Assignment Record – Bishop Thomas L. Dupre

Summary of Case: In February 2004 Dupre was accused by two men of sexually abusing them when they were children, in the mid- to late 1970s. One of the alleged victims, a refugee, was reportedly abused from ages 12 to 16, and the other from ages 15 to 20. Trips were taken out of state and to Canada, and abuse allegedly occurred on these trips. Dupre was also said to have plied the boys with alcohol, involved them in the purchase and use of pornography, and sometimes abused them together. During the time of the alleged abuse, Dupre became chancellor of the diocese. Before he was named auxiliary bishop in 1990, he reportedly called the victims to a meeting and said he would not accept the appointment unless they promised to be silent about the abuse. Dupre resigned on February 11, 2004, after he was confronted with the allegations. He went directly to a treatment facility, St. Luke's Institute in Maryland, where he stayed for a number of years. He was indicted on rape charges in September 2004, but the charges were dropped due to the statute of limitations. He was last known to be living in a Washington D.C. retirement home. He died December 30, 2016.


Born: November 10, 1933
Ordained: May 23, 1959
Resigned: February 11, 2004
Died: December 30, 2016

1959

Springfield bishop was Christopher Joseph Weldon (1950-1977)

1973

Weldon was succeeded by Joseph Francis Maguire (1977-1991)

Chicopee

• Dupre was accused in a 2004 lawsuit of molesting two boys in the mid-to late 1970s. One of the boys was a 12 year-old refugee who had recently arrived to the U.S. and was living with his family at the parish convent. He was reportedly abused until he was 16. The other boy was said to have been abused from ages 15-20. Dupre was accused of abusing the boys together at times, showing them pornography and plying them with alcohol. Among places the abuse was said to have taken place were Vermont, New Hampshire, New York and Canada.

1984

Maguire was replaced by John Aloysius Marshall (1991-1994)

Dupre resided at 15 Main St., Wilbraham, MA

Dupre was named Bishop of Springfield March 14, 1995 and installed May 8, 1995.

1995

Thomas Ludger Dupre succeeded Marshall (1995-2004)

Dupre checked into St. Luke's after his resignation in Feb. 2004.

Dupre was indicted on charges of rape in September 2004, but the charges were dropped due to the statute of limitations. His two accusers received a settlement from the diocese in 2008.

At a June 2006 retreat he listed St. Luke's Institute as his residence. St. Luke's was a treatment center for troubled priests, including pedophiles.

In May 2010 Dupre was found to be living in a Catholic retirement home in the Washington D.C. area.

Dupre died December 30, 2016.

Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1960-1996)

• Special Reports: Catholic Bishops and Sex Abuse, Dallas Morning News, June 12, 2002
• Bishop Denies Saying Predecessor Destroyed Abuse Data, By Kevin Cullen, Boston Globe, Downloaded September 30, 2003
• Dupre Accused of Abuse, By Bill Zajac wzajac@repub.com , Springfield [MA] Republican, February 11, 2004
• Dupre Accusers Tell Lurid Tale, Allege Ex-Bishop Introduced Them to Gay Sex, Porn, By Bea O'Quinn Dewberry, [Springfield MA] • •Republican, February 20, 2004
• Accused Clergy Had Influential Posts, By Stephanie Barry sbarry@repub.com, [Springfield MA] Republican, March 1, 2004
• Dupre Named in Civil Lawsuit, By Bill Zajac, [Springfield MA] Republican, March 12, 2004
• For Dupre, the Pressure Was Too Much, By Bill Zajac, [Springfield MA] Republican, March 28, 2004
• BA.org Compilation of Accused in Springfield Diocese
• Suit: Dupre Said Files Destroyed, By Bill Zajac wzajac@repub.com, The Republican, August 3, 2004
• History of Former Bishop Thomas L. Dupre, Springfield [MA] Republican, September 28, 2004
• Mystery Surrounds Case of Ex-Bishop, By Bill Zajac, Republican [Springfield MA], February 6, 2005
• Abused Priests Shatter Code, By Bill Zajac, Republican [United States], October 23, 2005
• Bishop Dupre Still in Treatment, By Bill Zajac wzajac@repub.com, The Republican [Springfield MA], July 22, 2006
• BA.org list of U.S. Bishops Accused of Abuse, April14, 2008
• Diocese Resolves 59 Abuse Claims through Voluntary Arbitration, The Observer, November 26, 2008
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield Probing 8 More Abuse Claims, By Stephanie Barry, The Republican, December 3, 2008
• Former Springfield Bishop Settles Abuse Case, By Matthew Campbell, CBS 3, December 3, 2008
• Press Release by The Office of Stobierski & Stobierski, 12.3.08
• Many Clergy Abuse Claimants Unhappy with Settlements, By Stephanie Barry, The Republican, December 8, 2008
• 2 Former Bishops of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, Thomas Dupre and Joseph Maguire, Sued by Williamstown Man over
Alleged Molestation, By Fred Contrada, The Republican, September 17, 2009
• New Abuse Claim against Bishops, By Meghan Foley, Berkshire Eagle, May 20, 2010
• Look Back: Bishop Dupre Scandal, By Jennifer Colby, WWLP, May 21, 2010
• Lawsuit Targets Retired Bishops Allegations against Ex-priest, By Meghan Foley, Bennington Banner, May 21, 2010
• Survivors of Those Abused by Priests Complains That Former Springfield Bishop Thomas Dupre Has Been Allowed to Move to Catholic Retirement Home, By Stephanie Barry, The Republican , May 25, 2010
• Support Group for Those Abused by Priests to Protest Reported Move of Bishop Thomas Dupre to a Less Secure Facility, By George Graham, The Republican, May 25, 2010
• Ex-bishop Dupre Wants Video under Wraps, By Jacqueline Jing, WWLP, July 14, 2010
• Dupre Videotape Made Public, By Laura Hutchinson, WWLP, July 19, 2010
• Former Bishop's Taped Deposition Released, By Kim Lucey, CBS 3, July 19, 2010
• Judge Hears Arguments to Drop Suit against Springfield Catholic Bishops Joseph Maguire, Thomas Dupre, By Buffy Spencer, The, Republican , April 27, 2011
• Judge Rules Suit against Bishop Thomas L. Dupre and Bishop Emeritus Joseph F. Maguire Can Go Forward, By Buffy Spencer
The Republican, June 10, 2011
• Trial Begins in Civil Suit Brought by Andrew Nicastro against the Most Rev. Joseph Maguire and Thomas Dupre, By Buffy Spencer, The Republican , July 23, 2012
• Massachusetts Bishops Settle Lawsuit Brought by Abuse Victim, Catholic Culture, July 27, 2012
• Thomas Dupre, Former Springfield Bishop Indicted on Child Rape Charges, Dead at 83, By Brian Steele, The Republican, January 2, 2017
• Former Springfield Bishop Thomas Dupre Has Died, WWLP, January 2, 2017
• ?Former Springfield bishop has died at 83, iObserve - Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield
January 04, 2017

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 and 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 Dupre'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 on January 5, 2017.