Father Paul Lapierre

Sylvia’s Site 

 Father Lapierre incarcerated 

(Most of the following information

came from Father Lapierre’s 

07 September 2001testimony at his

Project Truth sex abuse trial. 

The small parts which were not part of

his testimony were attained from the

Catholic Directory of Canada. 

Father Lapierre received a sort of not

guilty verdict in Cornwall, and a guilty in

Montreal on sex abuse allegations against

the same victim on molestations which

transpired in Montreal.) 

 D.O.B.: 13 September 1928Lake Megantic, Quebec  (near Beauceville) 

Father:  Lionel Lapierre

Mother: Aldora Bilodeau 

Education: Primary school: Lake Megantic 

             Seminary: St. Charles Borromeo (Sherbrooke, Quebec)

               St. Hyacinthe seminary for Theology studies

               St. Mary’s College, Brockville and Woodstock, Ontario for “higher studies.”  

Ordained: 29 March 1959, at St. Finnan’s Cathedral, Alexandria by Bishop Rosario Brodeaur

1959-1960:     Curate (assistant) at St. Jean Bosco (Father H.A. Poirier listed as pastor.  Father Carl Stone was also at St. Jean Bosco during that time frame.)

1960-1963:     Curate (assistant) at Nativity (now the Co-Cathedral in Cornwall.  Acording to the 1963 Canadian Catholic Directory Father Kenneth Martin was also at Nativity in 1963 ) 

1963-1969:  In 1963 Bishop Brodeur asked him to become diocesan director at Villa Fatima retreat house in Alexandria.  The facility was across the street from St. Finnan’s Cathedral and next door to the bishop’s palace.  Father Lapierre’s cooking and cleaning was done by the Sisters of St. Martha.

During 1964 and 1965 Father Lapierre conducted “workshops and seminars” in Quebec and retreats outside the country.

During that time frame Lapierre says he was involved in implementing the Second Vatican Council which he referred to as “the renewal of the Church.”  According to him during those years “we had to go back to school” so he took in various workshops and seminars in Quebec and elsewhere.

 July-August 1965:  Lapierre attended Catholic University of America (Washington) to study “effective preaching, renewal in preaching, communication, television and so on.”  

Approximately 1966:  Conducted a Saturday morning radio program on Cornwall’s CFML radio station (Pitt St. ).  According to Lapierre the program was a Question and Answer format which allowed people to ask questions about the “changes” in the Church following Vatican II.  Lapierre said the program gave opportunity to inform people about “the renewal and reforms of the Catholic Church” and “trying to bring the Church back into the modern world.” Lapierre cited as an example the priest saying Mass facing the people. 

Roland Chevrier worked at the radio station and according to Lapierre attended Villa Fatima regularly.

1966: According to the 1966 edition of the Catholic Directory of Canada the first Liturgy Commission of the diocese began to operate sometime in 1966 with Father Paul Lapierre as a member.  Members of the commission were: 

 Bishop Joseph Aurele Plourde

Msgr. Cyrille R. Contant

Father Bernard Guindon

Father Leon Seymour

Father Kelvin Maloney

Father Stuart MacMillan

Father Donald MacDougald

Father Rejean Lebrun

Father P. I. Gauthier csv (Viatorian)

Father R. Poirier csv

Father Paul Lapierre 

1967:  Listed in the 1967 edition of the Catholic Directory of Canada as member of the Liturgy Commission.  The same names appear as members in the 1967 edition of the Catholic Directory of Canada. 

In the same directory Lapierre is listed as in charge of Marriage Preparation for the diocese.  

Testified that he had a “burnout” in 1967.  For the month of July rented a cottage on Hamilton Island from Fr. Patrick Breton.  During his burnout was seeing Dr. Gratton, a Montreal psychologist, every two weeks.  He was referred to Gratton by Dr. Yves Corbeil. 

