Paquin stated that, beginning when he was 14 years old, he was sexually abused by Rev. Bernard St. Hilaire. Paquin disclosed that the two shared a bed for 30 years. St. Hilaire died in 1977.

Paquin admitted in 2002 to abusing minors in Haverhill and Methuen, MA during his career as a priest, saying the cycle of abuse started with Hilaire. (Boston Herald
June 6, 2002)

1973

Boston archbishop was Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983).

Methuen

• In 1978 a 17 year old boy told St. Monica's pastor, Rev. Allen Roche, that Paquin had just molested him and that he was doing the same thing to two other boys in Paquin's rectory bedroom. The boy who approached the pastor is said to have been molested over a six year period in the 1970s by Paquin.

• Rev. James M. Carroll, associate pastor, said that in the mid-1980s he told Roche of a report from a parishioner that Paquin was molesting youths while at St. Monica's. (Boston Globe
April 11, 2002)

3/4, 2/3. 2/4

Paquin was in charge of altar boys, Boy Scouts and the Catholic Youth Organization.

Parish had a school with 544-514 students.

Rev. Roche told the the boy who reported Paquin two years later that he had "taken care of it".

It turns out Roche did not follow through on informing the archdiocese about the complaints regarding Paquin. (Boston Globe
May 30, 2002)

1981

Medeiros was succeeded by Bernard Francis Law (1984-2002).

Haverhill

• Paquin was accused in a 2002 wrongful death lawsuit of providing four boys with alcohol on a 1981 New Hampshire road trip and molesting at least on of them. One of the boys witnessed that Paquin fell asleep at the wheel, and the car crashed. Another boy, Jimmy Francis, died in the crash, and another was badly hurt. Per Jimmy's mother, one of the other boys told her that Paquin had molested Jimmy. (Boston (MA) Globe
April 11, 2002)

• Rev. Frederick E. Sweeney became pastor of St. John's in 1989, and soon was hearing complaints about Paquin's sexually abusive behavior. (Boston Globe
April 11, 2002)

• Paquin dmitted in 2002 to sexual abuse of a St. John's altar boy. Paquin began grooming the boy when he was 11 years old and the abuse continued until the boy was at least 17 years old. The incidents took place in Massachusetts, Canada, Maine New Hampshire, Florida and Virginia. (Documents in Manchester archives)

Paquin presided over Jimmy Francis' funeral mass.

Rev. Sweeney is said to have gone to Bishop Alfred Hughes with the complaints; Hughes told Sweeney he needed someone to make a formal complaint. Rev. Sweeney persisted, found a victim of Paquin who was willing to speak, and per Hughes' direction, the two of them met with Rev. John B. McCormack, head of archdiocesan ministerial services. McCormack merely said, "How much are you looking for?" The victim was stunned, and said he'd go to the news media if Paquin wasn't removed and/or kept away from children. Paquin was soon sent to a Canadian treatment center for an assessment, then to St. Luke's in Maryland for treatment. (Manchester (NH) Union Leader
July 9, 2002) McCormack went on to become bishop of the diocese of Manchester, NH. Hughes later became archbishop of New Orleans, LA.

Methuen

• A man filed a complaint with the archdiocese in 1992 that he was sexually abused by Paquin while a patient in this hospital. (Boston Herald
May 31, 2002)

• A young seminarian disclosed to McCormack in 1992 that he had been sexually abused by Paquin beginning when he was a preteen (at St. Monica's) and that abuse continued to the time he entered St. John's Seminary. He also told McCormack that Paquin had "taken up with" a Haverhill youth while studying to be a hospital chaplain. This was the youth Paquin was later charged with raping from 1989-1992. (Boston Globe
May 30, 2002)

Per news reports, Paquin lived here after his time at St. Luke's.

When Rev. Sweeney discovered that Paquin was living at St. Joseph's and working at the hospital, he complained. Paquin was then put on sick leave and sent to live at Our Lady's Hall, a facility for troubled priests in Milton. (Boston Globe
April 11, 2002)

The 1993 Directory has a phone number for Paquin in the index. A 2010 google search shows the number to be for the rectory of Our Lady of the Assumption in Chelsea, MA. Paquin is not listed in the Boston archdiocesan pages as there, however.

The parish had a school with 151 students

Milton

• Paquin continued to sexually abuse a Haverhill boy during his time at Our Lady's Hall, including in Paquin's room at Our Lady's. (Boston Globe
March 20, 2002)

• In 1996 a Brockton man notified the archdiocese that Paquin had molested his son, as well as a nephew who had AIDS. (Boston Globe
May 30, 2002)

Our Lady's was an archdiocesan home for troubled priests.

The archdiocesan review board reviewed Paquin's case three times between March 1993-1997. In 1997 they urged laicization for Paquin, but changed their minds by May 1997, agreeing he could work at Youville Hospital. (Boston Herald
May 31, 2002)

While living at Our Lady's Hall, Paquin was working at a CVS pharmacy in Milton.

Rev. Brian Flatley, who was Cardinal Law's deputy in charge of handling clergy abuse allegations, told Law's top deputy, Bishop William C. Murphy, who is said to have insisted it was time for Paquin to "move away" from the priesthood. After yet another March 1996 complaint, Flatley wrote in a memo, "it is irresponsible for the Archdiocese to allow him to be working where there are young people [at CVS], given his history."

In response to Paquin's appeals in 1997 to him to be allowed to stay in ministry, Murphy supported him in his desire to work with Rev. C. Melvin Surette, the research assistant in the office that handled clergy abuse. Surrette was also accused of child sexual abuse. (Boston Herald
May 31, 2002)

November 2000

Sean Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap. replaced Law
(2003-).

Paquin was removed from his chaplaincy at Youville in November 2000 when there were complaints by people who discovered he was working there and, in particular, when a man threatenend to go to the media with his complaint. (Boston Globe
January 1, 2003) The Directories continue to index Paquin as at Youville until 2006. He is last indexed in the 2006 Directory.

Paquin was indicted in May 2002 (Boston Globe
May 30, 2002) and he pleaded guilty Dec. 31, 2002 to three counts of child rape. He admitted to at least 50 sexual assaults between 1990-1992 in this case involving a Haverhill boy. He was sentenced to 12 to 15 years in prison, to be served at MCI Cedar Junction in Walpole, MA. (Boston Globe
January 1, 2003)

Paquin's laicization was announced in 2004. (Associated Press, carried in Centre Daily [Pittsburgh PA]
Downloaded May 15, 2004)

On October 2, 2015, Paquin was be released from state custody. Despite prosectors' efforts to have him civilly committed to a treatment facility for sexual predators, "qualified experts" determined that Paquin was not sexually dangerous. (Boston Globe, October 2, 2015).