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  Ex-New Milford Priest in Trouble Once More
New Sexual Abuse Charge Has Him on the Run

By Eugene Driscoll
The News-Times [New Milford CT]
October 31, 2005

NEW MILFORD – A defrocked priest once accused of asking a child if he wanted oral sex as a confirmation gift is on the run from the New York City Police Department.

The New York Daily News reported Saturday that Bruce Jacques, 57, is wanted for allegedly sexually assaulting a student at the Robert Louis Stevenson School, a private school for children with emotional and learning problems off Central Park West in Manhattan.

A student at the school accused Jacques of molesting him in Central Park Oct. 20, the News reported.

In an interview with the newspaper, the school's headmaster said Jacques was hired as director of development at the school two years ago with solid references – but no mention of his troubles in New Milford.

"I don't know what we could have done differently, but we feel incredibly betrayed by him," the newspaper quoted headmaster Bud Henrichsen as saying.

Jacques was a priest at St. John's Episcopal Church in New Milford for 11 years until he quit in 1995 amidst accusations of sexual misconduct. A 13-year-old boy accused the priest of making inappropriate comments to him in a back room of the church about a week before the boy's confirmation.

At the time, The News-Times interviewed two more young people who said Jacques made inappropriate sexual comments to them as well.

The accusations split the congregation.

Patricia Erickson of New Milford stopped attending services at the church after news of the scandal broke. Hearing that Jacques was in trouble again did not surprise her.

"I'm not surprised by it at all, given the events of the past," she said.

In September 1995, the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut sent a letter to the boy's father saying that while the priest's comments were inappropriate, removing Jacques from the priesthood would have damaged the spiritual life of the congregation.

However, Jacques resigned a few months later and the diocese finally defrocked him in 1998, finding him guilty of "conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy."

In the meantime, a lawsuit he filed against the boy's family was settled out of court, along with a countersuit the family had filed against Jacques.

The Rev. James Mulligan, an assistant priest at the church and husband of church rector, fielded calls from several media organizations Saturday asking about the ex-priest. Mulligan has been at the church for three years.

He said Jacques' recent problems may heal the wounds that drove some away from the church. The division was over whether Jacques did what he was accused of a decade ago.

"Now this news pretty much puts that discussion to rest," Mulligan said.

 
 

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