A B.C. man alleging sexual abuse by priests is suing the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver and the Burnaby Catholic school where he alleges the abuse occurred.
The man, identified as A.B. in the Supreme Court of B.C. notice of civil claim filed Oct. 23, alleges Alfred Patrick Quigley and the late Brother Dominic William Pike, both members of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, abused him.
Named as defendants in the case filed by lawyer Sandra Kovacs are the two men; St. Thomas More Collegiate Ltd.; The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vancouver, a Corporation Sole; and The Catholic Public Schools of the Archdiocese of Vancouver.
The 63-year-old’s claim said Quigley and Pike took vows of chastity and obedience.
The claim said A.B. started at Thomas More in September 1973 as a Grade 8 student and that Pike was his homeroom teacher.
The claims said in the summer of 1974, Pike took A.B. to Toronto and Hamilton, Ont. and then to Newfoundland.
While they were staying at an elderly woman’s home, the claim said Pike made sexual advances toward A.B. Then, the claim asserts, Pike abandoned the boy with a family in Stephenville, N.L. and didn’t return for a week.
Mount Cashel
Then, the claim said, Pike took A.B. on a tour of the Mount Cashel orphanage before returning to B.C.
The claim asserts Quigley groomed A.B. in order to exploit him. The suit said Quigley invited himself to A.B.’s family cabin in the summer of 1974 and shared a guest cabin with the boy.
Shortly after A.B.'s return from Newfoundland with Pike, the claim said Quigley again invited himself to the cabin but A.B. refused to share the guest cabin with him. Quigley soon left.
“At all times material to the grooming and abuse, the plaintiff was a minor and had no capacity to consent to any sexual contact whatsoever,” the claim said.
The suit said the men were in a position of authority over A.B. and were employees of the other defendants.
The claim asserts the other defendants had responsibility and control over the transfer of Christian Brothers from Mount Cashel.
The claim said both brothers previously served at the Mount Cashel orphanage.
Christian Brothers
An August 2021 claim filed by Kovacs on behalf of another client, John Doe said Quigley had been a teacher at Mount Cashel.
In 2020, Newfoundland and Labrador's highest court ruled the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John's was financially liable for sexual abuse at the Mount Cashel orphanage in the 1950s. That meant a $2-million payout to the four lead plaintiffs with liability imposed on the archdiocese for the conduct of five Mount Cashel Christian Brothers.
The 2021 claim said Quigley had allegedly abused or was at risk of abusing boys at Mount Cashel.
Further, it said, a deal with police and Newfoundland’s Ministry of Justice not to charge possibly offending clergy allowed the church to move clergy out of province “undetected, unsanctioned and without any or any adequate warning to the recipient jurisdiction.”
The claim said Quigley told Doe he had been at Mount Cashel at the time of the alleged abuses, and that he was worried about being called to testify in court.
St. Thomas More response
St. Thomas Moore president Stephen Garland said he could not offer comment on the case as it is before the court.
“Crimes of abuse are tragic and have lifelong impacts to those involved and we express profound sympathy to anyone who has been impacted in any way by any form of abuse,” he said.
Garland said student safety and well-being is of paramount importance for the school.
“St. Thomas More Collegiate strives to foster a learning and faith community built on trust and respect where every student optimizes their potential, serves others and creates a just and caring world,” he said. “Abuse of any kind has no place here, nor in any learning environment.”
He said policies, protocols and procedures are in place to make the school a safe environment for students, faculty and the entire school community, and that great care is taken to screen staff and volunteers.
“These policies are reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that they are protecting students in the most effective way possible,” he said.
Archdiocese response
Spokesman Matthew Furtado said the archdiocese expressed its deep sympathy for all victims of abuse.
“We cannot make any specific comments about this case as it is now before the courts,” Furtado said. “But we hope the attendant publicity will help give any other victims/survivors the confidence to come forward and get the healing they deserve.”
He said Vancouver’s Catholic community remains dedicated to a safe and caring environment, and that measures and policies to prevent all forms of abuse have been actively implemented.
