December 27, 2006

Decision on sex offender treatment delayed

By Danielle Williamson/ Milford DAILY NEWS STAFF

An ailing, retired Bellingham priest convicted last year of sexual abuse remains in Canada while awaiting a court date to see if he can skip sex offender treatment.

The Rev. Paul Desilets, 82, formerly of Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, was scheduled to appear in front of a judge last Friday in Worcester Superior Court. His defense team, however, moved to postpone the hearing and a new date has not been set, one of Desilets' lawyers said yesterday.

A judge was expected last week to decide on Desilets' lawyers motion to spend the rest of his life at a retirement home in Quebec.

"He's almost an invalid," Desilets' Boston lawyer, Dennis Kelly, said in October. "Going through a sex offender rehabilitation program makes no sense to him. He's thousands of miles away and won't be leaving the infirmary."

Acceptance of Kelly's motion will allow Desilets who spent 1 to 1 1/2  years in state prison after pleading guilty last May to six charges of assault and battery and 26 counts of indecent assault and battery to avoid mandated sex offender treatment.

During sentencing last year, Judge Timothy Hillman ordered Desilets to serve 10 years probation after his release from prison. As part of his probation, Desilets was to have no contact with his victims, no unsupervised contact with children under 18, and undergo sex offender treatment.

Desilets' lawyers have argued for the sex offender treatment to be dropped because their client is too old and physically ill. Completing the treatment, Kelly said, would be unnecessary and a waste of resources.

"Going through a sex offender rehabilitation program makes no sense for him," Kelly said. "He has no assets he took a vow of poverty when he was 16. He'd be a significant drain on the state of Massachusetts by either being a street person or on welfare."

In previous interviews, Desilets' victims have expressed outrage that their abuser may not fulfill his original probation requirements.

One victim, a former altar boy, said in October he did not care how old or sick Desilets was.
"You have to pay for the crime you committed, I don't care if you're 17 or 90," said Joseph Fleuette, 42, of Bellingham.

Since his October release, a judge has let Desilets remain under the supervision of a Canadian cleric at a retirement home in Quebec, a spokesman with Worcester County District Attorney John Conte's office has said.

Desilets signed an extradition waiver and was told in October to return to Worcester Superior Court in December for a final decision on the sex offender treatment request.

"There's been no change in the conditions of his release," said Paul Mastrocola, another one of Desilets' lawyers. "Father Desilets remains at the location he was ordered to go to."

Desilets moved to Les Clercs de St. Viteaur in Quebec where he is currently housed in 1984, and was arrested there in October 2002 after police investigated abuse allegations.

Desilets fought extradition for three years before returning to the United States in April 2005 to face charges he abused 18 altar boys at the now-closed Bellingham parish between 1978 and 1984.
He pleaded guilty to the charges within 20 days of his first court appearance.

Danielle Williamson can be reached at 508-634-7552 or dwilliam@cnc.com.

October 24, 2006

Desilets out of jail

By Danielle Williamson/ Daily News Staff

A retired Bellingham priest convicted last year of abusing 18 altar boys decades ago was released from prison yesterday and will return to court this winter to learn whether he can skip mandated sex offender treatment.  

The Rev. Paul Desilets, 82, was sentenced in Worcester Superior Court last May to 1 to 1 1/2 years at MCI-Cedar Junction after pleading guilty to six charges of assault and battery and 26 counts of indecent assault and battery.  

The former Our Lady of the Assumption Parish priest served 17 months before being released yesterday and placed under the supervision of a Canadian cleric, a spokesman with Worcester County District Attorney John Conte’s office said.  

Desilets, who is going back to his retirement home in Canada, signed a waiver of extradition and is scheduled to return to court Dec. 22, the spokesman said. A judge will decide at the December hearing whether to grant Desilets’ request to be excused from sex offender treatment because he is old and physically ill.  

Desilets’ lawyer, Dennis J. Kelly of Boston, could not be reached for comment yesterday. In previous interviews, he has said his client suffers from many health problems including vertigo, anemia and after-effects of childhood polio.  

"His lawyer is doing a good job for his client in trying every possible maneuver to get the easiest sentence," said Ann Hagan Webb of Wellesley, New England co-coordinator of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.  

"But (Desilets) is a man who ruined the lives of 18 boys. Why should his punishment be a year-and-a-half, then he gets to die in peace? That doesn’t seem like justice to me," she said.  
One of Desilets’ victims expressed displeasure yesterday that his abuser may not complete treatment as originally ordered.  

