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Lucien Larre
Father Lucien Larre
Ordained 1958 as an Oblate priest. At some point in the ’70s or early 80s became incardinated in the Archdiocese of Regina.
Founder of Bosco home for troubled youth in Sask. Was once named Saskatchewan’s Citizen of the Year.
Was awarded the order of Canada – returned the medal after abortionist Dr. Henry Morgentaler was awarded the honour.
May 1991 faced 14 criminal charges: nine counts of assault causing bodily harm, and one count each of sexual assault, sexual assault causing bodily harm, indecent assault, overcoming resistance to commit an offence, and administering a noxious substance. The allegations came from eight males and four females. Father Larre was convicted on two of the physical assault charges and sentenced to a symbolic one day in jail plus fine. His time in court at trial served as his time in jail, so there was no one day in jail.
After his conviction and attaining his PhD in Psychology Father Larre moved to British Columbia. At some point he moved to Coquitlam, British Columbia. He seemed to have spent two or more years in the Edmonton, Alberta area as well. His name has not appeared in the Canadian Catholic Church Directory indexes since the late 1990s, but he is still identified as, identifies himself as and is active as a priest. ( It is unknown at this time if he is or is not still incardinated in the Archdiocese of Regina.)
Has a doctorate in Psychology. In 2006 his registration with the College of Psychologists of British Columbia in Psychology was suspended on an interim basis “to protect the public pending an investigation and potential hearing of the College’s Discipline Committee.” While suspended Larre chose not to renew his registration with the College and hence “his registration was cancelled effective January 1, 2008. In September 2008, Father Larre agreed to an undertaking not to apply for reinstatement of his registration.”
Larre now, among other things, preaches missions, conducts retreats, speaks at Catholic Conventions.
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2007: Reasons for Judgment – Dr. Lucien Larre v College of Psychologists of British Columbia (Appeal of suspension of registration with College of Psychologists of British Columbia dismissed)
November 1989: Father Larre’s War Saturday Night 1989
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At Trial
Defence: Fred Kovach Judge: Justice C. Ross Wimmer Crown: Al Johnston
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Unless otherwise indicated the following information is drawn from Canadian Catholic Church Directories (CCCD) which I have on hand and media (M)
2017: Not listed in index of Canadian Catholic Church Directory (CCCD)
– Preaching missions, conducting retreats, speaking at Catholic Conventions, and keynote speaker at Public School teachers conventions across the country ( Parish missions , retreats and speaking engagements)
– currently operates a website. The following is the Hom
e page:
Post 2012 – date unknown – “continues to help children adn their families at the Bosco Centre”
2012: Not listed in index of Canadian Catholic Church Directory (CCCD)
2012 – Father Larre received the Diamond Jubilee Medal from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his contributions to Canadian children, adolescents and families.
21-25 November 2010: preaching a mission at Our Lady of Grace Roman Catholic Church, Calgary, Alberta
As part of Our Lady of Grace Church’s 2010 parish mission, Father Lucien Larre will be preaching between Nov. 21 and 25. He will introduce the mission on Nov. 21, then from Nov. 22 to 25, he will make a one-hour presentation following each 7 p.m. mass. Topics include strengthening faith, hope and the true meaning of love. On Nov. 25 at 9:30 a.m., Larre will conduct a three-hour workshop on understanding children’s problems. All events are free and take place at 1714 14th Ave. N.E. Call 403-276-1689 for more information and mass times.
Returned his Order of Canada when the award was given to Canadian abortionist and abortion rights advocate Dr, Henry Morgentaler (M)
2007: was stripped of his license in Psychology (he has a doctorate) by the College of Psychologists of British Columbia (M) ” there are serious public protection concerns and an immediate risk to the public”. (see above Dr. Larre v College of Psychologists of BD, 2007)
April or May 2007: B.C. College of Psychologists suspended his registration on a temporary basis (M)
March 2003: testified at trial re extradition of Michael Seifert (scroll down 05 March 2003 and 01 April 2003 articles) (M)
2002: Not listed in index of Canadian Catholic Church Directory (CCCD)
2000: Not listed in index of Canadian Catholic Church Directory (CCCD)
1998: Registered as a Psychologist in British Columbia (M)
1998: not listed in index (CCCD)
1997: Grated pardon by the Nation Parole Board of Canada (M)
1997, 1996: P.O. Box 4100. Sherwood Park, Alberta T8A 2Y7 (CCCD)
1995, 1994: P.O. Box 1755, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4P 3C6 (CCCD)
1993: P.O. Box 1755, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4P 3C6 (CCCD)
21 January 1993: dropped appeal of his sentence for two assault related cases (M)
23 April 1993: Acquitted on nine of 11 assault-related charges . Plans to appeal one of the two convictions (M)
1992: P.O. Box 1755, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4P 3C6 (CCCD)
– at some point after his conviction was back pursuing doctorate in Psychology at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio . (M)
23 May 1992: Filed appeal of sentence – “erasure of records” which would prevent him pursuing studies in Psychology the United States (M)
– sentenced to one day in jail and $2,500 fine (M)
21 April 1992: Found guilty on two charges (M)
20 April 1992: Jury charged (M)
1991: “Sabbatical Year” (CCCD)
September 1991: Ordered to stand trial . Opted for trial by jury (M)
09 September 1991: Preliminary hearing (M)
03 May 1991: Charged with 14 assault-related charges, including two counts of sexual assault and one of indecent assault (M).
In Ohio studying for a doctorate in Psychology when charges laid (M)
1989: “Saskatchewan’s Social Services Department cut funding and referrals to the Bosco homes in 1989 and the homes were closed, along with a ranch near Regina and a wilderness camp in northern Saskatchewan.” (Ottawa Citizen 22 Apr. ’92)
1988 ?: Released at least two Christmas recordings : “Christmas with the Kids,” and “Caroling with the Kids.” The following are excerpts from the back cover of the latter :
Some 17 years ago I founded Bosco Homes as a treatment centre for kids with serious emotional and mental problems. Singing became [art f our therapy program. Our youngsters found it relaxing and great fun!
