Fr. Ralph Corbeil – Diocese of Portland

| Sep 9, 2021 | Abuser Profiles, Catholic Church

Father Ralph Corbeil

Diocese of Portland

Ordained: 1935

Retired: 1969

Died: 1973

Assigned as follows:

  • St. David (Madawaska, ME)
  • St. Mary (Lewiston, ME)

Summary of Abuse Allegations against Fr. Ralph Corbeil:

Fr. Ralph Corbeil was ordained a priest in 1935, who served in multiple parishes in the Diocese of Portland.   According to media reports, in 2002, the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office received both a phone call and a letter from a witness who claimed to have walked in on Fr. Corbeil molesting a 15-year-old girl in her home in Fort Kent, ME. The man stated that when he told the victim’s mother about the incident, she told him not to tell anyone about what he had witnessed. The man also reported that in the 1950’s parents in the town complained to the archbishop about Fr. Corbeil’s inappropriate behavior and that nothing was done. Fr. Corbeil was eventually transferred to another parish 20 miles away from Fort Kent.

Another allegation of sexual abuse against Fr. Corbeil surfaced in 2004. The Maine Attorney General’s Office received an allegation of child sexual abuse in the 1950’s against Corbeil. The alleged abuse began in 1952 when the victim was a 10-year-old altar boy at St. Mary’s in Lewiston, ME and continued for four years until the victim was 14 years old. According to the victim, the abuse took place in the church sacristy two to three times a week where Fr. Corbeil kissed him and made him perform oral sex. After each incident, Fr. Corbeil paid the victim $5 to stay silent.

Fr. Corbeil died in 1973.

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.