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Assignment Record– Rev. Anthony L. Buchette

Summary of Case: A Boston archdiocesan priest ordained in 1957, Buchette was assigned to parishes in Sudbury, West Roxbury, Brockton, Billerica, Franklin, Roxbury and Dorchester. He retired in 1997. Buchette was accused in lawsuits filed in 2002 and 2003 of sexually abusing at least nine boys, all of whom were between 12 and 15 years of age, during the late 1960s to early 1980s. His accusers said he typically lured them with offers of trophies and collectibles. He was defrocked in 2006.

Ordained: 1957
Retired: 1997

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1957

Boston archbishop was Richard James Cushing (1944-1970).

1959 Our Lady of Fatima Sudbury MA

2/2

 
1959 1965 St. Theresa's Boston (West Roxbury) MA 5/5, 4/5, 6/6

Parish had a school with 607-652 boys and 541-587 girls.

1965 1966 St. Edward's Brockton MA 4/4 Parish had a school with 181 boys and 169 girls.
1966 1967 St. Andrew's Billerica MA 3/3

 

1967

Cushing was replaced as archbishop by Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983).

1976 St. Mary's

Franklin

Buchette was accused in 2003 of having molested at least seven boys, who were between 12-15 years old, while at St. Mary's. The abuse is said to have occurred in the rectory, in hotel rooms and in Buchette's car. One accuser said that when he was 13 years-old and one of his parents was dying Buchette came to the family's home where he prayed the rosary, then later molested the boy in the rectory.

MA 3/3 Parish had a school with 356-180 boys and 351-202 girls. After 1972, there is no longer a school listed.
1976 1981 St. John-St. Hugh's

Boston (Roxbury)

Accused of molesting
two boys, who were brothers, at St. Hugh's. One accuser said that in about 1980 Buchette tried to rape him and offerred the boy one of his deceased sister's bowling trophies if he allowed the priest to molest him.

MA 2/2 Parish had a school with 200-100 students.
1981 1982 Sick Leave        

1982

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

1994 St. Kevin's Dorchester MA 3/3, 4/4 Parish had a school with 500-363 students.
1994 1996         Buchette is not indexed in the 1995 nor 1996 Directories.
1996 1997 Awaiting Assignment        
1997 1999 Retired        

1999

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

2003 Senior Priests       Buchette is not indexed in the Directories after 2003. He was defrocked in 2006.


Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: Kenedy & Sons, 1958-2003).

Deep Cuts Loom in Spending by Church, By Walter V. Robinson and Thomas Farragher, Boston Globe, March 5, 2003
Past Franklin Priest Accused of Sex Abuse, By Emelie Rutherford, Milford Daily News, June 2, 2003
Latest Batch of Church Files Implicates More Priests, Associated Press, December 18, 2002
Retired Priest Faces More Abuse Allegations, Milford Daily News, July 11, 2003
Four Intend to Settle Franklin Church Abuse Claims, By Emelie Rutherford, Milford Daily News, September 11, 2003
Archdiocese of Boston Announces Individuals No Longer in the Clerical State, Press Release, Archdiocese of Boston, March 17, 2006
8 Clergymen Are Dismissed by the Vatican, Boston-Area Clerics Accused of Sexually Abusing Children, By Michael Levenson and Charles A. Radin, Boston Globe, March 18, 2006
8 Former Hub Priests Defrocked by Vatican for Abuse, By O'Ryan Johnson, Boston Herald, March 18, 2006
Former Local Priests Defrocked over Sexual Allegations, By Nicole Simmons, Metro West Daily News, March 18, 2006
Abuse Suspects
Vatican Defrocks Seven Area Priests; Five of Them Had Served on the South Shore, By Sue Reinert, Patriot Ledger, March 18, 2006
Archdiocese Releases List of Priests Accused of Abuse, By Julia Spitz, MetroWest Daily News, August 26, 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 Buchette'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 September 8, 2015.

 
 

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