Now as Boco Homes is expanding to Alberta, Manitoba and later B.C., we organize a variety of fund raising projects. These include lotteries, the Big Valley Jamboree and the Big Valley Round-Up in Craven, Saskatchewan. This recording is the beginning of a new series to involve other school kids in helping the Bosco kids. “Kids helping Kids” has a nice ring to it. So the school children on my recordings volunteer their time to help the kids in treatment at Bosco Homes. Therefore, after production costs all proceedings from this record go to help kids in need.
Dedication!
This recording is dedicated to our beloved Archbishop of Regina, the very Reverend Chares Halpin, D.D., a great supporter of Bosco Homes. Since the earliest days at Bosco, Sister Helen Smaggus strummed her guitar and took our Bosco kids and staff carolling around Regina. We went to various families, senior citizen homes but the tradition was soon established to end the tour at the Archbishop’s residence. We never phoned to announce our visit but the good Archbishop would always find time to sit on the living room rug with the kids and join in the carolling with his beautiful tenor voice, while his gracious mother spoiled us all with French cookies, candies and Christmas treats
1985-1986: 2915 Pasqua St., Regina (Was this the address of one of his Bosco Homes?) (CCCD) (CCCD index indicates that he is incardinated in the Archdiocese of Regina)
1983: received the Order of Canada for founding the Bosco Centres for emotionally disturbed and addicted adolescents.
organized the first Big Valley Jamboree, an annual fund-raiser (SN)
1975: opened fourth Bosco Home in Regina (SN)
1971-1974: Opened three Bosco Homes in Regina (SN)
1971: founded and opened the first of Bosco Homes (M) a home for troubled teenagers. The homes eventually expanded into Alberta (SN)
1973-74, 1971-72: address for St. Mary Roman Catholic Church, 2026 Winnipeg St. Regina, Saskatchewan (Pastor, Father E. Lequiea omi) (CCCD) still identified as an Oblate priest.
1969: address for St. Mary Roman Catholic Church, 2026 Winnipeg St. Regina, Saskatchewan (Pastor, Father H. Krawotz omi) (CCCD) – still identified as an Oblate priest.
– formed the Miller Rovers, a 90 voice choir at Miller HS in Regina.
1967: St. Thomas College, North Battleford, Saskatchewan (CCCD) (St. Thomas College was adminutered by the Oblates)
– Guidance Counsellor at Miller High School, a separate school in Regina, Saskatchewan (SN)
– teaching in Alberta (SN)
– attained M.A.s in guidance and counselling and comparative religion at universities in Ottawa and Alberta (SN)
1958: ORDAINED as an Oblate priest (SN)
attained Bachelor in Philosophy in seminary in Battleford Saskatchewan
1937: Polio
1932: Born near St. Walberg, Saskatchewan, the youngest of 13 children (SN)
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Defence lawyer: Defence lawyer Fred Kovach Crown: Al Johnston
Brain-damaged boy’s parents put faith in controversial treatment
CBC News Posted: Dec 17, 2013 5:30 AM CT Last Updated: Dec 18, 2013 4:55 PM CT
By Donna Carreiro,
CBC News: Winnipeg at 6:00
Brain-damaged boy’s parents put faith in controversial treatment
A Manitoba couple say they are living their worst nightmare, after their son was brain damaged. 2:06
That is why the couple is turning to a therapy that’s experimental, expensive — and offered by a doctor not licensed to practice medicine.
“They say [Dylan] is in a brain-damaged state which means he’ll never come back,” Neesh Campbell says softly.
“Nobody’s ever given us hope.”
The Campbells’ struggles began four years ago when their son had a tonsillectomy at the Health Sciences Centre’s Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg.
Neesh Campbell stands at the bedside of his son, Dylan, who suffered a hypoxic ischemic brain injury four years ago. (Donna Carreiro/CBC)
It was supposed to be a routine procedure, but it was nothing of the sort. Five days later, the family says Dylan started bleeding. By the time they rushed him back to hospital, they say he was choking to death.
“My son said, ‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.’ We kept, uh, wiping his blood up and whatnot — there’s blood on his shirt, there’s blood on that stretcher,” Neesh recalled.
“Then I got kind of mad there and … they had me thrown out of the hospital. And then the security guard came back outside to get me. My son passed away.”
Doctors managed to resuscitate Dylan, but by then the damage was done. He had lost so much oxygen that he suffered a “hypoxic ischemic brain injury,” according to an HSC medical assessment.
In other words, he can’t walk, talk, eat, control his movements or even swallow without the help of machines.
Grim prognosis
Legally, it remains to be determined why this happened. The family has sued the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, and the case is still before the courts.
A WRHA spokesperson could not comment on the case or his condition, again, because it is before the courts.
In the meantime, Dylan’s prognosis is grim — but not, says his father, impossible.
“When he was laying there in a coma, I’ve seen a tear come out of his eye,” Neesh said.
“If anybody … doesn’t know nothing, they wouldn’t cry. When I hold his hand, I tell him to squeeze my hands. He squeezes them. They just say, ‘Well, it doesn’t mean nothing.’ Well, to me it means a lot.”
That’s why Neesh Campbell has spent the past four years searching for a treatment that could help his son. And he thinks he’s found it.
It’s called hyperbaric oxygen therapy, in which patients are repeatedly exposed to intense doses of almost pure oxygen.
It’s a well-documented and legitimate treatment, endorsed by Health Canada for a myriad of injuries. But it’s not approved for use to treat conditions like Dylan’s.
