Father George A. Paulin
Diocese of Burlington
Ordained: 1970
Removed: 2002
Assignment History
- 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 the Diocese of Burlington 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. He was then placed on the Diocese of Springfield’s list of credibly accused clergy of sexual abuse.
According to a media report in 2018, The Diocese of Burlington was in negotiations to pay Paul Babeu an unspecified sum in return for his dropping his court case against it. Babeu claimed he was 15 when Father George Paulin abused him on an overnight visit to Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.
In 2019, Father Paulin’s name was publicly listed 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 [email protected] for a free consultation to discuss your options today.