Father Charles MacDonald

Charles F MacDonald (Charlie)

[Allegations of sexual abuse against Roman Catholic priest

Father Charles MacDonald triggered a chain of events

which eventually unleashed the Cornwall sexual abuse

scandal and allegations of a paedophile ring and cover-up.

Further information on "Charlie" click here.

The following information on Father Charles MacDonald

("Charlie") was compiled from a variety of sources and

addresses only that information and those years to which

I have had access at this time.]

DOB: 23 January 1933

Baptised:  St. Margaret of Scotland, Glen Nevis (within the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall, then the Diocese of Alexandria)  

1963 - 1969:  University of Saint Paul seminary, an Oblate administered Roman Catholic pontifically-chartered university affiliated with Ottawa University in Canada’s capital, Ottawa, Ontario

In those days it was unusual for a man age 30 to enter the seminary to pursue ordination to the priesthood. It was for this reason that Father MacDonald was referred to as “the old man” throughout his years at Saint Paul’s. 

Charles MacDonald had a difficult time academically. It is said, however, that he did well in his canon law studies and also that his canon law instruction was delivered in whole or in part by Father Frank Morrissey. 

Charles MacDonald entered the seminary when Rosario Brodeur was Bishop of Alexandria-Cornwall and Jacques Landriault was serving as auxiliary bishop.  

During MacDonald’s years in formation Bishop Landriault was replaced as auxiliary (1964) by Joseph Aurele Plourde, Bishop Brodeur retired (October 1966) and the diocese was administered by Plourde until Adolphe Proulx was installed as bishop in June 1967. (Plourde administered the diocese as bishop after Proulx’ retirement.  His administrative duties continued even after Plourde was installed as Archbishop of Ottawa [January 1967] meaning that any decisions regarding Charles MacDonald’s priestly studies were directed to and handled by Plourde until such time as Proulx took over in June 1967).

Ordained:        May 1969  

June 1969:       Appointed to serve as assistant priest at St. Columban’s, Cornwall where Father D.B. McDougald was pastor and Father Kelvin Maloney was Director of Religious Education. 

According to Faith is Our Strength by the mid 50’s the youth groups of St. Columbans  were no longer functioning.  However, “in the mid 1960s assistant pastor Charles MacDonald re-organized the youth group.”  Since Father MacDonald was not ordained until 1969 we must assume that this is either a typo or that Father MacDonald was assisting at St. Columban’s during his summers and holidays while he was at the seminary, a fairly common practice.

In fact Father Paul Marchese, an American who studied at Saint Paul, was ordained for the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall (1973) and assisted MacDonald with the youth group founded St. Columban’s Folk Choir while he, Marchese, was still a seminarian. [Marchese abruptly left the diocese in 1978, resurfaced in the Diocese of Albany, N.Y., and later ran off to Florida with a male hair dresser]. 

• 1971-1972:       not listed in the Catholic Directory of Canada

• 1973:    appointed Spiritual Director to the diocesan Catholic Women’s League (for five years?) 

• 1974 - ?1980:    charged with responsibility for the Cursillo movement in the diocese. (it was Father MacDonald who ‘put on’ the first Cursillo in the diocese)  

Cursillo is one of the many “lay-led” “renewal” movements which proliferated after Vatican II.  It comprises initially of a weekend, Thursday evening to Saturday afternoon, conducted at a facility large enough to cheaply accommodate the numbers for meals and bedding – often a Church hall or local camp.   

 The weekends are traditionally gender specific – men traditionally ‘doing’ their Cursillo first and women a week or two later. At least one priest is present at the facility and participating in events for the duration of the weekend – preferably there are two.  

There were presumably no French Cursillos prior to 1979.  Father Gilles Deslaurier was listed as running the French Cursillo but apparently, until 1979 at least, the French Cursillo existed in name and name alone.  Perhaps Deslaurier initially assisted on the English Cursillo weekends?   