“Anoxic brain injury is not one of [the approved conditions] because there’s not been sufficient evidence produced to justify its use,” said Dr. David Harrison, director of the Vancouver General Hospital’s hyperbaric oxygen clinic.
“In the absence of credible literature, we don’t know who might be harmed and who might be benefited.”
Nothing to lose
Lucien Larre, however, begs to differ. Larre is a self-described “doctor” who heard about Dylan’s case and offered the services of the Advanced Hyperbaric Oxygen Clinic in Coquitlam, B.C.
There, he says, Dylan stands a good chance of experiencing some improvement with this treatment.
Besides, Larre adds, they have nothing to lose.
“Sometimes statistics upset me,” Larre told CBC News.
“By golly, what if there’s a medication that comes out that only helps 10 per cent of the people, and your child is dying and happens to belong to that 10 per cent? I would love them to have that treatment.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by the clinic’s director, Ian Lamont.
“Generally, we see a 30 per cent improvement in these cases,” Lamont said, adding that he is certain Dylan will benefit from it.
Neesh Campbell agrees. In fact, he has so much faith in both Larre and the clinic that he has raised almost $4,000 to pay for the treatment himself.
Not medical doctors
The problem? Lucien Larre is not a medical doctor.
He’s actually a Roman Catholic priest who once ran a program in Saskatchewan for troubled teens — until he got into trouble for his controversial disciplining methods, although he was later pardoned.
And while he has a doctorate degree in psychology, the College of Psychologists of British Columbia stripped him of his licence back in 2007, pending an investigation into his competency.
As for Advanced Hyperbaric Oxygen Centre’s clinical director himself, Ian Lamont told CBC News that he too, has no medical expertise.
Instead, he said he is a “clinician,” and that one does not need a medical background to perform hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
It’s an assessment that concerns people like Harrison, who noted that as a licensed practitioner, he himself must adhere to the standards of both the College of Physicians and Surgeons and Health Canada.
“The real danger is that many of the private clinics … that are providing hyperbaric oxygen for this type of condition are largely unregulated, and one does not know the qualifications of the individual providing the hyperbaric oxygen,” he said.
“So there is risk for harm.”
It’s a medical second opinion that alarms Neesh and Sandra Campbell, both desperate for some treatment to help their son. However, they say it won’t dissuade them from seeking this therapy elsewhere.
“This is not about Dr. Larre,” Neesh said regarding Larre’s controversial credentials.
“This is about hyperbaric therapy. It’s about getting the one thing that might help my boy.”
Controversial priest to return Order of Canada
CTV News Vancouver
The Canadian Press
Published Friday, July 4, 2008 9:47PM PDT
A B.C. priest says he knew his controversial past would surface when he renounced his Order of Canada over the award being bestowed upon abortion rights doctor Henry Morgentaler.
But Father Lucien Larre says he had to speak out anyway.
Dr. Henry Morgentaler smiles as he answers questions during a news conference in Toronto on Wednesday, July 2, 2008. (Frank Gunn / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
“I have trouble with Dr. Morgentaler getting the Order of Canada,” Larre says.
He says giving Morgentaler the honour “degrades” it and for people who are opposed to abortion, “it’s nothing, it’s a worthless award.”
“I’m protesting the decision of the committee and I didn’t know any other way of doing it. Although I have tremendous respect for the Order of Canada I feel I have to return it,” Larre says.
The Catholic priest is no stranger to controversy himself.
He received the Order of Canada in 1983 for founding the Bosco Centres for emotionally disturbed and addicted adolescents.
But Larre was later convicted of assault and administering a noxious substance — convictions he says related to the high-risk youth he worked with, and he was eventually pardoned for both crimes.
And Larre candidly talks about sexual abuse allegations that arose against him when he worked in Regina many years ago, saying they were false allegations for which he was acquitted.
He says he has been haunted by the allegations ever since but that won’t stop him from speaking out about Morgentaler, who is due to be inducted into the Order of Canada for his work to repeal the country’s abortion laws and make the procedure a matter between a woman and her doctor.
“I no longer have a criminal record but it doesn’t matter, it keeps haunting me forever,” Larre says. “No matter where I go or what I do they say, oh, that’s the guy who used to abuse the children in Regina.”
He says he knew the matter would come up when he thrust himself into the spotlight over Morgentaler’s award.
“But I thought, I have to do it anyway.”
He says the assault charge stems from 1974, when he slapped a 19-year-old woman who was abusing drugs and breaking the law.
“Although it was wrong in hindsight, I never thought I was committing a criminal act at the time,” he says.
Fifteen years later he was charged.
He says the other charge of administering a noxious substance arose after he and a nurse pressured three teens to ingest a handful of unidentified vitamins, sugar pills and placebos in an effort to teach them a lesson about taking drugs.
“That’s a serious offence if you give somebody strychnine or a poison of some sort but this was totally different.”
As for the sexual abuse allegations, Larre points out that he was acquitted in a court of law.
“The kids who were accusing me of that were just doing it, trying to get a better deal. They were already in jail and so on and somehow they felt that if they said bad things about me, they would get brownie points.”
Morgentaler’s appointment to the Order of Canada garnered a similar reaction from Catholic officials.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver sent out a statement condemning the decision and urging those opposed to contact the Governor General’s office in protest.
Edmonton’s Catholic archbishop has also written to Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean asking that the decision to recognize Morgentaler be reversed.
Psychologist’s case shows limits of law
Times – Colonist (Victoria, B.C.)
17 Sep 2007
Lindsay Kines; Jeff Rud
He was once the “Saint of Saskatchewan,” a Catholic priest whose work with troubled teens earned him the Order of Canada and a citizen-of-the-year award.
But Father Lucien Larre has been dogged by controversy in recent years.
In 1992, a Saskatchewan jury convicted him on two counts of physically abusing children in his care at Bosco Homes and acquitted him on nine other charges. Larre was sentenced to one day in jail and paid a $2,500 fine for one charge of common assault and one charge that he forced pills down the throat of a teenager to teach her a lesson about drug abuse.
