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Lafayette Accused Clergy: Details the Diocese Didn't Report

Acadiana Advocate
April 12, 2019

https://www.theadvocate.com/acadiana/news/article_caecc726-5d80-11e9-a46b-77229fba385a.html

Gilbert John Gauthe

Gilbert John Gauthe

Age: Born in 1945

Position: Priest

Served: St. Michael the Archangel, Crowley; Sacred Heart of Jesus, Broussard; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Iberia; St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville; St. John, Henry.

Ordained: 1971

Estimated time of abuse: 1970s and 1980s

Allegation received: 1983

Removed from ministry: Removed in 1983. Resigned in 1983.

Details: Convicted in 1985 of sexually abusing 11 boys; admitted abusing 37 or more children; served less than 10 years in prison. In 1997 pleaded no contest to abusing 3-year-old Texas boy; received 7 years probation. Jailed in Texas 2008-10 for violating sex offender registration law.

The Diocese of Lafayette on Friday released limited information on priests against whom credible accusations have been made regarding sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult. This information includes: the year they were born; the year they were ordained; church assignments; and current status. They did not include any accusations or when or where the credible accusations occurred.

However, through previous reporting, research and other media reports, The Advocate has added details to many of the named clergy. We will continue to update this list as more details become available.

Joseph Alexander

Age: Born 1933

Position: Priest

Served: St. Anthony of Padua, Eunice; Our Lady of Wisdom, Lafayette; Holy Rosary Institute; Lafayette; St. Thomas More High School, Lafayette; St. Mary Priory, Union, Kentucky.

Ordained: 1973

Estimated time of abuse: 1963 in Kentucky

Removed from ministry: Removed in 2002

Details: Acknowledged in 2002 that, when a Benedictine Brother in Owensboro, Kentucky, he molested a boy.

Jules Arceneaux

Age: Born in 1953

Position: Priest

Served: Our Lady of Sacred Heart, Church Point; St. Thomas More, Eunice; St. Joseph, Rayne; St. Francis Regis and St. Catherine, Arnaudville.

Ordained: 1990

Estimated time of abuse:

Allegation received: 2004

Removed from ministry: Removed in 2004

Details: Acting on a tip, federal agents in July 2004 raided the rectory at St. Francis Regis in Arnaudville and found what appeared to be child porn on his computer. The charges were dropped because of uncertainty those pictured were children.

Susai Arul

Age: Born in 1928. Died in 2002.

Position: Priest

Served: Sacred Heart of Jesus, Ville Platte; St. Catherine, Leonville; St. Jules, Prairie Laurent; St. Leo the Great, Lafayette.

Ordained: 1957

Estimated time of abuse: 1981

Allegation received:

Removed from ministry: Resigned in 1988

Details: Lawsuit settled in 2015 alleged Arul molested altar boy while working at Sacred Heart Church in Ville Platte in 1981.

Stanley Begnaud

Age: Born in 1921. Died in 1985.

Position: Priest

Served: St. Peter the Apostle, Gueydan; St. Joseph, Rayne; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Iberia; St. Stephen, Berwick; Our Lady of Fatima, Lafayette; Our Lady of Mercy, Opelousas; St. Margaret of Scotland, Lake Charles; St. Edward, Richard and St. Thomas, Savoy; Sts. Peter and Paul, Scott; St. Leo IV, Roberts Cove; St. John Cathedral, Lafayette.

Ordained: 1958

Estimated time of abuse:

Allegation received:

Removed from ministry: Retired in 1982

Details: Labeled in diocese documents as “known pedophile,” but no criminal charges or lawsuits have been found.

Michael Benedict

Age: Born in 1915. Died in 1998.

Position: Priest

Served: Immaculate Conception, Lake Charles; St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville; St. John Cathedral, Lafayette; Our Lady of Fatima, Lafayette; Sacred Heart of Jesus, Oakdale; St. Margaret of Scotland, Lake Charles; St. Peter, New Iberia; Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mire; Most Holy Sacrament Convent, Lafayette.

