Gary Emile Roy
Priest, Diocese of London, Ontario. Ordained 1975. 1996 charged. 1998 GUILTY plea to two counts indecent assault of young boys – sentenced to four months. Died 2001.
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Bishops of London Diocese from time of Father Gary Roy’s ordination to death: Gerald Emmett Carter (17 February 1964 – 29 April 1978 -Appointed, Archbishop of Toronto, Ontario) John Michael Sherlock (7 July 1978 – 27 April 2002 )
Auxiliary Bishops: John Michael Sherlock (25 June 1974 — Bishop: 7 Jul 1978); Marcel André J. Gervais (19 Apr 1980 – 3 May 1985); Frederick Bernard Henry (18 April 1986 — 24 Mar 1995); Richard John Grecco (5 December 1997 – 27 April 2002)
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07 May 2016: Sarnia man launches $3-million lawsuit against the Diocese of London
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The following information is drawn from Canadian Catholic Church Directories (CCCD) which I have on hand and media (M)
19 June 2001: died (St. Peter’s Seminary Necrology http://www.stpetersseminary.ca/alumni/necrology/)
2000, 1999: address in Lucan, Ontario (RR #3, Hwy 7 West) – not that of St. Patrick’s Church
February, 1998: Father Gary Roy pleads guilty to 2 counts of indecent assault against boys. He is sentenced to four months in jail and given three years’ probation. http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/goodfather/timeline.html
1997: address c/o Diocese of London Diocesan Centre (CCCD)
August 1996: charged (M)
Pastor, Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Corunna, Ontario (CCCD)
diocese said he has been on Leave of Absence since January 1996 (M)
1995: Pastor, Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Corunna, Ontario (CCCD)
1994: Pastor, Saint Jean Brebeuf and Companions, Kingsville, Ontario (CCCD)
1993, 1992, 1991: Pastor, Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Killam, Alberta, with missions at Saint Joseph in Hardisty, Our Lady of Fatima in Strone, Saint Donatus in Galahead and St. Agnes in Alliance, Alberta (CCCD) (Killam is in the Archdiocese of Edmonton, Alberta) (what was he doing in the Archdiocese of Edmonton?) (I have been told by a reliable source that Fathers Roy and Robert Morrissey headed West to the Archdiocese of Edmonton at the same time, the exact year of departure is presently unknown. The pair were good friends, so much so that Roy had named his cat Morrissey)
1985-1986: Pastor, Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Parkhill, Ontario (CCCD)
early 80s: according to blogger was chaplain at St. Patrick’s High School in Sarnia.
1980: address for Our Lady of Mercy, Sarnia, Ontario (Pastor Father H. Laragh. Also in residence Msgr. J.A. Rooney) (OCD)
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Ont. diocese mulls request to defrock 8 pedophile priests
Edmonton Journal
20 August 2001
LONDON, Ont. – In an unprecedented move, the London Diocese in Ontario will consider asking theVaticanto defrock all eight of its convicted pedophile priests.
The statement came Friday on the heels of a press conference by London law firm Ledroit Beckett demanding the diocese defrock priests Barry Glendinning, Konnie Przybylski and John Harper, the latter having taken boys on weekend getaways to his parents’ Windsor home.
In the past two decades, eight London Diocese priests have been convicted of sex crimes against children. The others are Charles Sylvestre, Gary Roy, Cameron MacLean, Robert Morrisey and Richard Boll.
Bishop Ronald Fabbro said this month he would ask theVaticanto laicize, or defrock, Sylvestre, 83, who was wearing his collar this month when he confessed to sexually abusing 47 young girls over four decades.
Diocese spokesman Ron Pickersgill pointed out the diocese is only examining the other cases, and isn’t actually requesting that any priest but Sylvestre be defrocked.
But even that is unheard of inCanada, he said. Pickersgill said there have been some “notorious” cases in theU.S., but this will be the first time a Canadian diocese has sought to defrock a priest convicted of sex crimes.
“It is an extremely rare, extremely serious move,” he said.