25- 26 August 1967: was on the Media and Communications committee for the International Theological Congress sponsored by the Canadian Bishops and held in Toronto.  Lapierre testified that he shepherded Dominican priest Fr. Dominic Chenu around because Chenu didn’t speak English. 

Summer 1968:  Jesuit priest Father Riccardo Lombardi, head of the Better World Movement headquartered in Rome, arrived in Alexandria to ask Bishop Proulx if Lapierre could become part of his Montreal-based bilingual team.   

Lapierre moved to Montreal and started to work with the Better World Movement run by SJ, initially residing at the movement's St. Denis Street address.  After a few months, with the assistance of a Father Martucci he secured accommodations at Surrey Gardens, a facility located behind and until recently owned by St. Joseph’s Oratory. He remained at Surrey Gardens for 30 years. (According to Lapierre, shortly after his ordination he attended a month-long retreat conducted by Lombardi at Seminaire des Sts. Apotres in Sherbrooke.)  

Fall 1969 - Spring 1971: chosen by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and hired by CBC to host  “Le jour du Seigneur,” a CBC Radio Canada (French) program which aired on Sundays at 10 am to, according to Lapierre “show the variety and diversity of good liturgical celebrations.”  The show required Lapierre and Rheal Gagne, the shows director and producer, to travel extensively throughout Canada. The show was also televised.

Fall 1971:       Chaplain of Treasure Tours International.  Lapierre was hired for this work by a couple in Montreal (phonetically spelt Malkovitch).  In that capacity he travelled the world (i.e., Rome, Assisi, the Holy Land) 

1971-1972:  on the road “preaching” for a good part of each year. 

1981: while preaching a retreat in Port Charlotte, Florida met Mrs. Susan Butterfield.  According to Lapierre Mrs. Butterfield wrote him into her will ($350,000 US), however his name was removed from the will shortly before she died in May 1987.  Lapierre took the heirs to court and unsuccessfully contested the will, a process which took several years. 

 1992: spent about eight months preaching in Texas and Louisiana.  ………  

• Described himself as a good friend of Father Donald Scott who died of AIDS.  Lapierre and Bishop Larocque conducted Scott’s funeral in Montreal.  Lapierre held the reception at his home. 

• Was a friend of Sandy Lawrence. 

• Testified that Father Don Scott told him about Father Hollis Lapierre (no known relation) sexually molesting his, Lapierre’s, accuser. 

• Tesified that Father Don Scott was executor of Father Hollis Lapierre’s will and one of Scott’s tasks upon Hollis Lapierre’s death in 1975 was to destroy the porn magazines and pornographic Polaroid pictures which Hollis Lapierre kept hidden in a ‘little wall” behind his bed.  

• Denied he ever molested his accuser, but indicated he had first-hand knowledge of sexual improprieties between Fathers Donald Scott, Kenneth Martin, Hollis Lapierre and Dr. Peachy and his accuser when his accuser was a boy.  Lapierre testified that he told Bishop Brodeur but did not feel obliged to report to anyone else.

• Was close friends with many of the Viatiorian priests (Clerics of St. Viateur) who operated and taught at the Cornwall Classical College - specifically names Fathers Ronald Leger csv, Rene Poirier csv, Henri Legault csv, Roland Hamel csv, Edouard Berube csv. 

• Testified that the Viatorian priests used to tell him about sexual activity occurring between boys at the Classical College. 

Father Paul Lapierre is incarcerated

One of Father Paul Lapierre's Montreal appeals is dismissed (bilingual document) 

Montreal judge delays verdict in sex abuse trial of Cornwall priest

Finally!!! A Project Truth win 

 Justice Lalonde tap dances his way into an acquittal for Father Paul Lapierre

Insufficient proof: a Catholic priest is acquitted of sex charges after accusing other priests of pedophilia (published in the 08 September 2006 edition of The Report magazine)

Father Paul Lapierre names names

Naming names

19 September 2000:

Appendix "B" The Lawsuit - Storm Tossed House