Assignment Record – Rev. Leo James "Jim" Michaud

Summary of Case: Fr. Jim Michaud was ordained for the Portland, Maine diocese in 1977. He ministered as an assistant in Lewiston, Augusta and Biddeford parishes until 1986, when he assumed the role of pastor at St. Ann's Indian Island Church in Old Town. Michaud was pastor of St. Joseph's in Ellsworth when he was removed in April 2002, due to the surfacing of an allegation that he sexually abused a teen boy in the 1970s, beginning when Michaud was a seminarian. In 2007 the bishop stated that the diocese had no proof that Michaud had abused a minor, but that the priest should stay out of public ministry because of "other misconduct". He continues to be indexed in the Official Catholic Directory through at least 2012 as "Special or Other Diocesan Assignment".

Ordained: 1977

   

Start Stop Parish/Assignment Town/Accusations State/Country Position Notes

1974

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

1977 Holy Rosary

Caribou

• Michaud was accused in April 2002 of having sexually abused a teen boy, ages 16-19, in Maine about 25 years previously. Michaud was a seminarian when the abuse is said to have begun, and a priest for a month or so when it ended.

ME seminarian Michaud was a seminarian at Catholic University in Washington, DC. He also spent time at Holy Rosary.
1977 1978 Holy Family Lewiston ME 3/4 Holy Family had a religious education program.
1978 1982 St. Augustine's Augusta ME 3/3 St. Augustine's had a school with 253-280 students.
1982 1986 St. Joseph's Biddeford ME 3/4 St. Joseph's had a school with 393-300 students.

1986

O'Leary was succeeded by Joseph P. Gerry, o.s.b. (1988-2004).

1995 St. Ann's Indian Island Church Old Town ME 1/1 The Directories show a religious education program at St. Ann's beginning in 1992, with 152-130 students.
1995 1996         MIchaud is not indexed in the 1996 Directory.
1996 2002 St. Joseph's Ellsworth ME 1/1 St. Joseph's had a religious education program with 175-102 students.
1996 2002 Our Lady of the Lake Green Lake ME   This was a mission of St. Joseph's in Ellsworth.
1996 2002 St. Margaret's Winter Harbor ME  

This was a mission of St. Joseph's in Ellsworth.

Michaud was removed from ministry in April 2002 after an accusation surfaced that he sexually abused a teen boy in the 1970s.

2002 2003         Michaud is not indexed in the 2003 Directory.

2003

Richard Joseph Malone succeeded Gerry as Portland bishop (2004-2013).

2012 Special or Other Diocesan Assignment Ellsworth ME  

Michaud is indexed in the 2004-2012 Directories as James L. Michaud, '77.

In 2007 the Bishop Malone stated there was "no proof" Michaud abused a minor, but that he should not be in public ministry due to "other misconduct".

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1978-2012)

• Diocese Removes Another Priest, The Rev. Leo James Michaud of St. Joseph's Parish in Ellsworth Becomes the Third Maine Priest to Be Removed by Bishop Gerry in the Wake of Sexual-Abuse Allegations, By David Connerty, Portland Press Herald (Maine), April 28, 2002
• Bishop Removes Third Maine Priest, Pastor Accused of Sexually Abusing Minor, By Judy Harrison, Bangor Daily News (Maine), April 29, 2002
• Bishop Gerry Cites Sexual Misconduct, By Jennifer Osborn, ellsworthamerican.com, May 2, 2002
• Bishop Releases Names of Accused Priests, Malone Changes Procedure Regarding Public Notification, WMTW [Maine], January 28, 2007
• Bishop Names Accused Priests, By Judy Harrison Bangor Daily News [Bangor ME], January 29, 2007



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 Michaud'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 April 27, 2014.