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Movement to defrock priests
National Post
19 August 2006
Trevor Wilhelm
LONDON, Ont. – In an unprecedented move, the London Diocese in Ontario will consider asking theVaticanto defrock all eight of its convicted pedophile priests.
The statement came yesterday on the heels of a news conference by London law firm Ledroit Beckett demanding the diocese defrock priests Barry Glendinning, Konnie Przybylski and John Harper, the latter having taken boys on weekend getaways to his parents’ Windsor home.
In the past two decades, eight London Diocese priests have been convicted of sex crimes against children. The others are Charles Sylvestre, Gary Roy, Cameron MacLean, Robert Morrisey and Richard Boll.
“Bishop Fabbro is already reviewing other cases to see whether he should seek the laicization of other convicted priests,” the diocese said in a written statement. “This action does not require a request from the individuals harmed by these men, but such a request would be appropriate.”
Bishop Ronald Fabbro said this month he would ask theVaticanto laicize, or defrock, Sylvestre, 83, who was wearing his collar this month when he confessed to sexually abusing 47 young girls over four decades.
Ledroit Beckett lawyer Rob Talach said that when the victims of other priests heard that, they demanded the same fate for the priests who had attacked them.
“A priest is a priest for life,” Mr. Talach said. “Whether retired or relegated to [an] administrative post, these men still operate within an environment where they have great authority, unquestioned respect and potential access to vulnerable young people. There is no rational reason why convicted sex offenders should be able to retain the prestige, authority and powers which the vocation of priesthood provides.”
Four victims, all clients of Ledroit Beckett, spoke out against their abusers yesterday.
Glendinning was convicted in 1974 of six counts of gross indecency against six children. He was put on probation and within the same year was sent to St. Claire ofAssisiin Windsor, Ont., as an assistant pastor. Complaints about him there led to his transfer toEdmonton, where further complaints resulted in his transfer toToronto.
Przybylski was convicted two months ago of sexual assault and sexual exploitation of two altar boys in Port Dover, Ont., from the mid-1990s until 2000. Mr. Talach said that after a complaint was made about him in 2000, he was moved to aLondonparish.
Harper was convicted in 1988, and again in 2003, of sexually abusing boys at an Aylmer, Ont., parish and at Regina Mundi College inLondon.
Harper took boys to his parents’ house in Windsor and abused them there, said victim Don Bannon.
“It was just sexual abuse,” said Mr. Bannon, 57. “We slept in the same bed. The defrocking is a starting point. They’re finally starting to do something. They’ve done nothing in the last 40 or 50 years. What Bishop Fabbro is doing now should have been done back then. It’s a start.”
Diocese spokesman Ron Pickersgill pointed out the diocese is only examining the other cases and isn’t actually requesting that any priest but Sylvestre be defrocked.
But even that is unheard of in Canada, he said. Mr. Pickersgill said there have been some “notorious” cases in the United States, but this will be the first time a Canadian diocese has sought to defrock a priest convicted of sex crimes.
“It is an extremely rare, extremely serious move,” he said.
Mr. Pickersgill said the bishop hasn’t officially set a new direction for the Church, but added Bishop Fabbro seems to be meeting the issues more directly than others have in the past.
“We are experiencing things are being done differently,” Mr. Pickersgill said. “He’s letting his statements and actions speak for themselves.”
Irene Deschenes, 44, one of Sylvestre’s victims from Chatham, Ont., wasn’t optimistic.
She said the Church is only asking that Sylvestre lose his collar because he had so many victims and his crimes have grabbed such a public spotlight.
“How many victims are enough?” she asked. “What is the diocese standard? The only reason Bishop Fabbro is starting the process to defrock Sylvestre is because his back is up against the wall. After 47 guilty pleas, I’m sure there has been pressure put on him to say, ‘Whoa, look at all these women. This is wrong. We can’t have him in our ranks.’ ”
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Ontario: Police charge priest with indecent assault
Kingston Whig-Standard
23 August 1996
A Roman Catholic priest was arrested and charged with two counts of indecent assault Wednesday for incidents involving two men. Provincial police in Chatham said the alleged assaults occurred between 1981 and 1983 in the Sarnia area. Police said the two victims were 15 and 18 at the time. Rev. Gary Emile Roy, 51, will appear in Sarnia court Sept. 16.