Fathers MacDonald and Deslaurier were still listed as in charge of Cursillo weekends in 1980.  Somewhere between then and 1985 the spiritual direction of the movement had changed hands and Fathers Kevin Maloney(Eng.) and Rheal Bisaillon (Fr.) were listed as the diocesan priests responsible for the movement.) 

In the late 80s Father Gilles Deslaurier was charged and convicted for sexually molesting several young boys. 

1975 - 82:         Father CharlesMacDonald assigned aspastor at St. Anthony church, Apple Hill.  The parish also had a mission parish in Monkland. 

• During his years at St. Anthony’s Father MacDonald brought in Father Toby McGivern omi, an Oblate priest from the neighbouring Archdiocese of Ottawa, to design the new addition to the church. 

McGivern’s services were also secured by Father Bernard Cameron in 1982 to oversee renovations at St. Columban’s. 

• 1976 - ?1987:    around 1976 Father Charles MacDonald introduced COR to the diocese and became responsible for the movement in the diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall.   

 COR stands for Christ in Others retreat – a Roman Catholic weekend retreat for youth, usually ages 14 to 21.  A COR weekend is for both male and female teens together.  Depending on the facilities the standard practice on a COR weekend is that the boys and men participating in or conducting the weekend sleep in one large room or dorm facility with bunks and the girls and women in another. In some instances if a private room is available in the vicinity of the male sleeping quarters this becomes the priest’s private quarters. Three married couples are generally involved in conducting each COR weekend. 

MacDonald was conducting COR weekends until at least 1987.  Generally there are at least two weekends conducted a year. 

During those years Father MacDonald and teams of youth and adults from Alexandria-Cornwall assisted the dioceses of Pembroke and Montreal launch the COR movement in their respective dioceses. 

Father Gilles Deslaurier was responsible for R3, a French equivalent of COR  

By 1991 the youth movements had obviously changed hands.  Father Denis Vaillancourt was listed as the diocesan contact for R3.  There was no priest listed for COR.  It is unknown if Father MacDonald continued to assist with COR weekends after 1987. 

• 1977-1979:       dean of the English deanery of Glengarry.    

1982 - 1990:     pastor at Saint Mary’s church, in Williamstown, Ontario.   

According to a history of the diocese Father MacDonald brought with him to Saint Mary’s “not only his spirituality but also his love for music, for architecture and his talent of communicating with adolescents.”  

• According to written accounts of those years MacDonald was in charge of the diocesan COR weekends at Shalom House in St. Raphael’s “and will long be remembered for his enthusiasm, energy and dedication in leading young teenagers.”  

• During his tenure at St. Mary’s MacDonald brought in Father Toby McGivern omi, an Oblate priest from the neighbouring Archdiocese of Ottawa, to redo the sanctuary of the church.  

• MacDonald also had the dining room in St. Mary’s  “beautifully redecorated.” 

• Father MacDonald ordained Kerry MacDonald as the first deacon for the parish.  MacDonald also implemented the practice of laymen distributing Holy Communion. 

• 1983:    Bishop Larocque named Father Charles MacDonald as the first chaplain (part-time) to St. Joseph school, the new Roman Catholic Secondary School. 

• 1988:    pastor at St. Andrew’s church, St. Andrew’s West, Ontario   (I am uncertain how long Father MacDonald was at St. Andrew's.  I have record of only one year.  It seems he may have spent one year at St. Andrew's and then returned to St. Mary's?

• 1992:    sexual abuse allegations against Father MacDonald and his very dear friend Ken Seguin, a probation officer and former seminarian. 

20 December 1993:  Donna J. Markham O.P. PhD of Southdown Instititute to Bishop Eugene Larocque re Father Charles MacDonald's stay at Southdown. MacDonald denies the sex abuse allegations but "does admit there has been homosexual activity with parishioners."

The rest is history and available elsewhere on the site . . . . .