"I don’t care what his age is," said Joseph Fleuette, 42, of Bellingham, who was an altar boy for Desilets. "You have to pay for the crime you committed, I don’t care if you’re 17 or 90."  

During sentencing last year, Judge Timothy Hillman ordered Desilets to serve 10 years probation after his release from prison. As part of his probation, Desilets was to have no contact with his victims, no unsupervised contact with children under 18, and undergo sex offender treatment.  

"I accepted his prison sentence, and that alleviated a lot of the pain," Fleuette said. "But if (mandated treatment) doesn’t happen, what good is our judicial system?"  

After his release yesterday, Desilets headed to a Canadian retirement home for clergy with Hubert Hamelin, assistant provincial superior of Les Clercs de St. Viteaur in Quebec. Desilets moved to this retirement home in 1984, and was arrested there in October 2002.  

Desilets fought extradition for three years before returning to the United States in April 2005 to face charges he abused 18 former altar boys at the now-closed Bellingham parish between 1978 and 1984.  
He pleaded guilty to the charges within 20 days of his first court appearance 
Fleuette said he is doubtful Desilets will return to the United States to fulfill the conditions of his probation, despite signing an extradition waiver.  

"This is going to drag on until this man is dead," Fleuette said.  

Danielle Williamson can be reached at 508-634-7552 or dwilliam@cnc.com.

October 24, 2006

Priest who abused boys freed
Rev. Desilets, 82, completes sentence

By Gary V. Murray TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
gmurray@telegram.com

WORCESTER— An 82-year-old retired priest released from state prison yesterday after serving a sentence for sexually assaulting altar boys at a Bellingham parish more than 20 years ago will be allowed to return to his religious order in Canada.

Judge Jeffrey A. Locke has not yet ruled on whether the Rev. Paul M. Desilets, now on probation, will still be required to undergo sex-offender treatment, as previously ordered by the court.

Rev. Desilets was sentenced to 1 to 1-1/2 years in state prison on May 11, 2005, after pleading guilty in Worcester Superior Court to multiple counts of indecent assault and battery on a child, indecent assault and battery and assault and battery. The Catholic priest admitted assaulting 18 male victims from 1978 to 1984, when they were altar boys at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Bellingham and he was associate pastor.

In addition to imposing the state prison sentence under a plea agreement in the case, Judge Timothy S. Hillman, now a federal magistrate judge, placed Rev. Desilets on probation for 10 years, to begin upon his release from custody. As conditions of probation, Rev. Desilets was ordered to stay away from his victims, to have no unsupervised contact with anyone under age 18 and to undergo a sex-offender evaluation and any related treatment recommended by the court’s Probation Department.

Last Wednesday, five days before Rev. Desilets was scheduled to be released from the state prison in Shirley upon completion of his sentence, his lawyer filed a motion asking that the conditions of the retired cleric’s probation be amended. Lawyer Dennis J. Kelly asked that Rev. Desilets be excused from sex-offender counseling because of his advanced age and failing health and that he be allowed to move to Canada to live in an infirmary at his religious order, Les Clercs de St. Viateur in Joliette, province of Quebec. Mr. Kelley also requested that Rev. Desilets’ probation be changed from supervised to administrative, which would allow him to report to his probation officer by mail or telephone, rather than in person.

Chief Probation Officer Thomas A. Turco III told Judge Locke last week that he was trying to determine whether probation officials in Canada would be willing to take over supervision of Rev. Desilets’ case. Mr. Turco said Rev. Desilets should be required to complete the sex offender treatment across the border if Canada agreed to accept the transfer of supervision.

Assistant Chief Probation Officer Jean M. Orawsky told the judge yesterday that her office had still not received an answer to its transfer request. Ms. Orawsky also told Judge Locke it was likely that Rev. Desilets, whose plans to live with a relative after his release from prison fell through, would end up living in a shelter without monitoring or medical assistance if he were not allowed to move back to Canada. Rev. Desilets was extradited from Canada in 2005 after being indicted in 2002.

February 18, 2005

Desilets is likely to return
Canada court OKs priest’s extradition

Kathleen A. Shaw Telegram & Gazette Staff

WORCESTER— The extradition of the Rev. Paul M. Desilets, who was indicted in 2002 by a Worcester grand jury in the alleged sexual abuse of 18 young men and boys in Bellingham, moved closer last week when the Quebec Court of Appeal upheld a decision by the justice minister to allow him to be ordered back to Massachusetts to face charges.

