment record.

Description From To Date Bates From To
Letter to Bishop Hughes describing an allegation "around 1981" that Bourque (not named in the letter) would undress "at least a few" choir boys and touch them "in an impure way"; at the time the allegation was reported to Cardinal Medeiros and to the Oblate provincial, and Bourque was "soon" transferred away from Boston; in a post-it Hughes routes the letter to McCormack and asks who the accused priest is Bishop Hart Bishop Hughes 1993-07-20 AOB 00150  
Copy of previous letter (AOB 00150) with post-it (perhaps by McCormack) identifying Bourque and the Oblate provincial; portion of post-it appears redacted by archdiocese; year in letter is corrected to 1979 Bishop Hart Bishop Hughes 1993-07-20 AOB 00149  
Handwritten memo describing two calls with Oblate provincial about Hart's letter (AOB 00150); states that Oblate's file contains Hart's 1979 letter and reference to "incidents in Maine - an assignment before Natick"; Bourque was sent on sabbatical to DC in 1979; Oblate provincial recently spoke to an Oblate brother of one victim; Bourque is "currently in Alabama, working for Mother Angelica - very visible - does formation work for her communities" Sister Mulkerrin McCormack 1993-07-29 AOB 00148  
Prompted by Law's letter in Wellesley church bulletin, man reports he was abused three times by Bourque at age 14; knew Bourque in Maine and the Oblate's community in Natick; "my brother and all the boys in the community as well as Father Ray's two nephews had experiences with him"; "he went after all the boys"; victim complains about Bourque's continued TV ministry; archdiocesan redaction makes it impossible to date the abuse, but it was likely in the mid- to late 1970s Bourque victim Cardinal Law 1994-02-08 AOB 00146  
Letter answering AOB 00146; Law apologizes and offers "whatever assistance I can"; Sister Mulkerrin will contact the victim and Law will inform Bourque's provincial; post-it to McCormack asks him to prepare letter to Oblate provincial for Law to sign Cardinal Law Bourque victim 1994-02-23 AOB 00144  
Letter to the Oblate provincial recommending that all Bourque's public ministry including TV be curtailed; notes that Bourque had been assessed and will be entering St. Luke's for treatment on 4/27/94; Bourque has been "heroic in his honesty"; marked for storage in "conf file" McCormack Capen 1994-04-13 AOB 00143  
Memo describing Flatley's 1995 meeting with the Oblate's provincial and delegate for abuse cases to discuss Bourque's admitted abuses (at least 2 victims), his wish to continue TV ministry in the Boston archdiocese, and the archdiocesan request "that his television ministry cease"; also describes follow-up phone call about Bourque's "behind the scenes" job at EWTN; the bishop and EWTN people are "aware of his situation" Flatley File 1996-01-05 AOB 00135  
Letter enclosing a Bourque "circular letter" provided by a parishioner; wonders whether this is the same Oblate priest who was accused and whether he has permission to minister; "I never thought I would be doing this" but it's "a serious matter" Bishop McCormack Murphy 1997-11-03 AOB 00141  
Letter relaying McCormack's concern that a brochure indicates "renewed ministry" by Bourque in the Boston archdiocese in violation of Law's 1993 policy; "there is no serious concern here; only a desire to know what you are doing" Murphy Bourque 1997-12-10 AOB 00137  
Letter to Oblate's abuse delegate enclosing the flyer; "does this represent some renewed ministry?"; Bourque has "admitted to an allegation of sexual msiconduct with a minor"; "I trust that nothing risky is happening" Murphy Ouellette 1997-12-10 AOB 00138  
Letter enclosing copy of Murphy's letter to Bourque (AOB 00137) and alluding to Murphy's letter to Ouellette; Bourque had been "working for EWTN in Alabama, in a non-ministerial position. Obviously, he's back." Murphy Bishop McCormack 1997-12-10 AOB 00139  


 
 
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.