Chloe Shelford Jan 9, 2021
Five priests who served at St. Patrick’s Church in Wareham have been accused of sexual abuse, according to a list of 75 accused clergy published on Jan. 7 by the diocese of Fall River.
It is unclear when or for how long these priests worked in Wareham, and the diocese of Fall River declined Wareham Week’s request for that information. Many served at more than eight churches over their careers.
St. Patrick’s declined to comment for this story.
Several of the priests are facing criminal charges:
Mark Hession has been charged with two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and battery on a child less than 14, and one count of intimidation of a witness.
NEW BEDFORD An investigative report from the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office and Daniel Lacroix’s attorney have shed some light on sexual misconduct allegations against an area priest who was permanently removed from the ministry in November.
In a letter that was read during a Mass at Lacroix’s former parish, St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Illinois Street, Diocese of Fall River Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha said allegations against Lacroix were determined to be credible by a ministerial review board.
In a statement Thursday, the diocese said Lacroix was removed because of conduct that is inconsistent with standards of ministerial behavior and in direct violation of the Code of Conduct for priests in the Fall River Diocese and the U.S. Bishops Charter for The Protection of Children and Young People.
As Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” played, Jamie Anthony ran up and down the streets of New Bedford using her camera to document people of every generation participating in a Black Lives Matter march this past June.
When her legs got tired, Anthony, 23, sat on top of a car that was driving slowly with the protest and was able to really take in the different ages of all the people marching, which included people who had already marched for racial equity in their lifetimes.
“It was just an impactful moment because it was almost like we took a step back in time and I was looking at history repeat itself . but also seeing the triumph and strength and tears in my community,” Anthony said recently. “It was an amazing moment for me.”
Bristol DA Seeks Help Solving Cold Seekonk Murder Case
More than four decades ago, a Rhode Island woman working as a hotel clerk was found beaten and stabbed to death at the Susse Chalet on Rt. 6 in Seekonk. Now, the Bristol County District Attorney s Office is seeking the public s help in solving the cold case.
On the morning of August 20, 1979, Margaret Pizio, a 35-year-old woman from the Riverside section of East Providence, was found murdered at the hotel. The medical examiner at the time found that the manner of death was homicide. Pizio was the mother of four children, the oldest of whom was 13 at the time of her death.