Ordained: 1943

Estimated time of abuse: Unknown

Allegation received: Unknown

Removed from ministry: Retired in 1979

Details: Unknown

David Broussard

Age: Born in 1966

Position: Priest

Served: St. Mary Magdalen in Abbeville; Our Lady of Mercy in Opelousas; St. Joseph, Iota and St. Michael, Egan; Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Kaplan; St. Joseph, Evangeline and St. Jules, Petit Mamou; St. Bernard in Breaux Bridge.

Ordained: 1993

Estimated time of abuse:

Allegation received: July 2016

Removed from ministry: Removed in 2016; Pleaded guilty in 2018; Incarcerated.

Details: While he was at St. Bernard in Breaux Bridge, a technician working on his computer found child porn and alerted police. He pleaded guilty to possession of child porn in October 2018 and sentenced to five years in jail.

J. Richard Chachere

Age: Born in 1940. Died in 2012.

Position: Priest

Served: Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Lake Charles; St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville; St. Anne, Youngsville.

Ordained: 1965

Estimated time of abuse:

Allegation received: Unknown

Removed from ministry: Resigned in 1978

Details: Unknown

David Anderson Coupar

Age: Born in 1952

Position: Priest

Served: Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Iberia; St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Abbeville; St. Leo the Great, Leonville; St. Anthony of Padua, Krotz Springs; Our Lady of Victory, Loureauville; Catholic High, New Iberia; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Leroy.

Ordained: 1980

Estimated time of abuse: Unknown

Allegation received: Unknown

Removed from ministry: Resigned in 1994

Details: Unknown

Herbert de Launay

Age: Born 1948

Position: Priest

Served: Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Kaplan; Our Lady Queen of All Saints, Ville Platte; Our Lady of Sacred Heart, Church Point; St. John the Baptist, Lyons Point; American Legion Hospital, Crowley; St. Ann, Mamou; St. Andrew, Plaisance; St. Peter, Carencro; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Iberia; St. Bernadette, Bayou Vista.

Ordained: 1975

Estimated time of abuse: Unknown

Allegation received: Unknown

Removed from ministry: Removed in 1999

Details: Unknown

John deLeeuw

Age: Born 1918 in The Netherlands. Died in 2015.

Position: Priest

Served: St. Martin de Tours, St. Martinville; St. Genevieve, Lafayette; St. Jules, Lafayette; Charity Hospital, Lafayette; St. Eugene, Grand Chenier; St. Leo the Great, Lafayette.

Ordained: 1944

Estimated time of abuse: Unknown

Allegation received: Unknown

Removed from ministry: Retired in 1986. Removed in 2011.

Details: Joined Diocese of Lafayette in 1953.

Michael DesJardins

Age: Born in 1950

Position: Priest

Served: St. John Cathedral, Lafayette; St. Landry, Opelousas; St. Mary, Port Barre; Sts. Peter and Paul, Scott; St. Martin de Porres, Scott; St. Bridget, Lawtell; St. Anthony of Padua, Eunice.

Ordained: 1976

Estimated time of abuse: Unknown

Allegation received: Unknown

Removed from ministry: Resigned in 1992

Details: Unknown

John Anthony Engbers

Age: Born in 1922. Died in 1989.

Position: Priest

Served: St. Peter, New Iberia; Immaculate Conception, Lake Charles; Our Lady of the Lake, Lake Arthur; St. Anthony of Padua, Eunice; St. Helena, Louisa; St. Peter the Apostle, Gueydan; St. John the Evangelist, Mermentau; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Leroy.

Ordained: 1949

Estimated time of abuse: 1952, early 1970s

Allegation received: 1985

Removed from ministry: Unknown

Details: Accused in a lawsuit of molesting two young sisters in Lake Charles. Accused in separate lawsuit of abusing five sisters starting around 1957, continuing until they were adults. Accused in 1989 of sexually assaulting a girl under age 5 while priest at St. Peter the Apostle in Gueydan. Her lawsuit was settled with the diocese paying an undisclosed amount. Fled to his native Holland.