District Attorney John J. Conte said yesterday that Rev. Desilets has the right to appeal the decision to the Canadian Supreme Court.

Rev. Desilets, 81, had attempted to avoid deportation from Quebec but the appeals court in Montreal upheld Justice Minister Irvin Cotler’s May decision to extradite the priest to the United States. The judgment was rendered on Feb. 9, according to a spokesman for the appeals court.

Mr. Conte, who first sought extradition on Aug. 22, 2002, said yesterday he was informed of the Canadian court decision through the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., which initiated the extradition proceedings at his request.

The priest was indicted here on 16 charges of indecent assault and battery on a person under 14, 10 charges of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14, and 10 charges of assault and battery, Mr. Conte said.

Rev. Desilets was a priest at Our Lady of the Assumption parish, Bellingham, when the alleged incidents happened between Sept. 1, 1978, and Aug. 31, 1984. Bellingham is in the Boston Archdiocese, but the town is in Mr. Conte’s district.

Canadian police arrested Rev. Desilets in October 2002 at the request of American authorities. He faces no charges in Canada. Rev. Desilets, a member of the Order of St. Viateur, moved to Canada in 1984. He was living at a retirement home for clergy in Joliette, Quebec. He has diabetes and suffers from the effects of polio that he had as a child.

Mr. Conte was successful in extraditing another priest from Canada to face criminal sexual abuse charges. The Rev. Joseph A. Fredette was sent back to Worcester in 1995 from New Brunswick by order of a Canadian court. He had fled to Canada in the 1970s after Worcester police issued a warrant for his arrest over alleged sexual abuse of boys in his care at the former Come Alive program for troubled teenagers.

May 12, 2005

The retired priest appeared in court yesterday in a wheelchair.
Desilets sentence is 1 to 1-1/2 years

By Gary V. Murray,TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER -- He could not recall the names or faces of all of the 18 men who have accused him of sexually assaulting them more than 20 years ago, when they were altar boys at Our Lady of the Assumption parish in Bellingham and he was the associate pastor.

But 82-year-old retired priest Paul M. Desilets said he did remember the unlawful conduct that led to the charges against him.

Rev. Desilets was sentenced to 1 to 1-1/2 years in state prison yesterday, after pleading guilty in Worcester Superior Court to 16 counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14, 10 counts of indecent assault and battery and 6 counts of assault and battery.

In addition to imposing the prison sentence, Judge Timothy S. Hillman placed Rev. Desilets on probation for 10 years, to begin upon his release from custody. The sentence handed down was recommended by Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey T. Travers and Rev. Desilets’ lawyer, Dennis J. Kelly.

Gaunt, unshaven and reportedly in poor health, Rev. Desilets appeared to nod off at times during the court proceedings, prompting Judge Hillman to ask on more than one occasion if he was awake and understood what he was doing. Rev. Desilets responded affirmatively and his lawyer reassured the court that his client was fully cognizant of what was going on, despite being a little tired.

Rev. Desilets was indicted in 2002, and was extradited from Canada April 22 to face the sexual assault charges. He was ordered held on $100,000 cash bail after his return. While in custody, he was hospitalized, reportedly suffering from diabetes and the effects of childhood polio.

The offenses to which he pleaded guilty yesterday occurred from 1978 to 1984, while Rev. Desilets was assigned to the Bellingham parish. Mr. Travers said the 18 victims were sexually assaulted by Rev. Desilets on or around church property.

Had the case gone to trial, Mr. Travers told the judge, the victims would have testified that Rev. Desilets sexually assaulted them by touching their buttocks and genitals, either over or under their clothing. The prosecutor said the victims, who were identified only by their initials and dates of birth, did not consent to the priest’s sexual advances.

Several of the victims were in court yesterday. One read from a poem titled The Betrayal, that he said he had written and dedicated to the survivors of clergy sexual abuse. You’ve shattered young lives at the cost of your soul … This is something even the angels can never forgive.

Another victim read from an impact statement in which he decried what he said was the great injustice he had suffered at the hands of Rev. Desilets and the Catholic church. I have lost faith in the Catholic church, but I have not lost faith in God.

In urging Judge Hillman to adopt the sentence he and Mr. Travers had proposed, Mr. Kelly said his client wished to accept responsibility for his misconduct. Mr. Kelly said there have been no similar allegations against Rev. Desilets since his move to Canada in 1985.

Rev. Desilets also apologized to the court and to his victims, saying in a barely audible voice, I’m sorry for what happened.

