The Bostgon Herald (bostonherald.com)
Monday, August 5, 2013
By: John Zaremba
Photo by: Courtesy Lowell Sun
Rev. Arthur Coyle (File)
A high-ranking Catholic priest was released on $500 bail today on charges he paid a prostitute for sex behind a cemetery in Lowell, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s office.
Rev. Monsignor Arthur M. Coyle was arraigned this morning in Lowell District Court on a charge of paying for sexual conduct, a spokeswoman for Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said. The Rev. Coyle is due back in court on Sept. 16, the DA’s office said.
Coyle was ordained in 1977 and received the title of Prelate of Honor in 2012, according to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. He had been serving as episcopal vicar of the Merrimack region for the Archdiocese since 2008.
Coyle has taken a voluntary administrative leave from his assignment as a result of his arrest, the Archdiocese of Boston said in a statement.
“While on administrative leave, Msgr. Coyle is prohibited from performing any public ministry,” the archdiocese said. “These restrictions will remain in place pending the outcome of the case. The steps taken today do not represent a determination of Msgr. Coyle’s guilt or innocence as it pertains to these charges. The Archdiocese asks for prayers for all impacted by this matter.”
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Boston Archdiocese Monsignor arrested on sex charges
Monsignor Arthur M. Coyle allegedly arrested with a prostitute
WCBC.com
UPDATED 2:24 PM EDT Aug 05, 2013
By Shaun Ganley
Monsignor Arthur M. Coyle, a priest with the Archdiocese of Boston, was arrested for sexual conduct for pay in Lowell Sunday afternoon.
Police say the 62-year-old Coyle was arrested just after 5 p.m. Sunday after he was allegedly found with a prostitute behind a cemetery in Lowell.
Coyle was granted $500 bail after pleading not guilty Monday in Lowell District Court.
Coyle is the Episcopal Vicar for the Merrimack Region, meaning he oversees several parishes in the area. He lives at the rectory of St. Rita’s parish in Lowell.
In a statement, the archdiocese said Coyle has taken a voluntary administrative leave from his assignment. “While on administrative leave, Msgr. Coyle is prohibited from performing any public ministry. These restrictions will remain in place pending the outcome of the case,” the diocese said.
Coyle, a native of Weymouth, was ordained a Priest in May 1977 at Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. In July 2008, he was appointed Episcopal Vicar for the Merrimack Region.
Coyle was named a Prelate of Honor in December 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI.
According to the Boston Archdiocese website, Coyle has served at St. Patrick Parish in Brockton, St. Bridget Parish in Framingham, St. Michael Parish in Avon, St. Peter Parish in Norwood, St. Mary of the Nativity Parish in Scituate and St. Patrick Parish in Lowell.
He previously served as chaplain at Cardinal Spellman High School in Brockton and director of campus ministry at Framingham State University.
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New title follows the Rev. Coyle to his Lowell office
LOWELL — In July, the Rev. Arthur M. Coyle, Episcopal vicar of the Merrimack Region, moved into his new headquarters in the rectory and former office of St. Rita Parish on Mammoth Road. Five months later, he learned he has a new title to go along with those new quarters.
Pope Benedict XVI conferred the title of prelate of honor on Coyle, who will now be referred to as Monsignor Coyle or the Very Rev. Arthur M. Coyle, V.E., a prelate of honor.
According to Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Coyle has “distinguished himself throughout his priesthood with exemplary service to Christ and His Church. His service to the Archdiocese, as a parochial vicar, pastor and member of the Cabinet and now Episcopal Vicar for the Merrimack Region, has consistently been marked by dedication and commitment.”
The call from O’Malley sharing the news came the day after Christmas, said Coyle, who was ordained 35 years ago.
“It was a shock to me. I was very humbled,” he said, adding that monsignors are not as frequently conferred today.
It might not be as much of a shock to others throughout the Merrimack Valley. As the region’s Episcopal vicar, Coyle has been performing the duties of an auxiliary bishop since his assignment in 2008. Last year, he celebrated 52 confirmations in a concentrated period in the spring and fall.
Along with that are presiding over happy times, such as parish anniversaries, social events, and a particular favorite, the rededication of an altar in Haverhill, but sad times, too — wakes and funerals of priests and religious sisters or lay people, he said.
Prelate of honor is the second of three ranks of monsignor, a title that dates to the 14th century. In French, “mon seigneur” means “My Lord.” At liturgical events, Coyle will now wear a magenta cassock with a purple sash. At nonliturgical events, he will wear a black cassock with magenta piping.
“Others are more excited about what I wear than I am,” said Coyle, who was ordained at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston on May 21, 1977.
Among Coyle’s many assignments was pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Lowell from 1993 through 1998. At the time, the Acre neighborhood was crime-ridden; over five years as pastor he witnessed a “transformation” as the local churches and civic groups like Coalition for a Better Acre worked toward a much-improved, safer neighborhood.
The multiethnic makeup of the parish, from its Irish roots through its vibrant Southeast Asian communities, left Coyle with a greater “sensitivity to multicultural issues,” he said. That aided him in a future assignment in the Office of Cultural Diversity in Boston.
Among several other councils and boards, Coyle sits on the board of trustees for Lowell Catholic High School. He beams with pride as he speaks of the growth the school has enjoyed in recent years.
Behind the desk in his new office is a piano. Coyle is an accomplished pianist, having studied since he was young. He played “Oh Holy Night” without sheet music. He was the organist in the seminary and the accompanist to the “Singing Priests” in the ’80s and early ’90s, traveling around to gigs, including at Lowell Memorial Auditorium.
Now that he resides in Lowell, he’s helping prepare the region for the changes that are coming to the Catholic Church, largely the result in the shortage of priests and declining attendance at Mass.
He praises the “wonderful” priests in the Merrimack Valley for their devotion and their positive support of the Pastoral Planning process, a “creative” solution that aims to avoid the closing of parishes by instead sharing resources, including pastors, among two or more parishes.
He’s somewhat surprised, he said, that the Merrimack region has been mostly positive in multiple meetings about the plan, as it was expected “this would be the most difficult area because they were badly affected with the parish closings of 2004.”
His hope for the church is that the pastoral plan creates “a more vibrant local church. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we saw even just half of the people who go to Mass on Christmas and Easter on a regular basis?”