Peter J. Inzerillo

March 6, 2004

Priest accused in suit of sexual assault, battery

Emilie Astell, T&G STAFF eastell@telegram.com

WORCESTER- The Rev. Peter J. Inzerillo, formerly of St. Leo's Church in Leominster, is named in a civil suit filed in Superior Court charging him with sexual assault and battery of a teenage boy a decade ago.

Rev. Inzerillo was one of eight priests removed by the Diocese of Worcester as a result of an investigation by the office of Worcester District Attorney John J. Conte into charges of clergy sexual abuse. Seventeen clerics have been charged with criminal sexual abuse involving children or teens; and eight, including Rev. Inzerillo, were removed from their pastoral duties, according to a report from Mr. Conte's office.

Rev. Inzerillo, who remains in the priesthood, is on administrative leave, according to Raymond L. Delisle, a spokesman for the diocese. Rev. Inzerillo was removed as pastor of St. Anthony de Padua Church in Fitchburg in 1994 and later resigned from that post.

The diocese does not comment on pending lawsuits, Mr. Delisle said.

The suit, filed this week by a plaintiff identified only as "John Doe," alleges that Rev. Inzerillo engaged in an inappropriate relationship with him when the young man was 15 or 16 years old.

On various dates between 1993 and 1994, Rev. Inzerillo, still the pastor of the Fitchburg church at the time, allegedly told the youth he loved him, hugged him, and fondled him. The two came in contact when the youth, who lived in Leominster at the time, visited St. Leo's. Rev. Inzerillo was a regular visitor to the Leominster parish as well.

The suit claims that John Doe, who now lives in Connecticut, suffered emotional distress, causing him to incur medical bills, lawyer's fees and costs. The suit seeks an unspecified amount in damages.

The suit also charges negligence by what it calls the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Worcester, listing the address of the diocese and the bishop's offices, 49 Elm St., Worcester. Worcester is not an archdiocese.

The lawsuit further charges that the "archbishop" ordained, hired and retained Rev. Inzerillo, although the "archbishop" allegedly knew that the priest molested children.

Lynnfield lawyer Joseph P. Dever, who represents John Doe, did not return calls made to his office yesterday.

March 6, 2004

Former Fitchburg pastor facing abuse suit

By Matt O'Brien

LEOMINSTER -- A man has sued former Fitchburg pastor Rev. Peter Inzerillo for allegedly abusing him when he was a teenager.

In a lawsuit filed last week in Worcester Superior Court, the man described only as "John Doe" said he "felt immediately nauseous" when Inzerillo allegedly brushed his hand up his leg last year, triggering memories of sexual abuse he said he suffered beginning in 1993.

"John Doe repressed the incidents of abuse and was unable to discover the causal connections between his (psychological injuries), and the acts of Fr. Inzerillo, until he saw Fr. Inzerillo approximately one year ago," the lawsuit states. "Fr. Inzerillo sat close to John Doe and intentionally brushed his hand up against his leg."

The accuser's lawyer, Lynnfield attorney Joseph Dever, filed the lawsuit, which asks for $76,500 in damages, but did not return calls for comment Monday.

Dever wrote that the alleged abuse of his client continued until 1994, the same year Inzerillo faced an unrelated lawsuit stemming from alleged sexual misconduct in the mid-1980s.

Inzerillo was vocational director for the Worcester Diocese until 1994, when decade-old allegations by Edward Gagne of Spencer caused the diocese to temporarily remove the priest from his duties, according to diocesan spokesman Ray Delisle and court records.

Gagne was a 19-year-old who said Inzerillo took advantage of him and abused him during those sessions in the mid-'80s.
The case was later settled out of court, leading to Inzerillo's reassignment as a functioning priest.

"There were no charges. There was no admission of his guilt," Delisle said. "It was agreement of no fault."

Delisle said Inzerillo voluntarily relinquished his canonical pastorship of St. Anthony Di Padua in 2000, but the diocese let the priest go back to work as an associate pastor at St. Leo's Church in Leominster.

