Rev. Lucien J. Richard, o.m.i.-Assignment Record

Assignment Record– Rev. Lucien J. Richard, O.M.I.

Summary of Case: A priest of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate ordained in 1954, Richard began his career in Rome Italy until 1960, when he settled into work as a professor of theology and philosophy in the Boston archdiocese. In a lawsuit filed in November 2005, Richard was accused of having "sexually, physically and emotionally abused" his twin daughters during their childhoods. The girls, born in 1985, were the result of an "affair" he had had with a Weston Jesuit School of Theology student while he was a teacher there. Richard acknowledged being the girls' father, but denied abusing them. Per the lawsuit, Richard's Order was told when the girls were young of his paternity and of the alleged abuse. He was kept in ministry.

Ordained: 1954

Start	Stop	Assignment	Town/Accusations	State	Position	Notes
1954	1960		Rome	Italy		Richard is indexed in the 1955-1960 Directories at 5 Vittorino da Feitre, Rome.
1960 Boston archbishop was Richard James Cushing (1944-1970), followed by Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983).	1973	Oblate College and Seminary	Natick	MA
1973 Medeiros was succeeded by Bernard Francis Law (1984-2002).	1995	Oblate House of Studies	Cambridge • Richard was accused in a November 2005 lawsuit of negligence and sexual, physical and emotional abuse of his daughters during their childhoods. The suit claimed that Richard failed to acknowledge or support the girls, and that the order knew of their existence and of his abuse of them.	MA		Richard had an "affair" with a college student, beginning in 1978, which resulted in the birth of twin girls in 1985. The mother says she became pregnant twice prior to the girls' births, and had two abortions, at Richard's urging. The Oblates were informed "early on" about Richard's daughters.
1970s	1980s	Weston Jesuit School of Theology	Cambridge	MA	professor, academic advisor, counselor
1995 Manchester bishop was Leo Edward O'Neil (1990-1997).	1996	Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate	Hudson	NH		This was the Provincial House of the Northern U.S. Province. Richard is indexed twice in the 1996 Directory: in Hudson, NH and in Lowell, MA.
1995 Law was replaced by Sean Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M. (2002-).	2006	Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate	Lowell	MA		Richard is not indexed beyond the 2006 Directory.
1995	2005	Boston University	Boston	MA	professor of philosophy and theology	Richard was last known in 2005, at age 73, to be planning to retire at the end of the year.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1955-2006)

• Two Women Sue Their Priest Father, Boston.com [Lowell MA], November 26, 2005
• Priest: I Fathered Twins, but I Didn't Abuse Them, By Lisa Redmond, Lowell Sun (Lowell, MA), November 26, 2005
• Children of Boston U. Professor File Complaint of Abuse, By Matt Negrin, University Wire, December 2, 2005

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 Richard'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 Sept. 11, 2010.