Thomas Ludger Dupré
Encyclopedia
Thomas Ludger Dupré is an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts
from 1995 to 2004.
, Massachusetts
, and studied at the Collège de Montréal
in Québec
, Canada
, from 1951 to 1952. Returning to the United States
, he briefly attended Assumption College
in Worcester
before returning to Canada in 1955 to study theology
at the Grand Seminary of Montreal
. Dupré, following his return to Massachusetts, was ordained
to the priesthood
by Bishop Christopher Joseph Weldon
on May 23, 1959.
He then served as a curate
at St. George's Church in Chicopee
until 1964, when he was sent to further his studies at Catholic University of America
in Washington, D.C.
In 1966 he was assigned to St. Joseph's Church
in Springfield
. Dupré then served at St. John the Baptist in Ludlow
(1970–1973), Nativity of the Blessed Virgin in Chicopee
(1973–1977), and St. Louis de France in West Springfield
(1978–1990). He was named chancellor
(1977) and vicar general
(1989) of the Diocese of Springfield
.
On April 7, 1990, Dupré was appointed Auxiliary Bishop
of Springfield and Titular Bishop
of Hodelm by Pope John Paul II
. He received his episcopal consecration
on the following May 31 from Bishop Joseph Francis Maguire
, with Bishops Timothy Joseph Harrington
and Leo Edward O'Neil
serving as co-consecrators
. He was named to succeed Bishop John Aloysius Marshall
as the seventh Bishop of Springfield
on March 14, 1995. He was later installed
at St. Michael's Cathedral
on the following May 8. During his tenure, Dupré publicly expressed his opposition to same-sex marriage
and abortion
. During the 2000 presidential election
, he declared that it was the "obligation and responsibility" of Catholics "to vote for the candidate who will promote what is good and oppose what is evil, who will promote the culture of life
and oppose the culture of death, who will promote the well-being of society and oppose its moral disintegration."
After thirteen years as Bishop, Dupré resigned due to unspecified health reasons on February 11, 2004. His resignation came one day after The Springfield Republican confronted him with accusations of sexual abuse from two men who had known Dupré when he was a parish priest and they were altar boys
. Dupre was also accused by local clergy of covering up abuse charges against other priests, including Richard R. Lavigne
.
On September 24, 2004, he was indicted
by a Hampden County
grand jury
on two counts of child molestation
. He thus became the first Catholic bishop ever to be indicted of sexual abuse. However, the Springfield district attorney
's office was forced to drop the charges because the statute of limitations
had run out. He then entered St. Luke Institute
, a private Catholic psychiatric hospital
in Silver Spring
, Maryland
. As of June 2006, he continued to list his residence as St. Luke's.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He served as Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts
Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the counties of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden in the state of Massachusetts. It is led by...
from 1995 to 2004.
Biography
Dupré was born in South HadleySouth Hadley, Massachusetts
South Hadley is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,514 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and studied at the Collège de Montréal
Collège de Montréal
The Collège de Montréal is a private secondary school for students attending grades 7–11 located in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A former Roman Catholic Seminary, it was founded 1 June 1767 as the Petit Séminaire of Montreal by the Suplician Order...
in Québec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, from 1951 to 1952. Returning to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, he briefly attended Assumption College
Assumption College
Assumption College is a private, Roman Catholic, liberal arts college located on 185 acres in Worcester, Massachusetts. Assumption has an enrollment of about 2,117 undergraduates...
in Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
before returning to Canada in 1955 to study theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at the Grand Seminary of Montreal
Grand séminaire de Montréal
The Grand séminaire de Montréal is the sacerdotal school of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal. The institution was founded by the sulpicians in 1840 on the demands of Ignace Bourget. A branch of Université Laval's faculty of theology was installed in the seminar in 1878...
. Dupré, following his return to Massachusetts, was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
by Bishop Christopher Joseph Weldon
Christopher Joseph Weldon
Christopher Joseph Weldon was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts from 1950 to 1977.-Biography:...
on May 23, 1959.
He then served as a curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at St. George's Church in Chicopee
Chicopee, Massachusetts
Chicopee is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States of America. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 55,298, making it the second largest city in...
until 1964, when he was sent to further his studies at Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
In 1966 he was assigned to St. Joseph's Church
St. Joseph's Church (Springfield, Massachusetts)
The former St. Joseph's Church was an historic Roman Catholic church at Howard St. and E. Columbus Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts.The church was built in 1873 and added to the National Historic Register in 1983....
in Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
. Dupré then served at St. John the Baptist in Ludlow
Ludlow, Massachusetts
Ludlow is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,103 as of the 2010 census. It is located in western Massachusetts, north of Springfield, east of Chicopee, southeast of Granby, southwest of Belchertown, west of Wilbraham and is considered part of the...