In March 2002, Bishop Daniel Reilly placed Inzerillo, who lives in Leominster, on administrative leave from the Worcester Catholic Diocese.

"He was put back into ministry in 2001, and then in 2002 again put on administrative leave," Delisle said.

Inzerillo now lives at 187 Lancaster St., in a building also occupied by Colonial Florist Inc., according to the lawsuit.
Staff at the floral shop left a message for Inzerillo on Monday, but the priest has not called back.

The most recent lawsuit against the priest by "John Doe" asks for more than $76,500 in damages from Inzerillo and the "Roman Catholic Archbishop of Worcester."

The leader of the Worcester Diocese is a bishop, not an archbishop.

The suit accuses the "archbishop" of negligently supervising, training, and retaining Inzerillo and said "he knew or should have known" that Inzerillo had a propensity for abusive conduct.

Inzerillo regularly visited with the Leominster teenager in 1994 and 1995, when the teen was a young St. Leo's parishioner, according to the lawsuit.

"On one occasion," read the suit, "while the two were alone in a room, Fr. Inzerillo hugged John Doe, stating, 'I love you. You are special to me,' while fondling John Doe's genitals with his hands. ... John Doe became paralyzed with fear and shame."

April 1, 2002

Deal mandated silence
Accuser not allowed to discuss abuse allegations

Richard Nangle, Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA)

The confidential settlement that Edward Gagne of Spencer had to sign in 1999 to receive $300,000 from the Catholic Diocese of Worcester in a priest sexual abuse case required that he and his lawyers ask the diocese for permission before discussing his allegations with any governmental authorities.

Also, a letter from his lawyer notes that the legal counsel for the diocese at the time, James Reardon, stated during negotiations that jurors in Worcester County would rule against Mr. Gagne because they believe that ``the Catholic Church can do no wrong.''

In taking his confidentiality agreement public and releasing the letter, Mr. Gagne says he hopes to shine a light on diocesan policy that he and many other alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse believe is counterproductive to changing the church's culture of secrecy.

``This is more of the same behavior by an institution that has continued to practice in the Dark Ages,'' Mr. Gagne said in an interview.

``I could never let, nor comprehend the possibility of, another teen-ager being abused, or let what was forced on me be forced on another young adult,'' he said. ``That's why I went public in 1994, and that's why I'm speaking out now and have continued to until this day.''

Bishop Daniel P. Reilly placed the Rev. Peter Inzerillo, one of the two priests Mr. Gagne named in his suit, on administrative leave last week. A diocesan spokesman said the arrangement was made for the good of the parish.

Bishop Reilly's predecessor, Bishop Timothy J. Harrington, placed Rev. Inzerillo on leave in 1994 after Mr. Gagne filed his lawsuit. Bishop Reilly assigned Rev. Inzerillo to St. Leo Church in late 2000.

``The most empowering thing for victims to do is to speak out. When that happens, the feelings of powerlessness and helplessness over a period of time begin to diminish,'' Mr. Gagne said. ``It's incredible to experience the transformation.''

Mr. Gagne, now a planner in Worcester's Office of Employment and Training, said he received a telephone death threat after he filed the lawsuit.

The 1999 agreement yielded one of the largest lawsuit settlements ever by the diocese. The document states that the intention was to preserve ``the confidentiality of the settlement'' between Mr. Gagne and former Bishops Harrington and Bernard Flanagan and Rev. Inzerillo and the Rev. Brendan O'Donoghue, the other priest accused of sexual abuse in Mr. Gagne's lawsuit.

``The defendants have denied, and continue to deny, the allegations of the plaintiff,'' the agreement states. ``It is understood and agreed that any payments made are in compromise of a disputed claim and are not and shall not be deemed to be an admission with respect to the plaintiff's claims or to any allegations previously made or which could be made by the plaintiff.''

