[Gamecock]

Thomas Kieran Ahearn: Convicted

Assignment History:

1965: 213 Stanton Street, New York
1966-1969: Lowel Rd., Hudson, New Hampshire
1970-1971: 1200 Brush Hill Rd., Milton, Massachusetts
1972-1975: Smithtown General Hospital, Smithtown, NY
1976-1978: St. Ann Friary, Smithtown, NY
1979-1980: Smithtown General Hospital, Smithtown, NY
1981-1982: Not listed
1983-1984: St. Pius X, Middletown, CT (Diocese of Norwich)
1985: St. Joseph the Worker Church, East Patchogue, NY (RBC)
1986-1990: St. Luke’s Church, Westport, CT
1991-1993: St. Mary’s Church, Bethel, CT
1994-1996: Leave of Absence

[dangus]

Just wondering what brings of Ahearn. He’s certainly not military diocese, since he’s Franciscan. But I have relatives at one of the churches you’ve listed.

[dangus]

I see where he was convicted of serving alcohol to a minor, not of sexual assault. Not that it matters: he’s still a perv.

[dangus]

Priest Gets Acquitted of Molestation Charge

Hartford Courant
March 8, 1994

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Roman Catholic priest was acquited Monday of molesting a 16-year-old but convicted on a lesser charge. Thomas K. Ahearn, 56, of Bethel, Conn. was cleared of indecent assault and furnishing alcohol to a minor. He was convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Ahearn was pastor of St. Pius X Church in Middletown from 1981-1984. Ahearn had been accused of picking the boy up in January 1993 while on a ski trip. He allegedly plied the boy with alcohol, fondled him, then took him to a motel in Lenox, where he fondled him. Ahearn admitted serving the boy Scotch whiskey, saying: "It's very poor judgment. It's not my practice." Ahearn's lawyers said the boy, who was a runaway from a school for emotionally troubled youths, approached the priest and asked for help. Ahearn testified that he took the boy back to his room to counsel him. A jury in Central Berkshire District Court took an hour to reach its verdict after a week-long trial before Judge James B. McElroy. Sentencing was set for 9:30 a.m. today. Ahearn was assigned to St. Mary's parish in Bethel when he was arrested Jan. 21, 1993. The Roman Catholic Diocese immediately relieved him of his duties.

Not sure if you're finding any fault in the diocese; they seem to handled the case as promptly as they could, although they were trailing the police. OTOH, The Franciscans have a fair amount of institutionalized loafer lightness, and should have detected something was off... but many of them were a bit off. Although I checked with my relatives and they claim that there once were several priests at this parish who seemed gay, but haven't been for some while.