The National Parole Board of Canada pardoned him five years later and erased the charges.
In 1998, Larre registered as a psychologist in B.C.
His work, however, has prompted a number of complaints to the B.C. College of Psychologists in recent years, court documents show. There were no allegations of abuse, but individuals and other psychologists have questioned his methods and the quality of his work. Last November, the college held an extraordinary hearing and suspended his registration pending a disciplinary hearing because it felt he posed “an immediate risk to the public.” The public, however, was never told of that at the time.
The B.C. law that governs most, and soon all, recognized health professions states that it is the duty of a college to serve and protect the public. But the Health Professions Act places no onus on colleges to publish disciplinary decisions in a timely manner, as required in other jurisdictions. Instead, colleges are required only to let a member of the public “inspect” the registry, which shows whether psychologists have ever had their registrations suspended or revoked or had conditions or limitations placed on their registrations.
Generally, it’s left to the colleges to decide when and where to publish news of suspensions, resignations and other matters.
“When the matter is serious, such as anything related to patient welfare, we act accordingly and ensure disclosure in a very public way, such as through newspapers or notices on the website,” Andrea Kowaz, registrar of the College of Psychologists, said in a prepared statement.
Larre’s suspension came to light only when he appealed to the B.C. Supreme Court, which backed the college’s decision to suspend him in a ruling posted on the court’s website at the end of March.
The Times Colonist, which has been investigating how professional colleges handle complaints and inform the public about disciplinary decisions, asked Kowaz about the Larre case during a telephone interview on April 4.
The following day, Kowaz sent the TC a letter saying an advertisement would appear in that weekend’s Vancouver Sun “as per our policy to publish decisions where there are public protection concerns.” The notice ran April 7 — more than four months after Larre was suspended. It stated that his registration had been suspended on an interim basis without any findings of fact being made, pending a discipline hearing.
Kowaz said in a prepared statement that the college delayed publishing the notice until after his appeal. She said complainants, “interested individuals” and other regulatory bodies were notified immediately, and the suspension was noted in the college’s register, which the public can inspect.
In the case of a suspension following an extraordinary hearing, she said, “newspaper and website publication may be delayed for a short period of time if there is an expeditious appeal, as there was in Dr. Larre’s case.” Larre declined to comment on the case, because the discipline hearing has yet to conclude; it is slated to resume next month. He continues to work with clients doing “auditory processing” at his Bosco Centre in Port Coquitlam, though not in any capacity as a psychologist, general manager Ria Kaal said in a telephone interview.
The centre’s website states that it provides integrated services for children, adolescents and adults with learning disabilities, reading problems, attention-deficit disorders, sensory-integration disorders, fetal-alcohol exposure, brain-wave deficits, auditory- processing disorders and brain damage.
Kowaz acknowledged in an interview that the Health Professions Act provides little guidance on when or where to publish discipline decisions, or even whether it’s permissible to post decisions on the Internet. “It’s all about responding to requests,” she said. “For example, if I’m asked, I need to tell somebody the date and time of a discipline hearing and the matter of a discipline hearing.” She said the college is guided by its overarching goal of protecting the public and tends toward full disclosure as permitted by legislation. “We would like to get to a place where obviously it’s legally permitted to be more explicit about such things,” she said. “It’s really about helping the legislation get up to date with website and Internet and all the rest of it.”
War criminal fit to face hearing, Crown argues
Vancouver Sun
01 April 2003
A Vancouver man convicted of 11 murders at a Nazi prison camp in Italy during the Second World War is mentally fit to face an extradition hearing, the Crown argued Monday.
There is no evidence Michael Seifert is suffering from a mental disorder, prosecutor Roger McMeans said during his final argument at a fitness hearing that which has dragged on for months.
He suggested Seifert, 78, has tried to portray himself as a feeble old man with a poor memory but has shown during interviews that he has clear memories of past and recent events.
McMeans also accused a defence witness, psychologist Lucien Larre, who is also Catholic priest, of not being impartial and objective. He suggested Larre may have become emotionally involved with Seifert, a devout Catholic, and his family.
The prosecutor argued Larre may have been biased and tried to help Seifert obtain lower psychological test scores to show Seifert was unfit to face an extradition hearing.
“He [Larre] failed the court in his duty to provide impartial and objective evidence,” McMeans told B.C. Supreme Court Justice Selwyn Romilly, who will rule today at the Vancouver Law Courts on whether Seifert is fit to face a hearing regarding extradition to Italy.
Larre testified Seifert suffers from damage to the frontal lobe of his brain, but the prosecution argued Monday that a computed tomography imaging (CT) scan showed no evidence of brain damage or dementia.
Seifert’s lawyer, Doug Christie, called Larre to show that Seifert suffers from cognitive impairment after falling on an icy sidewalk and hitting his head in 2001.
The defence contends that Seifert has the mental age of a five- year-old and a subnormal IQ of 65. Larre’s expert opinion was that Seifert is mentally unfit to face an extradition hearing because he doesn’t understand what is going on in court and cannot instruct Christie on complex legal issues.
Christie pointed out Monday that his client did not fabricate his condition.
“This was a serious head injury,” he said, noting that when his client’s head wound healed, Christine, his wife of 46 years, noticed her husband was not normal.
The prosecution suggested Monday that Seifert’s low IQ score reflects the fact that he has a Grade 3 education and a poor mastery of English; his first language is German.
Three years ago, Seifert was tried in absentia for raping, torturing and murdering 11 people at a Nazi camp at Bolanzo in northern Italy between December 1944, and April 1945.
Italy wants Seifert extradited to begin serving a life sentence imposed by three Italian judges, who found Seifert was not a “mere watchdog of the Nazi war machine” but a “ruthless [and] efficient dispenser of death.”