But it is the following clause that is most upsetting to Mr. Gagne:

``If requested by any governmental agency, or by any party to any civil litigation, by subpoena or otherwise, to give any information or deliver any documents pertaining to the resolution of these claims, plaintiff and plaintiff's attorney will respond by advising that the matter is subject to a confidentiality agreement and will give immediate notice of the request to the defendant Roman Catholic Bishop of Worcester.''

Mr. Gagne said he wanted to release the settlement agreement because the language shows that Rev. Inzerillo was as liable for the damages as any of the other people named.

He alleged that Rev. O'Donoghue sexually abused him when he was 13. Years later, when he decided to go into the seminary, Mr. Gagne said, he was introduced to Rev. Inzerillo, then the diocesan vocation director. He said he told Rev. Inzerillo he had been sexually abused by a priest. He then entered into a counseling relationship with Rev. Inzerillo, who denies the counseling occurred.

Rev. Inzerillo said he met with Mr. Gagne just twice -- the second time to inform him that he was not a suitable candidate for the priesthood.

Mr. Gagne says that in 1985 and 1986, the two met at the St. Anthony de Padua Church in Fitchburg 16 times. He alleges that Rev. Inzerillo hugged him several times during the meetings, for up to 15 or 20 minutes at a time.

Until last month, when Bishop Reilly first let it be known that he was reviewing Rev. Inzerillo's status, the diocese stood firmly behind the embattled priest. A spokesman noted that the alleged victim was 19 and an adult when the alleged improprieties occurred and that Rev. Inzerillo had never been found guilty of a crime.

That stance provoked considerable controversy and even infuriated some priests, according to Rev. Steven LaBaire, associate pastor of St. Luke the Evangelist Church in Westboro.

``How do they not see this as an issue in terms of abuse of power, when someone is exploited sexually within the context of a counseling relationship?'' he asked.

Mr. Gagne said one of the reasons he decided to go public was because of his revulsion over how the diocese handled complaints from parishioners at St. Leo Church and parents of students who attend the parish school.

``The diocese has continued to ignore and conduct itself with misleading information to the parents of St. Leo School in Leominster,'' he said.

In a September 1996 letter to diocesan lawyers, Mr. Gagne's lawyer, Stephen J. Lyons, wrote, ``Although Inzerillo denies this, Gagne and Inzerillo were seen together at a restaurant during this time by an independent witness.

``Inzerillo used the opportunity to require Gagne to continue to see him as a counselor/therapist before he would work further with Gagne on completing the application process.''

The witness, Mr. Gagne said, was his aunt.

Mr. Gagne says it was during the therapy sessions, each of which he detailed in a journal at the time, that Rev. Inzerillo made subtle sexual advances toward him.

Mr. Lyons criticized Bishop Harrington, head of the diocese at the time of the alleged sexual abuse by Rev. Inzerillo.

``Harrington made the ultimate decision who was telling the truth,'' Mr. Lyons said.

``If he decided the accusations were false, he would warn the priest to be careful. If he decided the allegations were true, he claimed that he would refer the priest for treatment and offer treatment to the `alleged victim.' He never notified law enforcement authorities, even if he believed the allegations.
``He believed that any publicity would damage the diocese's reputation. He even used his authority to discourage victims from talking to others about the allegations by comparing sexual abuse to a divorce where `everybody gets hurt.' ''

Mr. Lyons also noted that Judge Daniel Toomey had affirmed that ``the diocese is liable for the acts and omissions of defendants O'Donoghue, Flanagan, Inzerillo and Harrington.'' criticized the diocese for having ``no formalized procedures for dealing with allegations of sexual misconduct by priests from 1959 through 1994.''

Mr. Lyons made reference to a conference with diocesan officials that he found particularly onerous. He wrote that one church official said that ``my client's damages are not significant because these disgusting events happened once -- or twice -- and that the plaintiff should not be so upset. Worse, I heard that, because my client might be gay, he may even have welcomed these deplorable incidents.''
At the end of the letter, Mr. Lyons criticizes Mr. Reardon for being ``quite vocal about the inability of my client to obtain an impartial jury of his peers in Worcester County. It was asserted that the Worcester area is a mostly blue-collar, Catholic, working-class community that `likes the Catholic Church' and believes that `the Catholic Church can do no wrong.' ''

Two years later, a Worcester Superior Court judge barred Mr. Reardon -- who is now deceased -- from future depositions in the Gagne case, finding the lawyer ``repeatedly disrupted the depositions by raising improper objections, instructing the witnesses not to answer questions without justification and even, on one occasion, by threatening the witness ... with legal consequences if he answered the particular questions.''