One victim later said the apology meant little to him and that he felt no sense of closure from Rev. Desilets’ guilty pleas.

I have a lot of empathy for old people, but for him I have no empathy. He’s been haunting my dreams for years, said another victim. He said he was 9 years old when he was first molested by Rev. Desilets.

Rev. Desilets was given credit for 17 days he spent in custody while his case was pending. As conditions of probation, he was ordered to have no contact with the victims, and no unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender and to undergo any sex-offender counseling deemed appropriate by the Probation Department.

David Clohessy of St. Louis, national director of Survivors Network of Those Abuse by Priests, lauded the efforts made by law enforcement to extradite Rev. Desilets. We also hope that this move will inspire other prosecutors to more aggressively seek the extradition of dozens of other proven, admitted and credibly accused abusive priests who have fled the country.

Mr. Clohessy said the organization, which supports and advocates for victims of clergy abuse, is grateful that Rev. Desilets pleaded guilty, and hopes this provides some comfort and consolation to his victims and their families.

The director, who is also a clergy abuse survivor, said they hope that other alleged victims of Rev. Desilets come forward and get the healing they need and deserve.

He said there is no magic age when a serial predator stops molesting minors. He urged people to remain vigilant around the priest. Even very elderly molesters have been caught hurting children.

Kathleen A. Shaw of the Telegram & Gazette staff contributed to this report

January 11, 2004

Desilets given 30-day extension

JO C. GOODE, Staff Writer

BELLINGHAM -- Former Assumption Church priest Paul M. Desilets, who faces 32 counts of abusing altar boys during his tenure at the south Bellingham parish, was given 30 days to file an appeal on his extradition from Canada in a hearing yesterday at the Quebec Superior Court in Montreal.

The 79-year-old retired priest apparently waived his right to the extradition hearing before Justice Minister Martin Cauchon. The justice then has 90 days to a make the decision whether he will order Desilets sent back to Massachusetts to face charged against him in Worcester Superior Court, according to District Attorney John J. Conte.

Desilets was released pending a final appeal, but ordered to stay in Quebec and stay away from minors. He presently lives in a Montreal nursing home.

A member of the Order of the Clerics of Saint Viator in Quebec, Desilets served as parish priest at Our Lady of Assumption Parish from 1974 to 1984.

According to Conte, police detectives Sgt. Richard Perry and Christopher Ferreira investigated allegations the priest molested them. Lt. Kevin W. Ranieri said the detectives conducted a six-month long investigation before charges were filed.

A total of 18 men who served as altar boys at the church testified at a grand jury hearing last April and again in May. As a result of the former alter boys testimony, the grand jury returned 16 counts of indecent assault and battery of a child under 14, 10 counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 and older, and six counts of assault and battery, Conte said.

Desilets reportedly appeared pale and frail during the proceeding, and nodded when asked in French if he understood the proceeding. His lawyer, Guylaine Lavigne, spoke for Desilets and waived his right to a full extradition hearing.

Boston lawyer Jeffrey A. Newman, who is representing some of the alleged victims in a civil suit against Desilets and the Archdiocese of Boston, said the clock to extradite the accused priest "was not running that fast." However, the civil attorney said he and his clients would continue to be patient and wait to see justice served.

But with Desilets’ advanced age a concern, Newman said he planned a videotaped disposition with the priest soon as soon as he is extradited back.

"My hope he is a healthy elderly man. But no matter what, he should have to listen and talk to the people he’s damaged. I think that’s appropriate," Newman said.

November 11, 2003

Charged Priest Gets Appeal Option

Christopher J. Marshall, Framingham Metro West Daily News

The Assumption Parish priest accused of molesting 18 altar boys between 1974 and 1984 was given 30 days to appeal his extradition to Massachusetts, where he faces 32 charges of sexual abuse, according to a statement from Worcester District Attorney John Conte.

The Quebec Superior Court in Montreal, Canada, ruled yesterday the Rev. Paul M. Desilets, 79, can appeal his transfer to Massachusetts, where he faces charges in Worcester Superior Court that he molested 18 altar boys in the 1970s and early '80s.

The ruling, said one of his victims, is just another delay in an already prolonged process.

"It shouldn't have taken this long whatsoever," said Joseph Fleuette of Bellingham, whom Desilets allegedly molested several times a week for years at the Pulaski Boulevard parish.

"It just seems like our northern brothers are dragging their feet on this," he said.

Fleuette suspects Desilets will use his age and health as reasons to stay in Quebec.