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Catholic priest charged
Canadian Press
22 August 1996
LONDON, Ont. (CP)
A Roman Catholic priest was arrested and charged with two counts of indecent assault Wednesday for incidents involving two men.
Provincial police in Chatham said the alleged assaults occurred between 1981 and 1983 in the Sarnia area. Police said the two victims were 15 and 18 at the time.
Rev. Gary Emile Roy, 51, will appear in Sarnia court Sept. 16.
The diocese of London said in a news release Wednesday that Roy has been on a leave of absence since Jan. 1.
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A note of interest here. I am told by a reliable source that that Fathers Robert Morrissey and Gary Roy headed West to the Archdiocese of Edmonton at the same time, the exact year of departure is presently unknown. They are listed in Edmonton Archdiocese in the 1991 directory so there is a good chance they were there at least by late 1990. The pair were good friends, so much so that Roy had named his cat Morrissey.
Why, I can not help but wonder, were the pair swooshed off in tandem to serve in the Archdiocese of Edmonton? Morrissey was charged in late 1991, but those charges stemmed from his years as a Christian Brother (Brother Frederick). Were the allegations against the pair in the London Diocese? or, was Edmonton’s Archbishop Joseph McNeil just in dire need of priests?
Is this the same priest that taught at St Patricks high school in Sarnia in the early 80’s? The timeline fits. I was a student there and young and innocent. I do remember he would take the boys into his office and lock the door after him. There was a lot of rumours and sometimes open accusations but the other teachers and the nuns would hush them up.
It probably is the same priest Kammy. I can find only one Gary Roy in the London Diocese in those years. I have nothing which confirms that he taught at St. Patrick’s, but he was in Sarnia in or around 1980.
Can anyone confirm that the Father Gary Roy who entered a guilty plea also taught at St. Patrick’s high school in Sarnia in the early 80s?
Yes, Gary Roy was the chaplain at St. Patrick’s High School in Sarnia. He pleaded guilty to sexual assault of two students.
Thank you Geri. I gather from what you say that both victims were students of his at St. Patrick’s? Is that correct?
Yes, his victims were students at St. Patrick’s.
Interesting! I’m just reading your post from October, Sylvia. McCann was in Edmonton from 1984-1990. Was it the same bishop who provided safe haven for him?
It was indeed the same bishop Leona: McNeil was Archbishop of Edmonton from July 1973 to June 1999.
Did Father Gary Roy graduate from Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit?
I don’t what seminary Father Roy attended Michael. Does anyone in the Windsor area or Diocese of London know?
HOW MANY PRIESTS HAVE BEEN CONVICTED IN ALL OF CANADA OF SEXUAL ABUSE. ?
I’M SURPRISED THAT ANYONE GOES TO CHURCH, LET ALONE MASS.
*I went to St. Patrick’s High School from 1981 to 1985 and yes, it was Father Gary Roy who was chaplain of the HS during part of my time there. He is also the priest who married my husband and myself at St. Joseph’s Church in Corunna. I can vividly recall meeting with him before the wedding. He asked my then fiance and myself at the time if we went to church every Sunday. When I replied “no” he tore a strip off both of us, calling us hypocrites and saying if we didn’t have an hour a week for God, I shouldn’t be allowed to get married in the Church! He then said the only reason he would allow it was that my parents were so active in the church and he didn’t want them to suffer embarassment. When I heard about his conviction, I wondered how he could be so self-righteous when he was doing what he was doing…. unbelievable! Needless to say, I no longer associate with the RC church and won’t again until there are MAJOR changes in policy.