A year later, the diocese agreed to settle the case.

March 19, 2002

Leominster parishioners demand priest's removal

ROBIN WASHINGTON and TOM MASHBERG, Boston Herald

LEOMINSTER -- As the Archdiocese of Boston prepares to hand Attorney General Tom Reilly the full details of child sex abuse allegations involving its priests today, parents at St. Leo's Parish here are demanding the Worcester Diocese remove an associate pastor they worry could be a danger to children.

The call to oust the Rev. Peter J. Inzerillo, who was named with retired Rev. Brendan W. O'Donoghue in a sexual misconduct suit settled in 1999 for $300,000, comes as another alleged victim files suit against O'Donoghue today.

Craig Lacaire, 36, of Spencer is filing suit in Worcester Superior Court claiming O'Donoghue raped and sodomized him at Our Lady of the Rosary parish.

Lacaire was an altar boy at the Spencer church with Ed Gagne, who filed the previous suit claiming O'Donoghue molested him as a child and that Inzerillo did so when he was 19.

But that age distinction mattered little to parents dropping off kindergartners at the parish school yesterday.

"That's still a child in my eyes. That's somebody's kid," said one mother.

"I'm uncomfortable with (Inzerillo) being here because of the fact of the school being here. You bring them to a Catholic school to get the best education and feel that they're safe. That takes the whole `My child is safe' out of the picture. A lot of the mothers here have great concern," she said.

Daniel J. Shea, a lawyer practicing in Texas and Massachusetts, is representing three families with children at the school.

"We've told the bishop Inzerillo goes or there will be consequences. This is no longer pretty please or genuflecting," he said.

Shea said legal avenues include a possible suit charging Bishop Daniel P. Reilly with negligence for placing the priest at the parish despite having knowledge of accusations against him.

In a statement, diocese spokesman Ray Delisle said officials from the bishop's office and the Catholic School Department have been speaking with concerned parents for the past three weeks.

"It has been confirmed that all (of Inzerillo's) contact with children at the school has been in public or adult supervised capacities and that no details of specific wrongdoings are being presented," the statement said.

Shea disputed that, saying that last year Inzerillo spoke alone to a gathering of eighth-graders and immediately turned the conversation to sex, suggesting that boys responded to stimuli faster than girls because their genitalia are external instead of internal.

"If for nothing else, this man needs to be dismissed for monumental stupidity," Shea said.

The diocese statement also said the parents' concerns were "with having an associate pastor who has been involved in an allegation of wrongdoing against an adult, even though no liability was identified on anyone's part in that case's settlement."

The Rev. Steven LaBaire of St. Luke's the Evangelist in Westboro disputed that there was only one accusation against Inzerillo, however, saying that diocese lawyers were present when he gave a sworn deposition detailing another charge against the Leominster priest.

"There was no follow-up at all. In regard to the deposition it was very clear that they didn't want to have anything to do with it," LaBaire told the Herald last month.
The statement said Bishop Reilly is continuing an investigation of Inzerillo.

The diocese had no comment yesterday on the new suit that holds it responsible for the actions of O'Donoghue, who is listed in the Official Catholic Directory as retired, and did not return messages left at his Shrewsbury home.

Lacaire, a separated father of three, said he suffers endless night terrors and lives on disability income due to post-traumatic stress disorder because of the abuse, some of which he says took place in the sacristy at Our Lady.

"I've only now found the courage to come forward," he said.