Seifert was invited to attend the trial in an Italian military court but failed to show, so he was tried in absentia.
Ex-Nazi unable to plan defence against ouster, hearing told
Vancouver Sun
05 March 2003
David Hogben
The mental abilities of former Nazi prison guard Michael Seifert are so poor he is incapable of directing his lawyer during his extradition hearing, a psychologist said Tuesday.
“He will not be able to plan his defence with his attorney,” Lucien Larre testified at the Vancouver Law Courts.
Larre testified Seifert, 78, lacks the ability to think abstractly and understand the extradition process, even though he is aware he is in a courtroom and matters important to him are being considered.
The hearing before B.C. Supreme Court Justice Selwyn Romilly is to determine whether Seifert is mentally fit to face an extradition hearing.
Seifert was found guilty in absentia of the murder and torture of nine people at the SS-operated Bolzano prison camp between December 1944 and April 1945. He refused to attend the trial in Verona, Italy, but was represented by two lawyers.
During cross-examination by federal prosecutor Roger McMeans, Larre acknowledged he has not previously assessed whether a person was mentally fit to participate in legal proceedings.
“You never attempted to assess the fitness of a person to stand trial prior to doing so in this case?” McMeans asked.
“That is correct,” responded Larre.
Earlier Tuesday, McMeans asked Larre if it was true that the psychologist had stated it breaks his heart to see a 78-year-old man face extradition proceedings.
Larre agreed he expressed that sentiment and explained it was because of Seifert’s poor mental abilities.
“My problem here is we have a gentleman here who has an over-all low IQ,” he said. “His general memory is down in the bottom one per cent [of the population].”
Committee waiting for possible Larre appeal
The Vancouver Sun
23 April 1993
REGINA – A committee responsible for the Order of Canada award has been made aware that one of its recipients, Father Lucien Larre, was convicted this week on charges of common assault and administering a noxious substance.
But the advisory committee will not consider the matter “until such time as the appeal process is complete,” Philip Kinsman, spokesman for the Governor General’s office in Ottawa, said Wednesday.
Larre, 59, received the prestigious award for his work with Bosco Homes for troubled youth, which he founded in the early 1970s.
Tuesday the Roman Catholic priest, once known as the saint of Saskatchewan for his work, was acquitted on nine of 11 assault-related charges arising from incidents with some of the youths in his care at Bosco Homes.
His lawyer says he will probably appeal one of the two convictions.
There is provision in the constitution that governs the order, allowing the award to be revoked when a recipient is convicted of a criminal offence, Kinsman said.
There is no precedent for that action.
There have been more than 3,000 appointments since the Order of Canada was created in 1967.
Kinsman noted that in at least one case, an individual with a criminal record has been invested with the award. He declined to name the recipient.
As well, “we have had our attention drawn to one other case currently before the courts.”
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Larre drops appeal
Toronto Globe and Mail
21 January 1993
Rev. Lucien Larre has dropped an appeal of his sentence for two assault- related convictions. Father Larre said he was abandoning the appeal because his criminal record will no longer bar him from pursuing graduate studies in the United States. Father Larre was found guilty of assaulting a young woman in his care and administering noxious pills to another. He was acquitted on nine other charges. CP
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Larre to seek erasure of record
Edmonton Journal
23 May 1992
Regina
Father Lucien Larre has asked the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal to erase his criminal record because it jeopardizes his studies and future career in the United States.
In a three-page appeal filed Friday, Larre asked leave to appeal the sentences he received April 24 for common assault and administering a noxious substance. He also asked for an absolute or conditional discharge.
The convictions stemmed from charges of abuse levelled at Larre by former residents of his Bosco Homes for troubled adolescents.
On April 21, a Regina jury found the 57-year-old priest guilty of slapping and choking one young woman and forcing pills down the throat of another.
Larre said his criminal record may adversely affect his pursuit of a doctorate in psychology at Wright State University in Ohio.
“There are other issues significant to the appeal, but none are as immediate as him being able to stay in the States,” Larre’s lawyer, Fred Kovach, said Friday.
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LARRE TRIAL: Saskatchewan’s ‘saint’ given ‘symbolic’ sentence
Ottawa Citizen
25 April 1992
Chris Wattie
REGINA — Rev. Lucien Larre, once called Saskatchewan’s saint for his work with troubled youth, was sentenced to a symbolic, one-day in jail Friday.
Court of Queen’s Bench Justice C. Ross Wimmer handed the 59-year-old Roman Catholic priest a day in jail and $2,500 in fines for slapping and choking one resident of his homes for troubled youth and forcing another to take unidentified pills.
”The circumstances under which the offences are committed are a matter of concern,” the judge told a pale, shaken Larre. ”We trust that when our disturbed or disadvantaged children are placed in residential schools they will not be abused.
”Father Larre had absolute authority over these young people, they were altogether subject to his control and discipline . . . the actions resulting in the two convictions were an abuse of that authority.”
A seven-woman, five-man jury found Larre guilty Tuesday of one charge of common assault and one of administering a noxious substance. Larre had been accused of 11 assault-related charges, including one of sexual assault and one of indecent assault, but was acquitted on nine counts after a two-week trial.
Wimmer said the priest will not have to serve the one-day sentence — his time in court will be considered a day in custody — but Larre will now have a criminal record.
Larre was distraught when he emerged from the courtroom with a small knot of supporters. He said later he was happy the jury acquitted him on nine of 11 charges, and said he never intended to harm the Bosco residents.
”Like most parents, I was never a perfect dad, but I always tried to be the best possible dad I could be,” he said. ”I really believe in my heart I was a good dad for my kids, and I’ll always be proud of that.”
But Susan Morris, one of the nine former Bosco residents who accused Larre of beatings and abuse, was jubilant after the sentence was announced. ”I think it’s great — he has now got a criminal record,” she said.
