Father Marcel Robitaille
Diocese of Portland
Ordained: 1964
Removed from ministry: 2002
Assigned as follows:
- St. Francis of Assisi (Belfast, ME)
- 1968-1970: Holy Family (Lewiston, ME)
- St. Peter (Bingham, ME)
- St. Anne (Dexter, ME)
- St. John the Baptist (Winslow, ME)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Fr. Marcel Robitaille:
Fr. Marcel Robitaille was ordained a priest in 1964, who served in multiple parishes in the Diocese of Portland. According to media reports, the diocese began receiving complaints about Fr. Robitaille in 1986. He was sent to treatment for five months, and returned to St. Anne in Dexter upon completion.
In 1993, a civil lawsuit was filed against Fr. Robitaille by his family. According to the suit, Robitaille sexually abused his two younger brothers and a cousin from 1959-1988. In a written statement, Fr. Robitaille admitted to having sexual relations with his younger brothers from the early 1960’s-1988. The family reached a confidential settlement with Fr. Robitaille. The family also filed a civil suit against the Diocese of Portland in 2002. The judge dismissed the case against the diocese citing that the abuse occurred through family relationships and not through Robitaille’s service as a priest.
The Diocese of Portland received an allegation of sexual abuse in 1972 against Robitaille in 1997. The alleged victim was not a member of Robitaille’s family. Information about the age/gender of his alleged victim and the nature of the alleged sexual abuse was not provided by the Diocese of Portland.
In 2008, the Vatican assigned Fr. Marcel Robitaille to a life of prayer and penance. As such, he was barred him from administering sacraments, presenting himself as a priest and he was required him to get pre-approval from the bishop any time he wanted to travel beyond his daily routine.
On April 13, 2023, a lawsuit was announced in which four men alleged they were abused during their childhood by Fr. Marcel Robitaille, Fr. David Paul Cote, and Fr. Leo James Michaud in the 1970s and 1980s. According to the lawsuit, the abuse occurred while they were altar boys and employees at St. Ann Parish in Indian Island. Each of the men are members of the Penobscot Nation. One man claims he was abused by Robitaille in the St. Ann’s rectory, located next to the church, in 1972 when he was 12.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Portland in Maine. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Maine, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Portland now have legal options, but filing deadlines may apply so do not delay in reaching out to us. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Maine and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.