Like Gagne, Lacaire once aspired to become a priest. He says Gagne's long battle against the Worcester Diocese, Inzerillo and O'Donoghue have inspired him to seek out attorney Jeffrey A. Newman of Newman & Ponsetto and go public with his ordeal.

"This is a blood crime for the Catholic Church," he said. "I remain very spiritual. I believe the Lord shines His light on all that is evil. I know I will have to forgive this man just to go on living.

"It was so very hard to come forward back then. In that day and age the priest was God. The church did everything it could to dissuade you - they literally creamed you if you spoke up."
His lawyer said several other plaintiffs, including women, have contacted him about suing the Worcester Diocese and its former priests, and he expects to file at least one more lawsuit this week.

On Saturday, Bishop Reilly put the Rev. Lee F. Bartlett on administrative leave from his position as pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus in Worcester following a charge of sexual misconduct with a minor "some years ago," a diocese statement said. Last month, the Rev. John J. Bagley, a onetime Vatican official, was removed from St. Mary's in Grafton after a similar charge.

Robin Washington may be reached at rwashington@bostonherald.com

March 18, 2002

Removal of Priest is Pursued

By Kathleen A. Shaw,Telegram & Gazette Staff

LEOMINSTER -- A group of parents from St. Leo's Church has retained a Houston, Texas, lawyer to help them remove the Rev. Peter J. Inzerillo from the parish.

Daniel J. Shea, licensed to practice law in Texas and Massachusetts, said he will represent the parents for $1. The parents plan to meet at 3 p.m. tomorrow at St. Leo's rectory with officials of the diocesan school department. The parish operates an elementary school.

``The parents will issue an ultimatum to the diocese. He will be gone or there will be consequences,'' Mr. Shea said. He said several parents are involved in the group.
``The days of pay, pray and obey are over,'' he said. The parents are taking it upon themselves to study the issue of whether Rev. Inzerillo should remain in their parish,'' he said.
Rev. Inzerillo was named in a civil lawsuit as someone who allegedly sexually molested Edward Gagne when Mr. Gagne was 19.

Mr. Shea said the parents were misled by the Rev. John E. Doran, pastor of St. Leo's, who allegedly told them the diocese never paid a settlement involving Rev. Inzerillo. Mr. Gagne released a copy of the settlement agreement to the parents that showed that although there was no admission of civil or criminal liability, the diocese paid $150,000 to Mr. Gagne, while Travelers Insurance paid another $150,000 as settlement.

Mr. Gagne's civil suit also named the Rev. Brendan O'Donoghue, who had allegedly abused him when he was younger.

Bishop Daniel P. Reilly, in an interview Saturday, said Rev. Inzerillo's situation is different from that of the Rev. John Bagley and the Rev. Lee F. Bartlett, who have been removed quickly from their posts. He said the complaint against Rev. Inzerillo was withdrawn.

``It was never proven,'' he said. ``I see this as something different, but I am keeping an eye on the situation.''

Mr. Shea said the parents also intend to discuss with Charles E. McManus, diocesan school superintendent, an incident in which Rev. Inzerillo invited a group of youngsters from the parish on a trip and allegedly gave what Mr. Shea called an inappropriate sex talk.

They claim Rev. Inzerillo, who had been on leave about six years while the suit by Mr. Gagne was being settled, did this once he was returned to parish work.
``That was sheer stupidity on his part,'' Mr. Shea said.

Mr. Shea, who has family in the Worcester area, grew up in St. Michael's parish in Providence, the home parish of Bishop Reilly. He was a seminarian for the Providence diocese, obtained a pontifical doctorate in theology from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, and was ordained a deacon, but did not proceed to ordination to the priesthood. He later became a lawyer. 

Diocese not asking for Inzerillo's resignation

By Megan Blaney

LEOMINSTER -- Contrary to a published report, Leominster priest Rev. Peter J. Inzerillo is not being asked to resign from his post as associate pastor of St. Leo's Church. He is currently on administrative leave.
"That was incorrectly reported" in another newspaper, said Raymond L. Delisle, spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese of Worcester. "It is only the pastors who are being asked to resign."