"He's going to play up for sympathy in Canada, but he didn't have sympathy for the kids he molested," he said.

Yesterday was Desilets' third court appearance in Quebec since his arrest last October.

Canadian law officers arrested Desilets as a result of the district attorney's extradition request to the U.S. Department of Justice. The request was based on evidence discovered in an investigation by Bellingham Police Detectives Richard Perry and Christopher Ferreira, which was then presented to a grand jury in April and May 2002. The Worcester County grand jury then indicted Desilets on 32 counts of sexual abuse.

If he does not appeal the extradition, and is sent back to the United States, Desilets will face 16 counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, 10 counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older, and six counts of assault and battery.

In his statement, Conte said the court's decision yesterday is part of the extradition process under the treaty between the United States and Canada.

But Fleuette doubts Desilets will ever set foot in Worcester Superior Court.

"I'm not sure at this point if he'll ever come down," he said.

Even if he's prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, Fleuette says it won't solve the sex abuse crisis plaguing the Catholic Church. The solution, he said, must come the Catholic Church since it allowed the crimes to occur.

Desilets, a priest of the Order of the Clerics of Saint Viator in Quebec, served as priest at Assumption Parish in Bellingham from 1974 to 1984.

His attorney, Dennis J. Kelly of Burns and Levinson in Boston, and Jean A. Savard, attorney for the Clerics of St. Viator, could not be reached for comment.

October 22, 2002

Desilets arrested in Canada -
Ex-Bellingham priest to be arraigned today

Kathleen A. Shaw, Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA)

WORCESTER -- The Rev. Paul M. Desilets, 78, accused of molesting several boys in Bellingham before heading to Canada, was arrested yesterday by Canadian police in Joliette, Quebec.

He is scheduled to be arraigned today in Canada.
District Attorney John J. Conte, who began the extradition process several months ago, said the arrest resulted from an international extradition request he made in August.

Rev. Desilets is a priest with the Clerics of St. Viator, a French order with branches in many countries, including the United States.

He was indicted April 12 and again May 15 by a Worcester County grand jury. A total of 32 indictments were returned against him. Bellingham is in the Boston archdiocese, but falls within Mr. Conte's jurisdiction.

The indictments charge 16 counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14; 10 charges of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older; and six charges of assault and battery.

Rev. Desilets was a priest from 1978 to 1984 at Our Lady of the Assumption parish in Bellingham, where the alleged incidents happened. A 10-year statute of limitations in effect at the time was suspended when Rev. Desilets left the state and moved to Canada in 1984.

He has been living at a retirement home in Quebec. He had refused recent requests for comment, but in February told a reporter that allegations against him were ``exaggerated.''

According to personnel documents released by the Archdiocese of Boston in June, Desilets once told an altar boy he would ``burn in hell'' if he reported their contact.

Because of a Canadian extradition treaty with the United States, the extradition process should not be too complicated, Lawyers Weekly USA editor Paul Martinek said.

After Desilets' arraignment in Canadian federal court, Massachusetts must ask the U.S. Justice Department to request Canada's Justice Department for extradition, Martinek said. The Canadian federal judge will decide whether, when, and how to complete the extradition, which has to be finally approved by the Canadian Justice Minister.

A total of 18 of the alleged victims, former altar boys in the parish, presented evidence to Detectives Richard Perry and Christopher Ferreira of the Bellingham Police Department.

Jeffrey Newman, a Boston-area lawyer representing some of the alleged victims, told The Associated Press that his clients would be extremely relieved to hear that Rev. Desilets could be extradited.

``They've waited a long time; he was indicted this summer,'' he said. ``Obviously, the district attorney has taken this very seriously because it's complex to go through the treaties between countries. It would have been easy to let it lie low, but they didn't do that.''

Besides the Bellingham detectives, Mr. Conte credited Bellingham Police Chief Gerald A. Daigle, Massachusetts State Trooper Thomas Ryan, his supervisor, Lt. Francis Moore of the detective unit assigned to Mr. Conte's office, and Canadian law enforcement for their efforts.

October 22, 2002

Ex-Bellingham priest accused of sex abuse held in Canada

Tom Mashberg, Boston Herald

A former Bellingham priest indicted in Worcester County on 32 counts of child molestation was arrested in Canada yesterday after a complex international prosecution effort initiated by the Worcester County District Attorney's office.
The Rev. Paul M. Desilets, 78, was seized in Joliet, Quebec, and is scheduled to be arraigned there today, according to Worcester DA John J. Conte. There was no word on when he might be extradited.