(1970–1973), Nativity of the Blessed Virgin in Chicopee
Chicopee, Massachusetts
Chicopee is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States of America. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 55,298, making it the second largest city in...
(1973–1977), and St. Louis de France in West Springfield
West Springfield, Massachusetts
The Town of West Springfield is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 28,391 at the 2010 census...
(1978–1990). He was named chancellor
Chancellor (ecclesiastical)
Two quite distinct officials of some Christian churches have the title Chancellor.*In some churches, the Chancellor of a diocese is a lawyer who represents the church in legal matters....
(1977) and vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
(1989) of the Diocese of Springfield
Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the counties of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden in the state of Massachusetts. It is led by...
.
On April 7, 1990, Dupré was appointed Auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Springfield and Titular Bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Hodelm by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. He received his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
on the following May 31 from Bishop Joseph Francis Maguire
Joseph Francis Maguire
-External links:**...
, with Bishops Timothy Joseph Harrington
Timothy Joseph Harrington
Timothy Joseph Harrington was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Worcester from 1983 to 1994.-Biography:...
and Leo Edward O'Neil
Leo Edward O'Neil
Leo Edward O'Neil was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Manchester from 1990 until his death in 1997.-Biography:...
serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
. He was named to succeed Bishop John Aloysius Marshall
John Aloysius Marshall
John Aloysius Marshall was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Burlington, Vermont and Bishop of Springfield, Massachusetts .-Biography:...
as the seventh Bishop of Springfield
Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the counties of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden in the state of Massachusetts. It is led by...
on March 14, 1995. He was later installed
Enthronement
An enthronement is a ceremony of inauguration, involving a person—usually a monarch or religious leader—being formally seated for the first time upon their throne. This ritual is generally distinguished from a coronation because there is no crown or other regalia that is physically...
at St. Michael's Cathedral
St. Michael's Cathedral, Springfield
St. Michael's Cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts, United States.Located on State Street in Springfield, Massachusetts, the cathedral was built in the 1860s based on plans from noted architect Patrick Keely of Brooklyn, New York.It was...
on the following May 8. During his tenure, Dupré publicly expressed his opposition to same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage in the United States
The federal government does not recognize same-sex marriage in the United States, but such marriages are recognized by some individual states. The lack of federal recognition was codified in 1996 by the Defense of Marriage Act, before Massachusetts became the first state to grant marriage licenses...
and abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. During the 2000 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2000
The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President....
, he declared that it was the "obligation and responsibility" of Catholics "to vote for the candidate who will promote what is good and oppose what is evil, who will promote the culture of life
Culture of life
The phrase "culture of life" is a term used in discussion of moral theology, especially of the Catholic Church. Its proponents describe it as a way of life based upon the theological truth that human life at all stages from conception through natural death is sacred...
and oppose the culture of death, who will promote the well-being of society and oppose its moral disintegration."
After thirteen years as Bishop, Dupré resigned due to unspecified health reasons on February 11, 2004. His resignation came one day after The Springfield Republican confronted him with accusations of sexual abuse from two men who had known Dupré when he was a parish priest and they were altar boys
Altar server
An altar server is a lay assistant to a member of the clergy during a Christian religious service. An altar server attends to supporting tasks at the altar such as fetching and carrying, ringing the altar bell and so on....
. Dupre was also accused by local clergy of covering up abuse charges against other priests, including Richard R. Lavigne
Richard R. Lavigne
Richard Roger Lavigne is a former priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts. Lavigne has been at the center of the priest abuse scandal in the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts with about 40 claims of sexual abuse of minors placed against him...
.
On September 24, 2004, he was indicted
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
by a Hampden County
Hampden County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 461,228 people, 175,288 households, and 115,690 families residing in the county. The population density was 738 people per square mile . There were 185,876 housing units at an average density of 301 per square mile...
grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
on two counts of child molestation
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
. He thus became the first Catholic bishop ever to be indicted of sexual abuse. However, the Springfield district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
's office was forced to drop the charges because the statute of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
had run out. He then entered St. Luke Institute
Saint Luke Institute
Saint Luke Institute is a private, licensed mental health treatment facility located in Silver Spring, Maryland. The Institute primarily serves Roman Catholic priests and religious women and men. Services are provided in both residential and outpatient settings...
, a private Catholic psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
in Silver Spring
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. As of June 2006, he continued to list his residence as St. Luke's.