Delisle explained that Bishop Daniel P. Reilly was not asking for the resignation of Rev. Peter J. Inzerillo, because he was not the pastor of the church.

Rev. John E. Doran is the pastor of St. Leo's Church. Rev. Doran could not be reached because he is on vacation this week.

Bishop Reilly is asking for the resignation of six of the seven priests he removed from service last year because of allegations of sexual misconduct. The six pastors being asked to resign are Rev. Raymond P. Messier of St. Francis Church in Athol, Rev. Gerard P. Walsh of St. Roch Church in Oxford, Rev. Chester J. Devlin of St. Bernadette Church in Northboro, Rev. Lee F. Bartlett of Sacred Heart Church in Worcester, Rev. John J. Bagley of St. Mary Church in North Grafton, and Rev. Joseph A. Coonan of St. John Church in Worcester.

Bishop Reilly asked for their resignations so each parish can appoint another pastor in the former pastor's place, said Delisle. The bishop cannot appoint permanent replacements until the pastors resign.

"We are looking for the resignation of the post so the parish can move on," said Delisle. "It will release the parish from having a temporary administration."

In the mid-1990's, while serving as pastor of the St. Anthony di Padua parish in Fitchburg, Rev. Inzerillo was named in a civil lawsuit as one of two priests who allegedly sexually molested Worcester resident Edward Gagne. Rev. Inzerillo's abuse allegedly occurred when Gagne was 19 years old. The Catholic Diocese of Worcester paid $300,000 to settle the suit out of court in November 1999.

Bishop Reilly moved Rev. Inzerillo to St. Leo's Church in 2000.

After complaints from parents, Bishop Reilly put Rev. Inzerillo on administrative leave on March 27.
"There is no need for resignation for Rev. Inzerillo," said Delisle. "He is not stopping the parish from moving forward, because he is not the pastor."

Delisle said Rev. Inzerillo's situation was different from the other priests because Gagne was not a minor when the alleged abuse occurred.

"There have been no admissions of guilt, no court hearings. Just allegations," he said.
He said the question of Rev. Inzerillo's future at the parish is unclear.

"The bishop hopes to keep things moving along as quickly as possible while respecting and maintaining the fairness of all parties involved," he said.

EMAIL correspondence form Raymond Deslile spokesperson for the Worcester Dioceses.

I tried to call a number of times but your line has been busy - I was
confused by your message until I read the Sentinel and Enterprise. That
article is far from the conversation I had with them - I don't think the
reporter understood and didn't ask for more clarification.

The real story is this: There is no resignation needed from Fr. Inzerillo
because he is unassigned - on leave - in no position to resign from. The
T&G had it wrong when they assumed he had to resign from something.

He has no ties to St. Leo, of any other parish. The other parts of the story
were curiosity questions from her and I tried to explain that his case is
different from the others because it did not involving a minor. But that
doesn't change the facts that he is not being assigned anywhere. And at no
time did I say or imply that he was still tied to St. Leo's.
The same clarification is being sent to the Sentinel.

I hope this clears it up.

September, 9, 1999,

Settlement, Release and Confidentiality Agreement

Edward L. Gagne (hereinafter referred to as 'Plaintiff' ), this 9th day of September, 1999, for the purpose of preserving the confidentiality of the settlement reach by him with the Roman Catholic Bishop of Worcester, the Estate of Bishop Flanagan, the Estate for Bishop Harrington, Brendon O'Donahue (a/k/a Brendon O'Donoghue), and Peter Inzerillo (hereinafter the "Defendants"), including certain personal injury claims as set forth in the plaintiff's Complaint file in Worcester Superior Court Civil Action No. 94-1158, and for good and valuable consideration paid jointly to the plaintiff and plaintiff's attorneys, agrees as follow:

Gagne v O'Donahue et al

10 Attorneys Associated with Docket: WOCV1994-01158   

Paul P O'Connor
Milton, Laurence & Dixon
508-791-6386
100 Front Street
Suite 1510
Worcester MA 01608-1430