Assignment Record– Rev. Louis Toma, P.S.S.C.

Summary of Case: Toma, a priest of the Scalabrini order ordained in 1908, was pastor of an East Boston parish for nearly 50 years, during which time he is accused of having sexually abused "numerous" girls. Toma died in 1961. In 2005 some of his victims asked that a bust of his image and the inscription of his name on the parish youth center be removed. Their request was granted in October 2006. The director of the archdiocesan Victims' Support Office said there was no doubt the women were "telling a terrible truth."

Ordained
: 1908
Died: July 9, 1961

   

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1908

Boston archbishop was William Henry O'Connell (1907-1944).

1912 Sacred Heart (Italian) Boston MA 2/4, 3/5, 3/4  

1912

O'Connell was succeeded by Richard James Cushing (1944-1970).

1961 St. Lazarus (Italian)

(East) Boston

In 2005 some women told the archdiocese that Toma had sexually abused them and numerous other girls at this parish. The archdiocesan Victims' Support Office director stated that "There was absolutely no doubt that these women were telling a terrible truth." (Boston Globe
October 14, 2006)

MA 1/1, 1/2, 1/3

Parish had a school with 78-228 boys and 135-244 girls

Toma died July 9, 1961.

In 2005, victims of Toma complained to the archdiocese that a bust of Toma which stood on the church's grounds, as well as Toma's name inscribed on the parish's youth center, were constant painful reminders of Toma's abuse of them when they were young girls. After much discussion, and listening to the victims tell their stories, the parish council agreed to remove the bust and to rename the parish youth center. (The Pilot
October 20, 2006)


Source
: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1909-1962 )

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 Toma'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 November 4, 2015.