”He’s never going to get another kid from the social services (department) — it was great.”
Larre was convicted of forcing Morris to take a handful of pills as punishment for using drugs when she was a 19-year-old resident of Bosco Homes. He was also convicted of assault for slapping and choking Bosco resident Debbie Preston.
Larre could have been jailed for up to six months on the assault conviction and up to two years for administering a noxious substance, but Wimmer said a lengthy term was not appropriate.
Fred Kovach, Larre’s lawyer, had argued for an absolute discharge in view of the priest’s lack of a criminal record, his age and his plans to continue studying for a doctorate in psychology in the United States.
But the judge said Larre should have set a better example. ”Exemplary conduct is expected from people of high stature,” Wimmer said.
”When that is not forthcoming and criminal convictions result, an exemplary sentence should follow . . . to abide misconduct by leaders is to invite it by followers.”
Kovach said outside the court that Larre is considering an appeal of the sentence and the convictions.
Larre, a former high school guidance counsellor, founded Bosco Homes in 1971 and ran the homes for troubled teenagers until 1984. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 1983 and named Saskatchewan citizen of the year for his work.
The homes, named after St. John Bosco, a 19th century Italian priest who helped homeless boys, were closed after Saskatchewan’s Social Services Department cut funding and referrals in 1989.
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Priest apologizes to victims
Toronto Globe and Mail
24 April 1992
Rev. Lucien Larre apologized to some of his victims yesterday during a sentencing hearing in Regina on assault charges. The 59-year-old Roman Catholic priest was convicted on Tuesday of common assault and forcing pills down the throat of a former resident of Bosco Homes, the group homes for troubled youth that he founded in 1971. He will be sentenced tomorrow.
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Saskatchewan priest guilty on two charges of teen abuse
Toronto Star
Canadian Press
22 Apr 1992
REGINA (CP) – Rev. Lucien Larre, once hailed as the saint of Saskatchewan for his work with troubled youth, has been found guilty of two charges of abusing teenaged residents of his Bosco Homes.
But the 59-year-old Roman Catholic priest was beaming yesterday after being acquitted of nine other assault-related charges, including one of sexual assault and one of indecent assault.
Larre, who founded the homes for troubled teenagers in 1971, was convicted on one count of common assault, reduced from the original charge of assault causing bodily harm, and of administering a noxious substance – forcing a resident of the home to take unidentified pills.
The priest was acquitted on seven charges of assault causing bodily harm and one charge each of indecent assault and sexual assault.
Larre read a brief statement thanking his supporters before brushing past reporters, but defence lawyer Fred Kovach said the over-all verdict has exonerated Larre.
“He’s been exonerated on nine counts, that’s for sure, and he’s delighted with that.”
Larre could face up to two years in jail for the charge of administering a noxious substance and six months for the assault charge.
Former Bosco resident Susan Morris, one of nine ex-residents who accused Larre of beating and choking them in incidents dating back to 1973, shook her head and wept as the not guilty verdicts were read.
“I thought he was guilty on all of them, but it’s kind of hard for people . . . to understand what we really went through living in Bosco Homes,” a tearful Morris said outside the court.
Crown prosecutor Al Johnston said he was disappointed.
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Bosco Homes founder guilty on 2 charges
Toronto Globe and Mail
22 April 1992
Regina SK — Canadian Press REGINA Rev. Lucien Larre, hailed at one time as the saint of Saskatchewan, was found guilty yesterday of two of the 11 charges against him.
A seven-woman, five-man jury deliberated for 16 hours before announcing its verdict.
Father Larre, who founded the Bosco Homes for troubled youth, was convicted on one count of common assault, reduced from the original charge of assault causing bodily harm. He was also found guilty of administering a noxious substance to a resident of the home.
The priest was acquitted on seven other charges of assault causing bodily harm and one charge each of indecent assault and sexual assault.
Father Larre’s face fell slightly when the jury announced it found him guilty of assault.
In the back of the courtroom Susan Morris, one of the former residents who complained about Father Larre, shook her head and cried.
In charging the jury, Mr. Justice Ross Wimmer of the Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench said two weeks of often contradictory testimony and witnesses’ uncertain memories of events dating back to 1973 made the jury’s job difficult.
A sentencing hearing for Father Larre has been scheduled for tomorrow morning. The maximum penalty for administering a noxious substance is two years in prison, while the maximum for assault is six months.
Charges were laid last May after a two-year investigation by Regina police and the Saskatchewan Justice Department into allegations by former Bosco residents that they were beaten, punched and abused by Father Larre, a former high-school guidance counsellor.
When Father Larre testified last week he admitted to slapping or shaking many of the former residents named in the charges, but he denied accusations that he punched or choked them, saying he used corporal punishment only when necessary to discipline them.
Judge Wimmer told the jurors they could find Father Larre guilty of assault causing bodily harm only if they decided he used unreasonable force or used physical punishment for anything other than to correct their behaviour.
Father Larre had denied the charge of indecent assault and one of sexual assault. Judge Wimmer told jury members that in those instances they had to decide whether they believed Father Larre’s testimony or that of the two women he was charged with assaulting.
A round-faced man who walks with a limp after a childhood bout with polio, Father Larre founded Bosco Homes in 1971, naming them for St. John Bosco, a 19th-century Italian priest who helped homeless boys.
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Jury begins deliberation in assault trial of Bosco Homes founder
The Globe and Mail
21 Apr 1992
Canadian Press
Regina SK
The fate of Rev. Lucien Larre, once hailed as a saint in Saskatchewan for founding Bosco Homes for troubled youth, was put into the hands of a jury yesterday.
Mr. Justice Ross Wimmer of the Court of Queen’s Bench took almost two hours to give his charge to the seven-woman, five-man jury, summing up two weeks of testimony on 11 assault-related charges against Father Larre.
