Assignment History– Rev. Raoul Gauthier

Summary of Case: Raoul Gauthier was ordained for Canada's Diocese of Gravelbourg in 1933. He assisted in several Saskatchewan parishes before going on leave in 1939. He reappeared in 1940 as a hospital chaplain in the Diocese of Crookston MN, in the United States. After four years in Crookston, he was sent to a hospital chaplaincy in the St. Cloud diocese. It is unclear where Gauthier spent 1948-53. During 1953-78 he was chaplain at St. Michael's Hospital in Sauk Centre, MN, except for a period 1968-69 when he was at a "clergy retreat center" run by the Servants of the Paraclete in Nevis. In 1979 Gauthier was charged with fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct after he admitted to fondling a developmentally disabled man. He fled shortly thereafter to Canada. He died in 1995, never having been extradited to the Unites States. Gauthier's name was included on the Diocese of St. Cloud's list January 3, 2014 of clergy involved in incidents of likely claims of sexual abuse of minors.

Ordained: 1933
Retired: 1979
Died: 1995

1933

Diocese of Gravelbourg

Bishop was Jean-Marie-Rodrigue Villeneuve, O.M.I. (1930-1931), followed by Louis-Joseph-Arthur Melanson (1932-1936).

1935

Melanson was succeeded by Joseph-Wilfrid Guy, O.M.I. (1937-1942).

Gauthier is indexed in the 1938 and 1939 Directories as in Meyronne, but he is not listed as at Our Lady of Lourdes in the diocesan pages. It is the only parish in Meyronne.

Our Lady of Lourdes had a school.

1940

Diocese of Crookston

Bishop was John Hubert Peschges (1938-1944).

1944

Diocese of St. Cloud

Bishop was Joseph Francis Busch (1915-1953).

1968

Diocese of Crookston

Bishop was Lawrence Alexander Glenn (1960-1970).

1969

Diocese of St. Cloud

Bishop was George Henry Speltz (1968-1987).

Sauk Centre

• Gauthier was charged in 1979 with fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct after he admitted fondling a developmentally disabled male adult. He fled the U.S. for Canada and was never extradited.

1979

Gravelbourg diocese

Bishop was Noël Delaquis, O.C.S.O. (1973-1995).

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.

Source: Official Catholic Directory (Kenedy & Sons, 1934-1995).

• Priest Admitted to Abuse, but Was Never Prosecuted, Associated Press State & Local Wire, May 25, 2002
• Woman Sues Priest for Abuse, By David Unze, St. Cloud Times, December 5, 2002
• Priest Charged with Abuse, By David Unze, St. Cloud Times, December 13, 2002
• The Diocese of St Cloud Release Their List of 33 Priests Accused of Sexually Abusing Minors, By Mike Bryant,
Legal Examiner, January 3, 2014

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 Gauthier's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with the allegations against him, as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegations 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 April 27, 2016.