Framingham Priest Indicted On Child Rape Charges Remains On Leave

FRAMINGHAM, MA — A Framingham priest who was indicted on child rape charges this week will remain on administrative leave from the Archdiocese of Boston, officials announced.

Francis Strahan, 89, was indicted by a Middlesex Grand Jury on one count of rape of a child by force and three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.

The charges stem from an alleged sexual assault of a male student at Saint Bridget’s School on two occasions when the victim was between the ages of 11 and 13. Strahan was the monsignor of St. Bridget's Parish in 2019, when the administrative leave began.

His resignation as pastor of St. Bridget's has been accepted, the Archdiocese said.

Read more: Framingham Priest Indicted On Child Rape Charges: Middlesex DA

From 2004- 2008, while Strahan was the Pastor of Saint Bridget’s Parish in Framingham, the alleged victim was an altar server, the Middlesex District Attorney said. On one occasion when the victim was dropped off for altar service and was alone in the church, Strahan allegedly raped and sexually assaulted him.

On another occasion, Strahan allegedly assaulted the victim again by pressing his body against the victim who was again at Saint Bridget’s for altar serving.

The Archdiocese said when they learned of the allegation, they place Strahan on leave and contacted law enforcement. Additionally, officials said they "initiated a preliminary canonical investigation into the complaint."

That investigation is paused as the criminal proceedings continue.

The Archdiocese of Boston has identified nine priests with ties to Framingham who were accused of abuse dating back to the 1940s. Only one, the Rev. Thomas F. Dempsey, was ever convicted of child sexual abuse. He was a vicar at St. Stephen Parish in Framingham in 1985 and 1986. He was jailed in Wisconsin in 1997, but died in 1998.