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Francis Strahan is charged with one count of rape of a child by force and three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, the Middlesex District Attorney's Office said. The alleged incidents took place between 2004 through 2008 when the purported victim was a student at Saint Bridget’s School, authorities said.
The alleged victim said Strahan raped and sexually assaulted him when they were alone at the church, the prosecutor's office reported. The alleged victims also accused Strahan of pressing his body against the teenager when he was the alter server at Saint Bridget's, the release continued.
The Archdiocese of Boston put Strahan on administrative leave in 2019 after a parishioner accused him of a 2006 sexual assault, a news release said. It's unclear if that incident is related to the criminal charges.
The archdiocese said they contacted law enforcement about the accusation but stopped short of saying Strahan was guilty of anything.
"The decision to place Msgr. Strahan on administrative leave represents the archdiocese's commitment to the welfare of all parties and does not represent a determination of Msgr. Strahan's guilt or innocence as it pertains to this allegation. The archdiocese will work to resolve this case in keeping with the Charter for the Protection of Children," the archdiocese said in a 2019 statement.
Strahan served at St. Bridges from 1983 through 2019, a news story reported.
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