Assignment Record – Rev. Christian Roy

Summary of Case: Rev. Christian Roy was ordained a priest of the Portland, ME diocese in 1975. He served as an assistant at parishes in Augusta, Biddeford and Sanford, pastored parishes in Rockland and Belfast, and was a chaplain at Maine State Prison. Roy was also the diocese's Catholic Scouting chaplain from 1981-1993. In 1993 Roy was removed from active ministry after an allegation surfaced that he had sexually abused a minor form 1983-1990. In 1994 he was sued by a woman who claimed Roy had a sexual relationship with her husband during the time the couple was seeing Roy for marriage counseling. Roy was laicized in 2006.

Ordained: 1975

1975

Portland bishop was Edward Cornelius O'Leary (1974-1988).

St. Augustine's

1981

O'Leary was succeeded by Joseph John Gerry, O.S.B. (1988-2004).

Portland

• Roy was accused in 1993 of sexually abusing a minor from 1983-1990.

Belfast

• Roy was sued in 1994 by a woman claiming the priest had a sexual relationship with her husband, after the couple went to the priest for marriage counseling.

This was a mission of St. Francis of Assisi in Belfast.

Roy is not listed beyond the 1993 Directory. Per news articles, he was removed from active ministry in 1993 after an allegation surfaced that he had sexually abused a minor. He was laicized in 2006.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1976-1993)

• Wife Sues Priest, Portland Diocese, Suit Claims Cleric, Husband Had Affair, Bangor Daily News (Maine), November 7, 1994
• Vatican Punishes Three Priests Accused of Sexual Abuse, By Clarke Canfield, The Associated Press, carried in Boston.com, February 28, 2006
• Former Local Priest Removed, The Courier-Gazette, March 2, 2006
• Locals Express Mixed Feelings about Priests, By Trevor Maxwell, Kennebec Journal (Augusta, Maine), March 1, 2006
• For Some Maine Parishioners, News Brings Shock, Resignation, By Trevor Maxwell, Portland Press Herald [Maine], March 1, 2006• Bishop Names Accused Priests, By Judy Harrison, Bangor Daily News [Bangor ME], January 29, 2007
• Vatican Strips Ex-Priests of Authority, Associated Press, carried in Maine Today, May 30, 2008

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 Roy'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 Jan. 6, 2014