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Rev. Charles Authier


Summary of Case:
Worked in the dioceses of Amos in Quebec, Canada, and the Dioceses of Lafayette LA, Springfield MA, and Manchester NH.  Accused of sexually abusing a 12- to 13 year-old youth at Saint Charles Church and School in Dover NH, in a civil suit involving allegations by 16 people against 7 priests. The entire case settled in October 2002. Authier died in 1980. His name was included on the Manchester diocese's list in of accused in July 2019.

Ordained: 1944
Died: 1980

 

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes
1944            Per a news article in 1954, Authier was ordained in Springfield MA, taught English at "the seminary'" and worked in the dioceses of Springfield MA, and Amos, Quebec, Canada. (The Eunice News, September 23, 1954) 

1950

Springfield bishop was Christopher Joseph Weldon (1950-1977)

1953 Assumption Chicopee MA

3/3

Parish had a school with 202-181 boys and 199-201 girls.
1953  1954          Authier is not indexed in the 1954 Directory, which shows assignments for 1953-54. 

1954

Lafayette LA bishop was Jules Benjamin Jeanmard (1918-1956), followed by Maruice Schexnayder (1956-1972).   

1956? St. Ann's Mamou  LA  

Authier is not indexed in the 1955 or 1956 Directories. A 1954 news article places him at this parish in 1954.

1956

Manchester bishop was Matthew Francis Brady (1944-1959).

1957 St. Anne's Berlin NH 3/3 Parish had a school with 218 boys and 199 girls.
1957 1959 Leave of Absence      

 

1959

Brady was replaced as bishop by Ernest John Primeau (1959-1974).

1960 St. Anne's Berlin NH   St. Anne's school had 243 boys and 230 girls.
1960 1963 Infant Jesus Nashua NH 3/3 Parish had a school with 233-197 boys and 202-194 girls.
1963 1964 St. Augustine's Manchester NH 3/4 Parish had a school with 283 boys and 266 girls.
1964 1971 St. Charles

Dover

A lawsuit settled in 2002 named Authier as having repeatedly sexually abused a 12- year-old altar boy at this parish. (Manchester Union Leader
October 12, 2002)

NH 3/3, 2/3, 2/2 Parish had a school with 156-132 boys and 131-138 girls. Beginning with the 1969 Directory, a parish school is no longer listed.
1971 1972 Our Lady of Lourdes Pittsfield NH 1/1  
1971 1972 St. Joseph's Northfield NH   This was a mission of Our Lady of Lourdes in Pittsfield.

1972

Primeau was replaced as bishop by Odore Joseph Gendron (1974-1990).

1980 Immaculate Conception Troy NH 1/1  
1972 1980 St. Joseph's Fitzwilliam NH  

This was a mission of Immaculate Conception in Troy.

Authier died July 24, 1980.


Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: Kenedy & Sons, 1951-1981).

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.

 
 

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