Assignment Record – Bro. Armand Thibault, S.C. aka Bro. Raymond aka Rev. Armand J. Thibault, S.M.

Summary of Case: Thibault was a member of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, New England Povince for 30 years, 21 of which he spent as an educator in the Brothers' African missions. He left the the order to enter the Marist Fathers in 1982 and was ordained a Marist priest in 1985. In 1992 Thibault was accused of fondling a 13 year-old boy, and of endangering another boy by giving him alcohol. He was found not guilty in an Oct. 1993 trial on the fondling charge, but pleaded "no contest" to the alcohol charge. He was fined and allowed a restricted ministry. Thibault was removed from all public ministry in Jan. 2002. He retired in 2009, and died in Aug. 2012.


First Vows: 1946
Final Vows: Aug. 24, 1950
Ordination to Priesthood: June 8, 1985
Retired: 2009
Died: Aug. 13, 2012



   

Start Stop Parish/Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1946

Providence bishop was Francis Patrick Keough (1934-1947)

     Pascoag RI   Thibault entered the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in 1946.

Keough was succeeded by Russell Joseph McVinney (1948-1971)

Bros. of the Sacred Heart NE Provincial was Brother Bartholomew, S.C. (1948-1954)

1950         Thibault professed final vows Aug. 24, 1950.
    St. Michael's College Colchester VT religious studies student  
    Boston University Boston MA religious studies student  

1953

Bro. Bartholomew was succeeded as Provincial by Bro. George Aime, S.C. (1954-1963)

1955 Sacred Heart School for Boys Sharon MA    

1956

Aime was replaced as Provincial by Bro. Leo Albert, S.C. (1963-1965), Bro. Fernand Berard, S.C. (1965-1970), then Bro. Ronald Dupuis, S.C (1970-1977)

1977 Brothers of the Sacred Heart African Missions   Lesotho and Zambia, Africa teacher  

1977

Providence bishop was Louis Edward Gelineau (1971-1997)

1982   Woonsocket RI    
1982 1985     MA   Thibault entered the Marist order to study for the priesthood. He was ordained a Marist priest in 1985.
    St. Anne's Lawrence MA    
1985 1987 St. Joseph's (French) Haverhill MA 3/3 St. Joseph's had a school with 409 students.

1987

Providence bishop was Louis Edward Gelineau (1971-1997)

1991 Immaculate Conception Westerly RI 3/3, 4/4 Immaculate Conception had a religious education program with 597n students.

1991

Portland bishop was Joseph John Gerry, O.S.B. (1988-2004)

1992 St. Joseph's Hamlin ME 2/2  
1991 1992 St. Bruno-St. Remi

Van Buren

• Thibault was accused in Sept. 1992 of fondling a 13 year-old boy, at a chapel cabin by a lake. Two boyscouts were said to have been spending the night with Thibault after working on renovations at the cabin.

ME 2/3 Thibault was removed from the parish. He was indicted in March 1993 on charges of unlawful sexual contact with a child under 14, and endangering the welfare of another child by providing beer. Thibault was found not guilty of the unlawful sexual contact in an Oct. 1993 trial, but he pleaded no contact to the endangerment charge. He was sentenced to a fine of $750.00
1991 1992 St. Rose Van Buren ME   This was a mission of St. Bruno-St. Remi.
1992 1993         Thibault is not indexed or listed at his previous assignments in the 1993 Directory.
mid-June 1994 mid-January 1995 New Life Center   VA patient  

1995

Boston archbishop was Bernard Francis Law (1984-2002), followed by Sean Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap.
(2003-)

2009 Our Lady of Victories Boston MA in residence Thibault was allowed to live at this Marist Shrine, but was restricted from public ministry. In Jan. 2002 he was restricted from "any and all" public ministry.
2009   Retired/Marist House Framingham MA    
  Aug. 13, 2012 Retired/The Golden Living Center

Norwood MA resident Thibault died Aug. 13, 2012

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1986-2011)

• Summary by Marist Superior, Jan. 8, 1995
• Letter to Marist Provincial, March 3, 1995
• Newly Released Files Identify More Alleged Abusive Priests, By Robin Washington and Marie Szaniszlo, Boston Herald, December 17, 2002
• Attorneys Release Records on 10 More Priests, Brothers, By Michael Rezendes and Matt Carroll, Boston Globe, December 17, 2002
• Maine AG Report Feb. 24, 2004, page 4
• Rev. Armand J. Thibault, S.M., By Raymond and Cathy Williams, Tributes.com, August 15, 2012
• Rev. Armand J. Thibault, S.M., Southcoast Today, August 15, 2012


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 Thibault'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 Nov. 7, 2012