MANCHESTER – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester recently added the names of three priests to its list of clergy accused of sexually abusing children.

Rev. George Desjardins was ordained in 1959 and was last assigned to St. George Church in Manchester in June, 1985. According to the Diocese, Desjardins is listed in the Cases Concluded category. Only recently did the Diocese become aware of the abuse incident involving Desjardins, which reportedly took place more than 40 years ago. Desjardins retired in 2002 and is prohibited from ministry.

Rev. Matthew Schultz was ordained in 2017. He is listed in the Cases in Process category and was last assigned to St. Leo’s Church in Rochester in July, 2022. Schultz has since been prohibited from ministry. Additional information has not been disclosed as the case is still pending.

Rev. André Thibodeau was ordained in 1971 and was last assigned as the chaplain of St. Teresa Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Manchester in June, 2008. Following Thibodeau’s death in 2015, the Diocese received a report accusing him of sexually abusing a minor.

The full list of clergy associated with abuse cases, dating back to 1950, is available on the Restoring Trust website at catholicnh.org/restoringtrust. This is the first time that names have been added to the list since Restoring Trust was established by Bishop Peter Libasci in 2019.

In addition, the Diocese now has a policy to inform law enforcement and the state Attorney General’s Office whenever a report of sexual abuse against a minor comes to light. According to the Diocese, it does not matter when the incident took place. Anyone with information about an abuse incident is urged to file a report at catholicnh.org/safety.

During the past 23 years, more than 30,000 adults working or volunteering for the Diocese have completed its Safe Environment training and have undergone background checks.

To date, the Diocese has paid $29 million in legal settlements and invested $370,000 to provide counseling services to those affected by abuse.

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