Rev. Clarence Boucher-Assignment

Assignment Record– Rev. Clarence R. Boucher

Summary of Case: A woman gave public testimony in February 2007 that Boucher touched her inappropriately when she was 13 years-old in the 1950s. The incident is said to have occurred during a movie in the parish hall of St. John the Baptiste in Lynn MA, when Boucher slid into a seat next to the girl. Boucher's inappropriate touching of girls was said to have been well-known at the parish. He died in 2001.

Ordained: 1940
Retired: 1982
Died: October 18, 2001

Start	Stop	Assignment	Town/Accusations	State	Position	Notes
1940 Boston archbishop was William Henry O'Connell (1907-1944), replaced by Richard James Cushing (1944-1970).	1946	Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary	Bellingham	MA	2/2
1946	1948	St. Alphonse (French)	Beverly	MA	2/2
1948	1958	St. John the Baptiste (French)	Lynn • A woman spoke publicly in 2007 of having been touched inappropriately by Boucher in the 1950s at this parish when she was 13 years-old. She said the incident occurred when Boucher slid into a seat next to her during a movie in the parish hall. She said a friend later told her, "It happened to all of us." The woman's sister said Boucher wore a large winter cape and "always had girls under [it]." She said her mother warned her not to "be one of those girls under that cape."	MA	3/3, 3/4, 3/5, 2/4	Parish had an elementary school with 183-254 boys and 164-215 girls, and a high school with 102-54 boys and 118-57 girls.
1958	1967	St. Mary's (French)	Marlboro	MA	4/4, 2/4	Parish had a school with 171-181 boys and 170-184 girls.
1967	1969	St. Mary's	Ayer	MA	1/2	Parish had a school with 106-109 boys and 112=98 girls.
1969 Cushing was replaced as archbishop by Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983).	1974	Presentation of Mary Academy	Methuen	MA	Chaplain	School had 198-183 students, all girls. In the 1970 Directory Boucher is indexed as at this assigment, but is not listed there in the Boston diocesan pages.
1974	1982	St. Jean Baptiste (French)	Lynn	MA	3/3	Parish had a school with 267-124 students.
1982 Medeiros was replaced by Bernard Francis Law (1984-2002).	2001	Retired	Salem	MA		Boucher died October 18, 2001.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: Kenedy & Sons, 1941-2002).

• Victim Speaks about Healing, By Jessica M. Smith, Roslindale - West Roxbury Transcript, February 28, 2007
• Boston Archdiocese Posts Sex-Abuse Database Online, By Joan Frawley Desmond, National Catholic Register, August 25, 2011
• North Shore Priests on List, Salem News, August 26, 2011

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.

This assignment record collates Boucher'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 September 1, 2015.