Ronald Lane Fontenot

Age: Born in 1946. Died in 2014.

Position: Priest

Served: St. Peter the Apostle, Gueydan; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Iberia; Our Lady of Mercy, Opelousas; Our Lady of Fatima, Lafayette; Sacred Heart of Jesus, Baldwin.

Ordained: 1975

Estimated time of abuse: 1970s and 1980s

Allegation received: 1987 lawsuit

Removed from ministry: Removed in 1984. Resigned in 1984.

Details: Accused in court documents of abusing 13 boys. In 1986 five boys in Spokane, Washington, accused him of abuse and reported it to parents and police. He pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree statutory rape of a 15-year-old boy and four misdemeanors of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. Served one year in Spokane County Jail. The Advocate reported in a Feb. 8, 1986, story on the Gauthe lawsuit that Fontenot was accused of sharing victims with Gauthe. Also accused in lawsuit in 1983 of abusing boy while at Sacred Heart Church in Baldwin. In 1984, while at Fatima in Lafayette, he was accused of sexual molestation, leading to his suspension and psychological help. Lawsuit by Vermilion Parish parents in 1987 was settled for an undisclosed amount.

Gilbert John Gauthe

Age: Born in 1945

Position: Priest

Served: St. Michael the Archangel, Crowley; Sacred Heart of Jesus, Broussard; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Iberia; St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville; St. John, Henry.

Ordained: 1971

Estimated time of abuse: 1970s and 1980s

Allegation received: 1983

Removed from ministry: Removed in 1983. Resigned in 1983.

Details: Convicted in 1985 of sexually abusing 11 boys; admitted abusing 37 or more children; served less than 10 years in prison. In 1997 pleaded no contest to abusing 3-year-old Texas boy; received 7 years probation. Jailed in Texas 2008-10 for violating sex offender registration law.

Aldeo Fernand Gilbert

Age: Born in 1917. Died in 2007.

Position: Priest

Served: St. Michael the Archangel, Crowley; Sacred Heart of Jesus, Ville Platte; St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Abbeville.

Ordained: 1943

Estimated time of abuse: 1950s and 1960s

Allegation received: 1992 in a lawsuit; victims say they came forward in 1964 or 1965

Removed from ministry: Resigned in 1968.

Details: Accused in a 1992 lawsuit of setting up vocation clubs for girls at Sacred Heart Church in Ville Platte from 1952-59 and at St. Theresa in Abbeville 1959-69 that were actually cults of women who preyed on young girls. Two lawsuits were dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired. One lawsuit was settled, according to KATC.

Michael Guidry

Age: Born in 1943

Position: Pastor

Served: St. John Cathedral, Lafayette; Our Lady of Fatima, Lafayette; Sts. Peter and Paul, Scott; St, Martin de Porres, Scott; St. Joseph, Evangeline and St. Jules, Petit Mamou; St. John, Mermentau and St. Margaret, Estherwood; Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Church Point; St. Anthony of Padua, Krotz Springs; St. Joseph, Patterson; St. Jules, Franklin; Sacred Heart of Jesus, Baldwin; Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Franklin; St. Peter, Morrow; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Iberia; St. Leo the Great, Lafayette.

Ordained: 1971

Estimated time of abuse: 2015

Allegation received: 2018

Removed from ministry: Removed in 2018

Details: Convicted in 2019. Accused of and confessed to molesting a 16-year-old altar boy after giving him alcohol; faces criminal charge in St. Landry Parish; victim’s family filed lawsuit in August 2018.

Lloyd Hebert

Age: Born in 1928. Died in 2004.

Position: Priest

Served: St. Margaret of Scotland, Lake Charles; St. Peter the Apostle, Gueydan; St. Peter, New Iberia; St. Mary of the Lake, Big Lake; Our Lady Queen of Angels, Opelousas.

