Father Charles Many
Diocese of Burlington/Edmundites
Ordained: 1974
Removed: 1986
Left priesthood: 1994
Laicized: 1995
Assignment History
- 1974-1978: St. Mary (Greenfield Park, Quebec, Canada)
- 1978-1981: Sacred Heart (Groton, CT)
- 1978-1981: St. Joseph (Noank, CT)
- 1981-1986: St. Lawrence (Essex Junction, VT)
- 1986-1994: Edmundite Generalate (Burlington, VT)
Summary of Abuse Allegations Against Father Charles Many:
According to media reports, in 1986, Father Charles Many, an Edmundite priest in the Diocese of Burlington in Vermont, was accused of sexual misconduct with a boy in Vermont in 1978 while he was assigned to the Diocese of Norwich in Connecticut. He was removed from ministry immediately.
In 1994, another man alleged child sexual abuse by Father Many in Connecticut between 1978 and 1981. In 2001, a federal jury awarded the man an $850,000 verdict against Fr. Many, but the judge soon ordered a new trial on the grounds that she improperly admitted evidence about Many's sexual abuse of a boy after the plaintiff was abused. Given the emotional and financial toll of a second trial, the man opted not to proceed with it.
In 2015, a man filed a lawsuit alleging that Father Many sexually abused him when he was a 14-year-old altar boy in the late 1970s-early 1980s at Sacred Heart in Groton. The priest denied any wrongdoing. According to the Edmundite's archives, a file showed they knew that Father Many was "receiving boys in his room" as far back as 1976. According to news reports, the Diocese of Burlington and the Edmundite order agreed to a $900,000 settlement.
"He has struggled throughout his life with periods of depression, with a lot of anxiety surrounding things that might seem unusual for a man, like fear of the dark, fear of unknown people, fear of loud noises," the victim's attorney said.
Father Many resigned from the priesthood in 1994, and was laicized in July 1995.
In August 2019, Many's name appeared publicly on the Edmundites' and the Diocese of Burlington's list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors.
In Fall 2019, he was named in a lawsuit alleging the sexual abuse of a 7-year-old boy, during confession at Sacred Heart in Groton.
Father Many's current whereabouts are unknown.
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.