Assignment Record– Rev. Leonard E. Pelletier

Summary of Case: Leonard Pelletier was ordained for the Boston archdiocese in 1969. He assisted in Winchester and Lynn parishes before being made pastor of a parish in Lowell in the 1990s. Pelletier was removed from active ministry in September 2002 after an accusation emerged that he had abused a child more that 20 years previously. His status in October 2015 remains "Administrative Leave; Case in Process."

Born: 1943
Ordained: 1969

   

Start Stop Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes
6/04/69 9/22/75 Immaculate Conception Winchester MA 3/3, 2/2, 2/3 Parish had a school until 1973 with 130-89 boys and 117-102 girls.
9/23/75 5/10/93 St. Joseph's

Lynn

• An accusation of sexual abuse of a minor was made against Pelletier in 2002. The abuse is said to have occurred "more than 20 years" previously. No other details have been made public. (Lowell Sun (Lowell, MA)
September 10, 2002)

MA 2/4, 2/3, 2/2  
5/11/93 9/02 St. Louis de France (French) Lowell MA 1/2, 1/1

Parish had a school with 275 students.

Pelletier was suspended from ministry in September 2002. (Boston Globe
September 10, 2002)

Pelletier is not indexed beyond the 2003 Directory.
9/02   Administrative Leave       Pelletier's status in October 2015 is "Administrative Leave; Case in Process."


Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1970-2004); Pelletier Assignment History, Archdiocese of Boston

Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Pelletier's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on October 29, 2015.