Ordained: 1957

Estimated time of abuse: Unknown

Allegation received: 1980s

Removed from ministry: Removed in 1985

Details: Described in 1988 deposition by Bishop Gerald Frey as a “child molester.” Suspended in 1980s after complaint received. Times of Acadiana reported in 1986 an attorney was set to depose Hebert after allegations by a young man. Before that could happen, the diocese stipulated to liability in open court.

Michael Herpin

Age: Born in 1941

Position: Pastor, monsignor, vicar

Served: St. Raphael, Iowa; St. Landry, Opelousas; Immaculate Conception, Lake Charles; Our Lady Help of Christians, Jennings; St. Paul, Elton; St. Joseph, Elton; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Iberia; Sacred Heart of Jesus, Broussard; Our Lady of Mercy, Henderson; St. Joseph, Milton.

Ordained: 1966

Estimated time of abuse: Early 1970s

Allegation received: Unknown

Removed from ministry: Removed in 2002

Details: Admitted to church officials in 2002 that he molested a minor 30 years prior. Was sent away for medical treatment in 2002. He was a monsignor and the diocese central region vicar at the time.

Marshall Larriviere

Age: Born in 1937. Died in 2014.

Position: Priest

Served: St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville; Studies for Deaf Chaplaincy; Chaplain in U.S. Armed Services.

Ordained: 1963

Estimated time of abuse: 1968-69

Allegation received: 2003

Removed from ministry: Removed in 1994

Details: Accused in lawsuit of raping two young girls while at St. Mary Magdalene in Abbeville. Case settled in 2008.

Robert Limoges

Age: Born in 1930

Position: Pastor

Served: Our Lady of Victory, Loreauville; St. Anthony’s, Eunice.

Ordained: 1979

Estimated time of abuse: 1980 to 1982

Allegation received: 1983. Early 1990s

Removed from ministry: Took leave in 1984. Removed in 1984.

Details: Reported to diocese and police 1983 for sexually fondling a minor in Eunice. No charges because of plan of treatment. Accused in 1990s of sexual abuse of boys in Loreauville from 1980-82, but lawsuits dismissed because of statute of limitations expired.

Keith Anthony Potier

Age: Born in 1947. Died in 2009.

Position: Priest

Served: St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Abbeville; Our Lady of Holy Rosary, Kaplan; Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Lake Charles; Our Lady of Victory, Loreauville.

Ordained: 1973

Estimated time of abuse: Unknown

Allegation received: Unknown

Removed from ministry: Resigned in 1981

Details: Unknown

David Primeaux

Age: Born in 1950. Died in 2012 (suicide).

Position: Priest

Served: Sts. Peter and Paul, Scott; Our Lady of Fatima, Lafayette; Immaculata Seminary, Lafayette; Chancery, Lafayette; Sacred Heart of Jesus, Broussard; Our Lady of Wisdom, Lafayette; St. Joseph, Milton.

Ordained: 1975

Estimated time of abuse: 1970s-1980s

Allegation received: A psychological report around 1985 revealed Primeaux admitted sexual contact boys. A 1991 lawsuit by a single victim was settled in 2000. Allegations became well known after his suicide in 2012.

Removed from ministry: Removed in 1985. Resigned in 1985.

Details: A psychological report around 1985 revealed Primeaux admitted sexual contact with five students at St. Joseph Benedictine Seminary where he was an instructor. He allegedly admitted to abusing boys while at Our Lady of Fatima in Lafayette around 1976. He also allegedly confessed to repeatedly abusing seven altar boys while serving at St. Joseph Church in Milton. A 1991 lawsuit by a single victim was settled in 2000 by the diocese for an undisclosed amount. He married, and by 2012 was a computer science professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. The allegations became well known after his suicide in 2012.

Valerie Pullman

Age: Born in 1940. Died in 2017.

Position: Priest

Served: Our Lady of the Lake, Lake Arthur; St. Joseph, Elton; Our Lady Queen of Peace, Lafayette; Our Lady of the Assumption, Carencro; St. Martin de Porres, Scott; Lake Charles Diocese.