I knew Gray Roy very well, when he was at St. Gabriel Parish in south Windsor. I was active in the youth group. He gave me a lot of individual attention, we’d talk in the recotry, driving around in his Volvo, and he’d take a few of out to a cottage on the lake. I thought he was so cool – conducting mass informally on the beach. He helped me quite a bit when my father committed suicide in Oct 1978, when I waas 17. He never once made an inappropriate move on me, but there were a few odd things I recall. One was the worse hair piece ever – it was so obvious ! Why would a man of the cloth be so vain, and weird ? Also, he hung out at my highschool (Assumption) and creep people out. But the other strange thing is that what I heard frrom my younger sister. Gary used to come to our house quite a bit, and he’d go upstairs sometimes to a bedroom that had shelved full of books. My dad studied philosophy and converted to Catholicism to marry my mom so I guess he like to check out the books. Anyway, after my dad died, the school had had someone speak to my little sister to see how she was dealing, and somehow gary’s name came up. She said she recalled them getting very uptight, asked all kinds of questions to draw her out, were very concerned about talk of him being in a bedroom, and asked her if he’d ever toucher her. This was 1978 maybe early 79.
Bill is right – I was a classmate of his younger brother Peter. I remember Fr. Gary Roy at St. Gabriel’s too around 1977- as the priest he was very involved with the school, and helped organize a school play. Some of the cast members were invited to a trip to Stratford. My mother refused to let me go. The trip was a tragedy – there was a van accident and several students were injured and one of our teachers was killed. I never understood why my mom was always so cautious about us being around Fr. Roy, but the rumours must have started in the early months of his work at St. Gabriel.
I was part of the youth group with Bill around the same time. We all thought Farther Roy was so cool. I was an alter boy when I was younger and he convinced me and a few of my friends to become alter “men” when we were around 12-15. He took us on field trips and we visited Sarnia once and spent the night there with another youth group from the area. Nothing happened to me as I was never alone with Father Roy. About 10 years ago, my brother had a break down and it came out that he was abused by Father Roy on that weekend. I was sworn to secrecy. I made some inquiries through contacts at the diocese of London and found out that Father Roy was dead. After further inquiries with friends from that time, I would say that his arrest for two counts of abuse is greatly under rated.
I also attended St. Patrick’s High School in Sarnia in the early 80’s and Father Roy was the chaplain. He did invite me into his office a few times for chats. He let me smoke in his office, which I thought was cool, considering I was under 16 and smoking wasn’t allowed inside the school. In school, he was otherwise strict. I now realize he may have been assessing me for suitable traits that he could exploit into victimization. I’m glad he never made any advances toward me and our chats ended after a while. Maybe to move on to the next boy? P.S. His hair piece was hilarious.
I was a student at St. John de Brebeuf in Kingsville(1993-1994) Roy was not well liked and eventually rumours about him reached our parents and he was removed because of the uproar. It just blows my mind that they moved a suspected(known) pedophile to a parish with an elementary school next door.
It just blows my mind that they moved a suspected(known) pedophile to a parish with an elementary school next door.
And then moved him to Corunna in 1995. Another small parish where he continued his ways until charges were brought against him in 1996 for activities in 1981 and 1983.
Who was the Bishop at the time? Bishop Sherlock. How much did he know?
That was right before he came to Corunna, He showed up out of the blue and was eased into his duties by Father Milne. To me it seems as though he was moved to our small parish when the rumors got too much for him in Kingsville. Oh my god.
Hi Sylvia: for some reason I thought of Gary Roy and did a Google search and found this site again. Isn’t it weird that I was exposed to Leo Campbell at Columbus Boys Camp in summer 1978 and before and after to Gary Roy? And somehow I escaped unscathed.. physically anyway. The church was thick with these monsters and I was so innocent and vulnerable. Well, at least we got some semblance of justice for one victim, not that he bothered to thank me. You do excellent service and a world of good. P.s. My friend from Michigan gives me a call periodically. Regards, bill
Good to hear from you again Bill. And, yes, good that there was some semblance of justice done for one victim. My guess is he had no idea what role you may have played in achieving that end so I wouldn’t take it personally. He was probably, as with so many, doing well just struggling to keep his head above water while the legal process played out.