The judge said the often contradictory testimony and witnesses’ uncertain memories of events dating to 1973 made the jury’s job difficult. And he urged jurors to largely disregard the former residents’ troubled pasts – including their histories of emotional problems, drug abuse and crime.
“There may be a tendency to think that these kids were acting out in an unacceptable way (and) they somehow got what they deserved,” Judge Wimmer said. “The criminal law is in place for the protection of all of us – the best of us and the worst of us.
“Sick kids or plain bad kids – they’re all entitled to the same protection of the law. The kids are not the ones who are on trial here.”
The charges were laid last May after a two-year investigation by Regina police and the Saskatchewan Justice Department into Bosco residents’ allegations that they were beaten, punched and abused by Father Larre, a former high school guidance counsellor.
Judge Wimmer said most of the charges revolve around whether the 59- year-old Roman Catholic priest used excessive force to discipline residents of the homes.
Judge Wimmer told the jury they could find Father Larre guilty of assault causing bodily harm if they decided he used unreasonable force or used the punishments for anything other than to correct the residents’ behaviour.
“Father Larre admits that corporal punishment was resorted to at Bosco Homes as a last resort, and he acknowledges that children were strapped and slapped,” he said. “You will have to decide . . . whether the degree of force used was reasonable in the circumstances.”
Father Larre also faces a charge of indecent assault and one of sexual assault – allegations the priest has denied. Judge Wimmer said in those cases the jury must decide whether they believe Father Larre’s testimony or that of the two women he is charged with assaulting.
Father Larre founded Bosco Homes in 1971 and ran them until 1984. He was awarded the Order of Canada and was once named Saskatchewan citizen of the year.
The province’s Social Services Department cut funding and referrals to the homes in 1989 after a critical report by the provincial ombudsman, and the Regina homes were closed.
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Two women testify priest grabbed them
The Vancouver Sun
09 Apr 1992
REGINA – Two witnesses testified at the trial of Rev. Lucien Larre Wednesday that the Roman Catholic priest grabbed and fondled their breasts in separate incidents.
“He (Larre) asked me to come into his office and told me to sit down,” said one witness, a former resident at Larre’s Bosco Homes for troubled youth. “He sat on the edge of the desk and that’s when he started feeling my breasts.”
The two women, whose identities are protected by the court, testified during the third day of Larre’s trial on 11 assault-related charges.
Larre faces nine charges of assault, one of indecent assault and one of sexual assault stemming from allegations of abuse at Bosco Homes over a 19-year period.
Former Bosco residents have testified that Larre beat, choked and kicked teenagers staying in the Regina-area homes between 1973 and 1988.
The 59-year-old priest, who was awarded the Order of Canada in 1983 for his work in the homes, is charged with indecent assault in connection with the allegation of fondling.
The former Bosco resident said Larre reached under her partially unbuttoned blouse. “He started feeling my breasts on the outside of my shirt, then he went down underneath and started feeling under my shirt,” the woman testified.
A second witness testified that Larre sexually assaulted her in 1987, when the priest came to see her husband.
She told the seven-woman, five-man jury that Larre talked with her briefly then moved to kiss her before leaving. “He leaned forward to give me a priestly kiss on the the mouth, and I turned my cheek,” she said. “As he leaned forward, I noticed it looked really awkward because he had his hands out.
“I thought it looked weird, why his hands were sticking out like that. And he leaned forward and he pressed his hand into my left breast for about three seconds.”
She said the incident shocked and disgusted her. “I was just shocked that a priest would do that,” she said. “He just acted innocently as if nothing had happened. He left and I felt slimed and degraded.”
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Priest ordered to stand trial
Edmonton Journal
13 Sep 1991
The Canadian Press
Regina
The Catholic priest who founded Regina’s Bosco Homes for troubled teenagers has been ordered to stand trial on charges of physical and sexual assault.
Following a four-day preliminary hearing, provincial court judge Howard Boyce said Thursday there is enough evidence to send Father Lucien Larre to trial on 11 of 14 charges. The charges include several counts of assault causing bodily harm, and one count each of sexual assault, indecent assault and administering a noxious substance.
Larre, 58, has elected to be tried by judge with a jury. The trial is expected to begin early next year.
Larre was charged in May after he returned from Ohio, where he was studying for a doctoral degree in psychology.
Regina police first began investigating Bosco Homes in August 1989 after receiving complaints from former residents of the homes. The offences are alleged to have occurred between September 1973 and December 1988.
The homes have since closed.
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Bosco Homes priest charged with assaults
The Windsor Star
03 May 1991
REGINA (CP) – Rev. Lucien Larre appeared shaken and subdued Thursday as he was formally charged with 14 assault-related charges, including two counts of sexual assault and one of indecent assault.
The Roman Catholic priest, once hailed as a near-saint for founding the Bosco Homes for troubled youths, faces nine counts of assault causing bodily harm. He also faces one count each of sexual assault, sexual assault causing bodily harm, indecent assault, overcoming resistance to commit an offence, and administering a noxious substance.
Lawyer Fred Kovach said Larre, who pronounces him name Larry, will plead not guilty. A preliminary hearing has been set for Sept. 9.
Larre returned this week from Ohio, where he has been studying for a doctoral degree in psychology, to face the charges.
Judge Dennis Fenwick released him without bail on condition that he have no contact with the alleged victims except through his lawyers.
Crown prosecutors said the charges involve eight males and four females. Their ages were not given but all were former residents of Bosco Homes.
THE CHARGES ALLEGE Larre struck, slapped and choked complainants, banged the head of one against a wall and beat others with belts or other objects. He is also accused of holding a pillow over a resident’s face and forcing pills down her throat.