Ordained: 1965

Estimated time of abuse: 1970s

Allegation received: 2003

Removed from ministry: Removed in 1987. Resigned in 1987.

Details: Pullman is accused of repeatedly abusing an altar boy over several years starting in 1972; civil lawsuit settled in 2007 or 2008.

Harry Quick

Age: Born in 1929. Died in 1994.

Position: Priest

Served: St. Henry, Lake Charles; Our Lady Help of Christians, Jennings; St. Joseph, Evangeline; St. Thomas More, Eunice; St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, Duson; Charity Hospital, Lafayette.

Ordained: 1962

Estimated time of abuse: Unknown

Allegation received: 1988, Bishop Gerard Frey called Quick a child molester in deposition; allegations arose in 1977 while he was at St. Thomas More Church in Eunice.

Removed from ministry: Removed in 1983. Resigned in 1983.

Details: At least one lawsuit settled, according to KATC. Allegedly admitted molestation to Bishop Gerald Frey. Allegations arose in 1977 while he was at St. Thomas More Church in Eunice and he underwent counseling in Indiana, according to Frey’s deposition. Back in Louisiana at another Diocese of Lafayette church parish in 1980, he was accused by another boy of abuse.

Richard Rieboldt

Age: Born in 1945

Position: Head of diocesan marriage tribunal

Served: St. John Cathedral, Lafayette; Our Lady of Fatima, Lafayette; St. Bernard, Breaux Bridge; St. Michael the Archangel, Crowley; St. Jules, Lafayette; St. John the Baptist, Lyons Point.

Ordained: 1975

Estimated time of abuse: Unknown

Allegation received: Unknown

Removed from ministry: Resigned in 1985. Removed in 1989.

Details: Unknown

Robie Robichaux

Age: Born in 1950

Position: Head of diocesan marriage tribunal

Served: St. Peter, New Iberia; St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Abbeville; St. Genevieve, Lafayette; St. Peter, New Iberia; St. Joseph, Iota; St. Jules, Petit Mamou; Sacred Heart of Jesus, Broussard; St. Edmond, Lafayette; St. Patrick, Lafayette; St. Mary Mother of the Church, Lafayette; St. Leo the Great, Lafayette.

Ordained: 1976

Estimated time of abuse: 1970s and 1980s

Allegation received: One victim made allegations in 1994 and 2004; second victim came forward in 2018. Bishop Douglas Deshotel says he first learned of the previous allegations in September 2018

Removed from ministry: Removed in 2018

Details: The first victim was 16 or 17 years old at the time of the alleged abuse, and it’s unclear why her repeated allegations did not result in disciplinary actions. Robichaux is accused of “inappropriate sexual contact” with a second victim.

Jody Simoneaux

Age: Born in 1955

Position: Priest

Served: St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette; St. Anthony of Padua, Eunice; St. Anne, Youngsville; St. Genevieve, Lafayette.

Ordained: 1982

Estimated time of abuse: 1980s

Allegation received: 2018

Removed from ministry: Removed in 2018

Details: Accused of “improper behavior with minors” while serving at St. Anthony and St. Anne and St. Edmund High School in Eunice more than 30 years ago.

Gerard Smit

Age: Born in 1924

Position: Priest and parochial vicar in Diocese of Lafayette (First affiliated with Diocese of Lafayette beginning in 1958 and Diocese of Lake Charles in 1980)

Served: St. Joseph, Iota; St. Anne, Youngsville; Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Bosco (Mire); Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Chataignier; Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Lake Charles; St. John Berchmans, Cankton; Our Lady of the Lake, Lake Arthur; St. Raphael, Iowa.

Ordained: 1950 Diocese of Nijmejen, Holland

Estimated time of abuse: 1965-70 Diocese of Lafayette; 1950s and 1960s Diocese of Lake Charles.

Allegation received: 1982, 1986, 1996, 2002 (same victim in 1982 and 1996)

Removed from ministry: Retired in 1986. Removed in 2002.

