Fr. John Berube
Diocese of Baton Rouge (Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette)
Ordained: 1953
Died: 1998
Assigned as follows:
- February-August 1965: St. Theresa of Avila (Gonzales, LA)
- 1972-1975: Our Lady of Victory (Gatineau, Quebec)
Summary of Abuse Allegations Against Fr. John Berube:
Fr. John Berube was ordained a priest in 1953. In 2019, he was publicly named and included on the Diocese of Baton Rouge list of credibly accused clergy for whom allegations of sexual abuse of a minor have been admitted, substantiated or determined or considered to be credible.
According to media reports, four men filed a lawsuit in 2003 alleging that the deceased priest molested them during a six-month period from February-August in 1965 when Fr. Berube was assigned to St Theresa of Avila in Gonzales, LA. The victims who were two sets of brothers, were between the ages of 9 and 13 at the time, and the abuse took place at the church, in one of the victim’s homes, and at a family’s fishing camp. Fr. Berube was reportedly removed from the church as soon as the boys’ parents told the pastors about what happened, but according to the suit, the priest was “immediately sent back to the order in St. Louis after the 1965 allegation.”
The suit was settled ahead of the trial in April of 2004 for an undisclosed amount and counseling for the victims and their families. The families of the victims first reported the abuse to the parish priest in 1965. At that time, the Diocese of Baton Rouge notified the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Sallette, and Fr. Berube was sent to St. Louis under the supervision of the La Sallette superior. Fr. Berube remained in the order and was the pastor of Our Lady of Victory in Gatineau in Quebec from 1972-1975.
Berube remained in the priesthood until his death in 1998.