Desilets allegedly abused 18 altar boys between 1978 and 1984 while serving at Bellingham's Our Lady of Assumption Parish, which is in the Archdiocese of Boston. Desilets is a Springfield native who moved to Canada in 1963 and was ordained as a priest with the Clerics of St. Viator, a Catholic order.

He later served for about a decade, in the 1970s and '80s, in Bay State parishes, departing for Quebec under a cloud in 1985 to serve in the Valley Field Diocese in Rigaud. Some 36 New England men have come forward this year to accuse him of repeatedly fondling their genitals in parish basements.

According to personnel documents released by the archdiocese in June, Desilets once told an altar boy he would "burn in hell" if he reported the contact. Desilets has refused in recent months to comment on the charges, but in a telephone interview with the Herald in April, he said, "Isn't there a statute of limitations on such things?"

Jeffrey A. Newman, attorney for most of Desilets' alleged victims, said his clients are pleased the complex process of international arrest and extradition is working.

"They've waited a long time," Newman said. "He was indicted this summer. The district attorney has taken this very seriously, because it's complex to go through the treaties between countries."

Newman said his clients were "flabbergasted but ecstatic" to learn that Desilets has been arrested. He said they were worried the process would drag on for years.

Although a statute of limitations exists on Massachusetts sex-abuse charges, authorities here say the clock froze after Desilets crossed state lines to return to Canada. 

April 13, 2002 

FORMER BELLINGHAM PRIEST INDICTED

David Arnold, Globe Staff

A former associate pastor at Assumption Parish in Bellingham was indicted yesterday by a Worcester County grand jury on charges that he molested 18 boys while serving at that church between 1978 and 1984.

It is one of the few cases in the sexual abuse scandal involving priests in which the statute of limitations will not hinder prosecution, because the retired priest had left the country shortly after the alleged assaults.
Extradition proceedings against Paul M. Desilets, 78, of Rigaud, Quebec, will begin immediately, according to law enforcement officials. They were alerted to the allegations in January, when a number of men came forward to report they had been sexually assaulted by the priest when they were boys. It's the second indictment in Massachusetts of a Roman Catholic priest since the January conviction of defrocked pedophile priest John J. Geoghan.

"It's a first step. Now we have to get him back and into court. I won't feel justice until he's living in a little square cell made of cement, and he's as uncomfortable as he has made a lot of us," said James Corriveau, 34, of Bellingham, a former altar boy who was allegedly molested by Desilets.

The grand jury indicted Desilets on 27 counts of indecent assault and battery, 16 involving children under 14 years of age, Worcester District Attorney John J. Conte said. Prosecutors said some of the children were as young as 8 when the assaults began.

In recent months, 20 men, including Corriveau and his brother, Brian, have filed civil suits against Desilets and the Archdiocese of Boston alleging that they were molested by the priest and church leaders did not intercede, according to Boston attorney Jeffrey A. Newman, who represents the victims.

"Some of Desilets' victims were very badly damaged," Newman said. "Some of them have attempted suicide. And where did he go from here? Right up to Canada, where he oversaw youth programs."

Neither Desilets nor a spokeswoman for the archdiocese could be reached for comment last night.

Desilets was raised in Canada and ordained as a priest in 1963 by the order of the Clerics of Saint Viator. He served as associate pastor at the Assumption Parish in Bellingham from 1974 to 1984, but he took an unexplained leave of absence in 1980.

The Corriveau brothers allege in their suit that the archdiocese transferred Desilets after learning of sexual abuse allegations against him. In 1984, Desilets left Bellingham for Rigaud, Quebec.

In February, the Woonsocket Call of Rhode Island located Desilets in Rigaud, and he told the paper: "Alzheimer's was creeping up" so he could not recall what happened in Bellingham. In another interview, he told the Boston Herald he recalled the names of some of his accusers but dismissed their allegations as "exaggerations." Later, he asked: "Isn't there a statute of limitations?"

In 1984, the statute of limitations for Desilets' alleged crimes was six years. The clock stopped because he went to Canada. So any crime from 1978 to 1984 can be prosecuted, according to law enforcement officials.

"I think of that man and I think of hate, depression, and evil," said James Corriveau, who stressed that the plaintiffs were not "gold-diggers" but people who want to see Desilets and the church brought to justice. He declined to elaborate on the details of the alleged abuse he says he suffered as an altar boy.

"I will say this," he added. "It was sexual fondling in a sadistic manner."