Details: Complaint filed with Louisiana State Police 2015. In 1982 victim told Lafayette deputies about sexual abuse 1965-70 in Youngsville but was told it was beyond the statute of limitations. Smit received “treatment” after bishop received complaint in 1986 regarding sexual abuse of girls at Our Lady Queen of Heaven. Sentenced to a life of prayer and penance in 2013 and is residing in Pennsylvania.

*Also on Diocese of Lake Charles list

Jean Toussaint

Age: Born in 1910. Died in 1977.

Position: Priest

Served: St. Julien Chapel, Chataignier; St. Joseph, Ville Platte and Little Flower in Pins Clairs; St. Mary, Port Barre; Holy Trinity, Washington.

Ordained: 1934

Estimated time of abuse: Unknown

Allegation received: Unknown

Removed from ministry: Unknown

Details: Unknown

Adrian Walter Van Hal

Age: Born in 1912. Died in 1970.

Position: Priest

Served: St. Genevieve, Lafayette; Lake Arthur; Evangeline; Cameron (Creole?); St. John the Evangelist, Melville; Chaplain, U.S. Army; St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette; Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Lake Charles; Our Lady of Mercy, Opelousas.

Ordained: 1937

Estimated time of abuse: Unknown

Allegation received: Unknown

Removed from ministry: Unknown

Details: Unknown

Cornelius Van Merrianboer

Age: Born in 1898. Died in 1960.

Position: Priest

Served: Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Lake Charles; Sacred Heart of Jesus, Creole; St. John the Evangelist, Mermentau.

Ordained: 1924

Estimated time of abuse: Unknown

Allegation received: Unknown

Removed from ministry: Resigned in 1933

Details: Unknown

Rosaire Veilleux

Age: Born in 1930. Died in 1986.

Position: Unknown

Served: St. Anne, Youngsville; Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Church Point; St. Peter, Carencro; St. Genevieve, Lafayette; St. John Vianney, Bell City.

Ordained: 1958

Estimated time of abuse: Unknown

Allegation received: Unknown

Removed from ministry: Resigned in 1973

Details: Unknown

Charles Zaunbrecher

Age: Born in 1931. Died in 1996.

Position: Monsignor, priest and vicar

Served: Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Kaplan; St. Anthony of Padua, Eunice; Our Lady of Fatima, Lafayette; St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville; St. Jules, Lafayette; St. Michael the Archangel, Crowley; St. Edward, Richard; St. Leo IV, Roberts Cove; St. Joseph, Iota; St. John the Baptist, Lyons Point; St. Joseph, Milton; Little Flower, Mobile, Alabama.

Ordained: 1957

Estimated time of abuse: Unknown

Allegation received: Unknown

Removed from ministry: Retired in 1995

Details: Zaunbrecher was monsignor and vicar of West Lafayette Deanery and a priest at St. Joseph in Milton when arrested in May 1986 and charged with obscenity for exposing himself to two police officers.

Deacons credibly accused

Lester Breaux

Age: Born in 1920. Died in 1996.

Position: Unknown

Served: St. Peter, Carencro

Ordained: 1977

Estimated time of abuse: Unknown

Allegation received: Unknown

Removed from ministry: Resigned in 1984

Details: Unknown

Willis Broussard

Age: Born in 1927

Position: Unknown

Served: St. John the Evangelist, Mermentau

Ordained: 1977

Estimated time of abuse: Unknown

Allegation received: Unknown

Removed from ministry: Resigned in 1990

Details: Unknown

Leonard J. Freyou

Age: Born in 1926. Died in 2006.

Position: Unknown

Served: St. Nicholas, Lydia

Ordained: 1977

Estimated time of abuse: Unknown

Allegation received: Unknown

Removed from ministry: Unknown

Details: Unknown

Louis Hanemann

Age: Born in 1948

Position: Unknown

Served: St. Genevieve, Lafayette; Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina

Ordained: 1983

Estimated time of abuse: Unknown

Allegation received: Unknown

Removed from ministry: Left in 1986. Removed in 2002.

Details: Unknown

 

 

 

 

 




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