Larre was awarded the Order of Canada and was once named Saskatchewan citizen of the year for his work with troubled teen
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Teen-homes founder faces abuse charges
Toronto Star
17 April 1991
CP
REGINA (CP) – A priest who won public acclaim for his chain of homes for emotionally disturbed teenagers is facing charges that he abused some of the youths.
Rev. Lucien Larre, a Roman Catholic who founded Bosco Homes, is to be charged with 14 assault-related offences, the Saskatchewan justice department said yesterday.
Larre, 59, was the subject of a provincial government investigation two years ago into allegations that some youths living at Bosco Homes were physically abused.
Regina police completed the probe last June and turned their information over to the justice department.
Officials said they plan to formally charge Larre, who now lives in Ohio, when he appears in provincial court.
Larre’s lawyer, Fred Kovach, said the priest will return to Regina to face the charges within the next two to four weeks
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SASKATCHEWAN: Priest painted as tyrant in assault trial
Ottawa Citizen
11 Apr 1992
REGINA (CP) — A week of often dramatic testimony wrapped up Friday at the assault trial of Rev. Lucien Larre, a man once hailed as the saint of Saskatchewan for his work with troubled youth.
”The case went about as we thought it would,” Crown prosecutor Al Johnston said outside the downtown Regina courthouse. ”The evidence came out as well as I thought it would, and better than I thought it might.”
Larre faces 11 assault-related charges, including one count of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. The charges arose from long-standing allegations of beatings and abuse at the Bosco Homes for troubled youth, which Larre founded in 1971.
The 59-year-old Roman Catholic priest was awarded the Order of Canada for founding Bosco Homes and was once named Saskatchewan’s citizen of the year.
But Crown prosecutors have painted a very different portrait of the stocky, round-faced Larre during four days of testimony in Court of Queen’s Bench.
Witnesses have testified that Larre was a violent, tyrannical man who beat and abused the young residents of his homes.
Eleven former Bosco residents took the stand this week, testifying that Larre punched, kicked or choked them during incidents dating as far back as 1973.
Ken Anderson, who was a 15-year-old Bosco resident in 1974, testified that Larre beat him with a diving flipper — hard enough to raise welts and cuts on his back that took more than a week to heal.
Susan Morris, 19 years old when she entered a Bosco home in 1975, told the court that Larre pinned her to the floor and forced pills down her throat as punishment for smoking marijuana.
She also testified that the priest slapped her in another incident, so many times that her face was swollen and bruised beyond recognition.
And two women, who cannot be identified by order of the court, testified that Larre grabbed and fondled their breasts in separate incidents.
Defence lawyer Fred Kovach has concentrated his cross-examinations on witnesses’ often inconsistent memories of the incidents and on their troubled personal histories.
Many admitted to emotional problems, often including suicide attempts or lengthy criminal records.
Kovach is to begin presenting the defence next week, but said Friday he has not yet decided if Larre will testify.
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REGINA (CP) – Rev. Lucien Larre appeared shaken and subdued Thursday as he was formally charged with 14 assault-related charges, including two counts of sexual assault and one of indecent assault.
The Roman Catholic priest, once hailed as a near-saint for founding the Bosco Homes for troubled youths, faces nine counts of assault causing bodily harm. He also faces one count each of sexual assault, sexual assault causing bodily harm, indecent assault, overcoming resistance to commit an offence, and administering a noxious substance.
Lawyer Fred Kovach said Larre, who pronounces him name Larry, will plead not guilty. A preliminary hearing has been set for Sept. 9.
Larre returned this week from Ohio, where he has been studying for a doctoral degree in psychology, to face the charges.
Judge Dennis Fenwick released him without bail on condition that he have no contact with the alleged victims except through his lawyers.
Crown prosecutors said the charges involve eight males and four females. Their ages were not given but all were former residents of Bosco Homes.
THE CHARGES ALLEGE Larre struck, slapped and choked complainants, banged the head of one against a wall and beat others with belts or other objects. He is also accused of holding a pillow over a resident’s face and forcing pills down her throat.
Larre was awarded the Order of Canada and was once named Saskatchewan citizen of the year for his work with troubled teens.
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Bosco suing CBC for defamation
Edmonton Journal
30 January 1990
The Bosco Society and its founder, Rev. Lucien Larre, are suing the CBC television news program The Journal and reporter Eric Malling for defamation.
In a statement of claim filed Monday in Regina, lawyers for the society said a report on the Bosco Homes for troubled youths, broadcast last August, damaged Larre’s reputation.
“The public perception is that Father Larre is Bosco Society and vice versa,” the claim said.
The Saskatchewan government cut funding to the homes last September after mass walkouts by staff in the homes and a report by the provincial ombudsman that was critical of the program.
The society is seeking $10,000 in general damages and an unspecified amount of damages.
My friend, Garth Garver, was one of Larre’s many victims of physical and sexual abuse. Larre had the nerve in the early 1980s to try to convince my parents to donate their farm to him. He came with Ria Kaal. My parents had sold part of their farm to Craven Athletic Society for $2000 (less than the then-current value) so they could hold ball tournaments. Later they sold it to Larre and Bosco Homes and used the money to build a curling rink in Craven. Our former land was used for the Big Valley Jamboree and its successors, Rock in the Valley etc. Larre would have made a fortune if my father had been dumb enough to sign over the rest of his land, nearly a quarter-section. My parents later sold most of their remaining land to a Saskatoon dentist for a good chunk of money, more than enough to buy their retirement house in Lumsden. And then in 1984 after I graduated from high school, they sold the rest to friends of ours and bought their house in Lumsden, where they lived for more than ten years.
Larre got off so easily, and the harm he did to dozens of kids was never exposed or acknowledged. He was a monster..
The College of Psychologists of BC issued a public safety notice about Father Larre last year: http://collegeofpsychologists.bc.ca/2018/06/04/lucien-dr-larre/
… and a few months in October 2018 later Father Larre was honoring himself on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDsdXgh0qZE