Gary Roy taught English at Lumen Christ High School in Jackson MI in 1969-70. I believe he was a brother then. I was a sophomore girl at the school.
G Roy, as we affectionately called him, was an excellent teacher and was well-liked by the students. He would occasionally hang out with us, which we liked as we thought he was cool and smart. For example, there was a superstition in our town about going to “Little Mary’s” grave in candlelight and reading the Lord’s Prayer backwards. I recall him going to the cemetery with us and doing the reading.
Personally I liked him very much because he made creative writing so engaging. His assignments were really clever and he was a transformational teacher for me. He and I would also go to the Jackson Symphony concerts together, and I went over to his house more than once.
Despite all this contact, Roy was never anything more than friendly and supportive with me. Nothing untoward ever happened, for which I feel very lucky as I had a bit of a student crush on him and could easily have been taken advantage of. Looking back as an adult, our close relationship was not appropriate even if nothing sexual happened.
Roy and I stayed in touch for several years. I even went to his ordination in Canada in 1975, which was the last time I saw him.
From time to time I look up important people in my life to see what they are up to. That is how I came upon this website. I was shocked and saddened to find someone I admired had turned into a demon.
I have been an atheist since I was 14, but I understand the important role religion can play in people’s lives. It’s too bad the Catholic Church culture creates a home for sexual perversion (not just with children), misogyny, homophobia, and living double lives.
The church needs to clean house (give women equal standing, make celibacy optional, clear out deviant clergy) and the members should en masse stay away until it does.
I will not, in any case, return to believing magical things. As Mark Twain said, “Faith is believing what you know ain’t so.”
He was not interested in women only in boys. Sorry to be so frank but I don’t imagine his male victims thought of him in any other way but a monster. I can understand he was likely very charming as he would have to gain trust with his victims someway. I recall him as very odd and strange. I remember he word dark glasses and seemed rather creepy. It was talk that one of the young men he molested went on to commit suicide because he stuggled after with his own sexuality. It absolutely breaks my heart. Priests who molest kids wouldn’t not molest children if they didn’t have to take a vow to be celebate. That would imply they want to have consentual sex with adults and if we allow this they would somehow change their preference to be attracted to adults. I believe they get into the field to have access to children or because they think that the church will help them to not act on their horrible impulses.
I was at St Pat’s in the 1980’s when Rev Roy was there. He was odd, strange and creepy. He used to have COR (Catholic retreat) weekends now and then with kids who signed up, but we never went since our parents thought there was something wrong there. Many kids were pressured to go and many actually enjoyed it as a way to bond with the others who were in attendance. Back then it was an open secret that Roy was acting inappropriately, but not a generation or time in history where people were empowered to say anything. We were mostly polite Catholic kids and any boy speaking out at that time would have been poorly labelled. There must have been teachers who Had an idea of what was going on. Now and then I think about it and my heart goes out to any of the boys who had to endure the abuse by this disgusting person, and to all my Catholic friends whose faith and devotion in the church was ruined because of him and the poor handling of his career by the church.
Well said!
Around 1981-82 some students wrote a paper which they distributed into male and female washrooms. There were accusations in the paper about Father Roy, molesting Alter Boys and students. A school wide assembly was called where the Principal demanded that the students confess to the paper and threatened expulsion and not to be allowed to attend graduation. The Principal said it was a terrble accusation and defended the priest and how much he had done for the school etc. Father Roy resigned or was removed. He was transferred to Chatham where I believe he continued and was eventually arrested. It got brushed under the table which was terrible!! There was talk that a student later committed suicide from what that monster did to him or how he made that young man feel about his own sexuality. So very sad that nothing was done earlier. Such a broad coverup by the Church. Horrible to think young people suffered the worst possible abuse and had no one help them. I also remember Father Sylvester being around during Confession as they would bring in priests from various locations to assist.
Sorry this was at St. Patrick’s HS in Sarnia, Ontario.