May 31. 2003

Rev. Bagley resigns pastorate at St. Mary in Grafton

Kathleen A. Shaw,TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER- The Rev. John J. Bagley has resigned his pastorate so that a new permanent pastor can be named.

Rev. Bagley, a former Vatican and diocesan official who was last pastor of St. Mary Church, North Grafton, was removed last year by Bishop Daniel P. Reilly after an allegation was made that he raped an underage boy in 1967 in the rectory of Christ the King Church.

Deacon Nicholas M. CaraDonna, who has administered St. Mary's parish, said in the May 25 parish bulletin that Bishop Reilly requested Rev. Bagley's resignation and he complied "for the good of the parish, its parishioners and the church. He did this unselfishly so the bishop could appoint another pastor to shepherd us."

Raymond L. Delisle, spokesman for the diocese, did not answer requests for information on who among the seven accused priests removed by Bishop Reilly were asked to resign, how many have resigned, and exactly who has resigned.

Bishop Reilly recently sent out letters to accused priests asking them to resign or face removal. Joseph D. Early, lawyer for the Rev. Joseph A. Coonan, pastor of St. John's parish, said his client was not asked to resign. Bishop Reilly also removed and placed on administrative leave the Rev. Raymond P. Messier of St. Francis of Assisi in Athol and St. Peter Church in Petersham; the Rev. Chester J. Devlin of St. Bernardette, Northboro; the Rev. Peter J. Inzerillo, associate pastor of St. Leo Church, Leominster; the Rev. Gerard P. Walsh of St. Roch Church, Oxford; and the Rev. Lee F. Bartlett of Sacred Heart, Worcester.

The Rev. Jean-Paul Gagnon of St. Augustine, Millville, is on personal leave after a civil suit was filed alleging that he sexually abused Timothy P. Staney of Worcester, and he has not been removed from his parish.

District Attorney John J. Conte said last week he had more than one alleged victim who came forward with regard to Rev. Bagley. He said he was turning over his files to the Toronto Police Service because of an allegation that Rev. Bagley took an underage Central Massachusetts youth into Canada, where the youth was sexually abused. The statute of limitations in Massachusetts had expired, but Mr. Conte said there was no statute of limitations on this particular crime in Canada.

Rev. Bagley received support from Deacon CaraDonna, who said in the bulletin he was "greatly saddened" by the second allegation. He added that Rev. Bagley was "devastated" by an allegation more than 30 years old. "He had no prior knowledge of the allegation throughout these 15 months either from the district attorney's office nor from the diocese!" he said.

The deacon said he had known Rev. Bagley for several years, "and I will testify as to his character, honesty, veracity and holiness as a priest. Never, never have I ever detected anything that could be construed as a person other than one who is priestly, who leads by example, love and faithfulness to the mission of Jesus Christ."

He said Rev. Bagley, 69, "is unable to defend himself against these allegations for a number of reasons. He doesn't have the kind of financial resources nor the years that it could take to fight to clear his good name. He is on his own! Instead, he will go down silently because of his love for you, his family and his Church."

February 22, 2002  

Rev. Bagley's removal stuns parish

By Dan De Leo,Telegram & Gazette Staff

GRAFTON -- Eight years ago, the Rev. John J. Bagley swept into St. Mary's Parish with decades' worth of experience as a Catholic priest and big plans for the small, plain church to which he was assigned.

In just a few years, he spearheaded a massive expansion/renovation project that would cost nearly $1 million, and he energized a parish that some say was suffering from spiritual doldrums. Now parishioners are reeling from the news that Rev. Bagley has been accused of sexual misconduct with a minor. The man who was once a commanding presence in the pulpit -- and a skilled organizer and fund-raiser -- is now nowhere to be found. He has been placed on administrative leave and even his closest friends in the parish say they don't know where he is. They say no one saw this scandal coming.

``There were no signs, no whispering, no back-door comments,'' said Roger D. Demers, a selectman and member of St. Mary's parish. ``There was no foreknowledge at all.''

Rev. Bagley was removed from his pastorship Wednesday by Bishop Daniel P. Reilly of the Catholic Diocese of Worcester. That action followed a man's accusation against Rev. Bagley of sexual misconduct with a minor that allegedly occurred while the priest was assigned to Christ the King parish in Worcester in 1967. The accuser's name has not been released.

A former official with the Vatican, Rev. Bagley was described as a priest who was well-connected within the Catholic Church's hierarchy. Some parishioners even wondered if he might become bishop one day.

His mark on St. Mary's is the expansion project that transformed the small, nondescript church into a smartly appointed place of worship that, with 4,000 parishioners, has the largest membership in town. Rev. Bagley raised more than $800,000 for the project. With that money, he purchased adjacent land for a large parking lot, a wood-frame home and built a large brick addition onto the side of the existing structure, including a bright, airy lobby and stately bell tower.

But as ambitious as he was, he also connected with people, said Charles Bolack, publisher and editor of The Grafton News who said he is a friend of Rev. Bagley. Mr. Bolack learned about Rev. Bagley's hasty departure when he picked up the Telegram & Gazette yesterday morning.

