Father Michael Madden
Diocese of Burlington
Ordained: 1970
Removed: 1988
Died: 2000
Assignment History
- 1970-1974: Cathedral (Burlington, VT)
- 1974-1976: St. John the Evangelist (St. Johnsbury, VT)
- 1976: Fordham University (Bronx, NY,)
- 1976: Our Lady of Grace (Colchester, VT)
- 1976-1977: Church of the Blessed Sacrament (Stowe, VT)
- 1977-1985: Our Lady of Snows (Waitsfield, VT)
- 1985-1988: St. Paul (Barton, VT)
Summary of Abuse Allegations Against Father Michael Madden:
Father Michael K. Madden served as a priest in the Diocese of Burlington in Vermont for approximately 18 years. According to media reports, Bishop John A. Marshall revoked his public priestly faculties in April 1988. He resigned as pastor of St. Paul’s in July 1988.
Police at the time believed Father Madden had molested dozens of boys in the early 1970s at the St. Joseph’s Orphanage and at five parishes where he served as priest. “He had many, many sexual relationships with boys,” said the now-retired police officer who investigated the Barton case for the Orleans County State’s Attorney Office.
Father Madden was convicted in 1989 on two counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with two boys in Barton. He was spared prison with a deferred sentence of probation for five years. He received treatment from a church-run sex offender program, St. Luke Institute in Maryland, instead of a state Corrections Department treatment program.
It was in therapy that Father Madden told a therapist he had molested dozens of teenage boys over a 20-year period. He ended up violating his probation at least six times and served two years in prison.
In a 1994 civil trial, Father Madden was ordered to pay one victim $175,000. In September 2000, he died while vacationing in Austria. In 2003, a second lawsuit was filed.
In August 2019, his name appeared publicly on the Diocese of Burlington’s list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors.
The attorneys at Horowitz Law have a long history of representing survivors of child sex abuse. If you or someone you know was abused by a priest in the Diocese of Burlington, please contact Horowitz Law today for a free consultation. We can help you understand your legal options and fight for the justice you deserve. The Burlington Diocese has filed for federal bankruptcy protection, and strict deadlines will soon be set by the bankruptcy court. Please contact our law firm at 888-283-9922 or e-mail sexual abuse lawyer Adam Horowitz at adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com for a free consultation to discuss your options today.