Father George A. Paulin
Diocese of Burlington
Ordained: 1970
Removed: 2002
Assigned as follows:
- 1970-1973 St. Joseph Church (Burlington, VT)
- 1972-1973 Trinity College (Burlington, VT)
- 1973-1976 St. Mary Star of the Sea (Newport, VT)
- 1976-1983 Church of the Assumption (Canaan, VT)
- 1983-2001 St. Vincent DePaul (North Troy, VT)
- 2001-2002 Church of the Annunciation (Ludlow, VT)
- 2001-2002 Holy Name of Mary (Proctorsville, VT)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father George A. Paulin:
Father George A. Paulin served in Vermont for approximately 33 years. According to media reports, in May 2000, he was suspended from ministry and his faculties were revoked. In 2002, he was accused of sexually abusing a teenager in the 1980s on an overnight trip to the Northeast Kingdom. The alleged victim reported the incident to Vermont’s Catholic diocese in 1987, but no action was taken. A settlement for about $20,0000 was reached.
In May 2002, Father Paulin was placed on administrative leave and his public priestly faculties were revoked. He resigned as pastor in 2003.
In September 2004, he was named in another lawsuit by a man alleging that Father Paulin molested him at St. Mary Star of the Sea’s rectory and at his family’s home in 1971 when he was 13 years old. In August 2006, the Diocese of Burlington admitted that it found 27 years’ worth of files on Father Paulin, which the church had previously said didn’t exist. In April 2007, a settlement was reached for $135,000.
“Every time I see a story or hear something on the news about the Catholic Church and these cases, I have to turn it off,” the man said. “I know the hurt these people are feeling.”
Based on evidence gathered after he filed his lawsuit, he discovered he was the first person Father Paulin allegedly molested during his 33 years as a priest in Vermont.
“If I had just told someone years ago, other people would not have been hurt,” he said.
In 2008, another claim of child sexual abuse by Father Paulin was settled.
His current whereabouts are unknown.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Burlington. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Burlington, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Burlington now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an email to [email protected] to discuss your options today.