``This is a sad situation and everybody is disturbed by it,'' Mr. Bolack said. ``No matter what happened in the past, the record will show that he has been a good pastor and priest at St. Mary's. I think he'll get a lot of support from his parishioners.''

A St. Mary's official declined to comment and referred questions to the Diocese of Worcester, whose spokesman was unavailable. Monsignor Edmond T. Tinsley will preside at Masses this weekend and also will be available to parishioners.

Along with shock, some people expressed disbelief at the charge against Rev. Bagley. One parishioner, who asked that his name not be used, said, ``This has to take its course, be fully investigated. People should be assumed innocent until proven guilty. But I don't think his reputation will ever be the same after this, even though he's done tremendous good here.''

Rev. Bagley was ordained in 1965 and became pastor at St. Mary's in 1994, replacing the late Rev. Paul M. Couming, another popular priest. Before coming to St. Mary's, Rev. Bagley was pastor at Our Lady of the Angels Church in Worcester. Recently, he had just returned from a vacation in Anguilla, a small island in the West Indies.

Not long before that, he had discussed with some parishioners the child sex-abuse scandal rocking the Archdiocese of Boston.

Few parishioners believed such a scandal would ever touch their lives.

``You think an accusation like this is not going to happen to your priest and your church,'' said parishioner Christopher R. LeMay. ``And then it does.'' 

February 21, 2002

Rev. Bagley is removed from post

By Kathleen A. Shaw, Telegram & Gazette Staff

WORCESTER -- The Rev. John J. Bagley, former chancellor for the Catholic Diocese of Worcester and a former official at the Vatican, was removed from his pastorship at St. Mary's parish in North Grafton yesterday because of an allegation involving sexual misconduct with a minor.

Rev. Bagley was officially placed on administrative leave by Bishop Daniel P. Reilly. Diocesan spokesman Raymond L. Delisle said Rev. Bagley left the parish yesterday, adding that he did not know where the priest went. Rev. Bagley most recently headed the diocesan Office of the Millennium and oversaw publication of a history of the Worcester Diocese.

Bishop Reilly said the alleged sexual misconduct with a minor occurred in 1967.

``The person making the allegation called Monsignor Tinsley last Thursday and I made myself available to him by phone,' the bishop said yesterday. Rev. Bagley was assigned to Christ the King parish from 1961 to 1967.

The bishop said he learned in this conversation with the man that the late Bishop Timothy J. Harrington was told of the sexual misconduct in 1994 ``but that was as far as either party had taken it.'' Rev. Bagley in 1994 was reassigned by Bishop Harrington from Our Lady of the Angels parish in the city to the North Grafton parish.

Speaking of the alleged victim, the bishop said, ``Although he is relieved by our response, he is undecided if he will bring this to the district attorney. If he chooses to do so, we will cooperate fully with the DA's office in their investigation of the allegation.''

District Attorney John J. Conte last week asked the diocese to turn over the names of all priests accused of sexual misconduct and the names of their victims. He said Tuesday that he had not yet heard from the diocese on whether it will comply. Mr. Delisle said the diocese and the district attorney's office are discussing what kind of information is needed.

Mr. Delisle, after speaking with Monsignor F. Stephen Pedone, judicial vicar for the diocese, said the allegation about Rev. Bagley will not be reported to the Vatican under new norms issued by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which can decide to hold secret tribunals in Rome or in the diocese.

Mr. Delisle said the diocese is complying with civil and criminal laws of Massachusetts, not the Vatican's new rule. He said the Vatican statement refers more to religious orders than to individual dioceses.

In the meantime, the bishop is acting to see that the needs of St. Mary's parishioners are met.

Deacon Nicholas CaraDonna Jr., who is in full-time ministry at St. Mary's, will oversee administration of the parish, the bishop said. Monsignor Edmond T. Tinsley will preside at all Masses this weekend and will be available to parishioners ``to express my concern and the support of the diocese,'' Bishop Reilly said.

``I will also be conferring with Deacon CaraDonna and other parish leaders to determine what more assistance is needed by the parish.

``These are difficult times for many people, including the person making the allegation and the person's family, as well as the entire St. Mary's parish family which Father Bagley has served as pastor for eight years,'' the bishop added.

``As we continue to deal with this allegation, I ask for your prayers and support for all those who have faced upheaval in their lives due to child abuse and for all who continue to work towards the protection and well-being of children,'' the bishop said.

Rev. Bagley, a native of Leominster, entered seminary in 1956 and studied one year at St. John's in Brighton. He then was assigned by the late Bishop John J. Wright to study at the North American College in Rome.

He was ordained there on Dec. 18, 1960. He returned from Rome and was assigned to St. Mary's parish in Uxbridge before moving to Christ the King in Worcester. He later was assigned to Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish.

In 1971, Rev. Bagley, then 37, was appointed director of the Bishop's Office for United States Visitors to the Vatican and in 1972 was named to head the Papal Audience office for American bishops in Rome. He also served as assistant superior of the graduate house of studies at North American College.

After returning to Worcester in 1973, he was appointed assistant chancellor for the diocese and became vocations director in 1974. With then-Auxiliary Bishop Timothy J. Harrington, he served as co-chancellor in 1980. He was assigned to pastorate at Our Lady of the Angels parish in 1984.